William F. “Bill” Warnecke, Sr. passed away on August 5, 2010. He was predeceased by his wife of fifty-four years, Vera Warnecke and his sister Frances Roginski. Bill was 94 years old and born in the Bronx, NY. He served in the US Army during WWII as an Army Signal Corps Photographer. Bill was the devoted father of four children, Barbara Brady, Betty Valandra, Virginia O’Connor, William Warnecke, Jr., with eight grand-children, thirteen great-grandchildren , one great-great-grandchild and wife of eleven years, Linnet Warnecke. He had a zest for life and a sense of humor that brought a smile to everyone’s face. He will be very deeply missed by his family and friends. Bill will always be remembered for his Christmas Eve visits, dressed as Santa Claus, to the homes of children in Crestwood, NY, where the family once resided. He also visited, as Santa, hospitals, orphanages and nursing homes visiting those sick, lonely and forgotten by their families. Bill is a member of a distinguished family of news photographers. His father worked for “The Evening World” newspaper and was one of the first press photographers in NYC. His Uncle, Harry Warnecke, was chief photographer who took the cover photos for the “Daily News” for fifty years. Bill worked for CBS television during the infancy of TV. He took pictures of celebrities, including but not limited to Arthur Godfrey, Carol Brunett, Jackie Gleason, Ed Sullivan, the Beatles, Gen. MacArthur, Gen. Eisenhower and Presidents FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. Lucille Ball remarked that “Bill has taken pictures of all the important events in my life.” He was the only photographer she would allow to photograph her marriage to Gary Morton. He also made a two-week, cross country train trip from Los Angeles to New York with Jackie Gleason. Bill’s first published picture was of the former Governor of NY, Al Smith. Walter Cronkite attended Bill’s retirement party from CBS. His photographs can be seen in the book The Historic Conquest of the Moon As Reported to the American People by CBS, when Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldren became the first men to walk on the moon. He also took the pictures in Jackie Kennedy’s book, A Tour of The White House, which is on display in The Kennedy Museum in Berlin, Germany. Aside from a wonderful career, Bill’s family was his life. Until we meet again, Dad, you will always be in our hearts. Relatives and friends may call August 9th at McGrath Funeral Home, Bronxville, NY from 2-4 and 6-9. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. The funeral Mass is August 10th at Annunciation Church in Crestwood at 10 am. Internment with full military honors will follow at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, NY.