William Sterling (Bill) Hackmann
Oct. 10, 1950-Dec. 31, 2024
Former Resident of Palo Alto, California
Submitted by John and Frank Hackmann
William Sterling (Bill) Hackmann of Elsberry, Missouri, and a former resident of Palo Alto and the Bay Area from 1977 to the mid-1990s, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, surrounded by loving family members and friends. He is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Kathy Hackmann (nee Petitt), his older brother Frank (Susan) Hackmann of Clayton, Missouri, and his older brother John Morrow Hackmann of Palo Alto, California. He is also survived by nieces and nephews Emily (Rob) Whitney, Fred (Brett) Hackmann, Meredith (Justin) Harris and Richard (Julia) Hackmann as well as six great nieces and numerous cousins.
Bill was born in St Louis, Missouri, to Sterling W Hackmann and Mary Elizabeth Morrow (Betty) Hackmann who both predeceased him.
He grew up in East St Louis, Illinois, and later Belleville, Illinois. He went to the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign where he met Kathy and where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics/computer science with high honors and distinction as well as a Master of Science degree.
Bill then went to work as a computer programmer at the A G Becker brokerage firm in Chicago, Illinois, where he worked with Myron Scholes as Scholes helped to develop the concept of the index fund for the stock market. After leaving Becker, Bill joined IBM in the San Francisco Bay area, where he had a long and very successful career as both a computer programmer and a technical support specialist on a variety of significant products. During the years Bill was at IBM, he and Kathy lived in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Pescadero, and Morgan Hill. He then joined Edward Jones in St Louis in information systems and provided support to the many separate office locations of Edward Jones. Bill also provided computer programming consulting to Ralston Purina's pet food manufacturing operations.
Bill was a devoted son, a wonderful brother, a loving and caring husband, and a beloved uncle to his four nieces and nephews and his six great nieces. He and Kathy could always be counted on to select just the right adventure to entertain the nieces, nephews and great nieces.
Bill was a long-time member of Dardenne Presbyterian Church.
Bill enjoyed cooking and experimenting with new recipes. He was also a very talented photographer, photography being a long-time hobby which was sparked by being a photographer for both his high school yearbook and newspaper.
Bill and Kathy owned and loved many dogs over the years. He and Kathy enjoyed dog training and showed several of their dogs. They were also active in dog rescue in Northern California and Missouri.
Bill was especially proud of his silver buckle earned for showing his Arabian horse in California in the Western Pleasure and Trail Class.
There will be a celebration of life service in the Spring of 2025 at a time and place to be determined.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Signal Hill Education Foundation, the Dardenne Presbyterian Church, the Morris Animal Foundation, the Joseph R. Palmer Family Memorial Library in Elsberry, Missouri, or a charity of the donor's choice.
