William Dean Esselstein

William Dean Esselstein, 86, of San Rafael, CA, passed away on May 9th, 2025.

Bill was born on November 2nd, 1938, in Redwood City, CA, to Walter and Jane Esselstein. He attended Junipero Serra High School, graduating in 1955.  After a year at Santa Clara University, he was accepted into the United State Military Academy in West Point, NY. He entered as a Plebe in 1957 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree four years later on June 7th as a proud member of the Class of ’61, “Second to None!”

Bill served on active duty in the Army (Armored Division) for four years, resigning in 1965 with the rank of Captain. His first assignment was with the 4th Cavalry Regiment in Hawaii, and he served as Troop Commander from April 1962 – July 1965. Prior to that assignment, he successfully completed both Ranger and Airborne Schools. 

Bill sought and received an honorable discharge from the Army in 1965 after the death of his first wife, Marlene (née Grassens).  Bill and baby daughter Lynne (b. 1964) relocated to Redwood City, CA, to live with family while Bill attended law school at UC Hastings in San Francisco.  

After graduating with honors (Order of the Coif) in 1968, Bill passed the CA Bar and started his law career with the firm Robertson, Alexander & Luther in Menlo Park.  While in law school, Bill met and fell in love with Linda (née Michelotti). They were  married in 1969. Daughter Lisa was born in 1972. They celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2019 and were married 56 years.

Bill built a successful and respected legal career over 45 years until his retirement in 2006. He was a name partner at Esselstein, Wright, Jones, & Greenberg for most of that time, advising local businesses and government entities on a wide variety of cases and issues.  Many of his clients became close personal friends. He was also deeply committed to public and community service.  He was elected to the Las Lomitas Elementary School District board, where he served two terms with several years as President.  Bill also provided pro-bono services to veterans at the Veterans Administration in Palo Alto and was on the board of Legal Aid Services of San Mateo County.  He was an early organizer in the “Save the Hill” campaign, successfully preserving a 12+ acre tract of open space in unincorporated Menlo Park near where he and his family resided. 

In 2000, Bill  and Linda moved to Healdsburg, CA,  where they became partners with Lynne and her husband Jon in a vineyard and winery in the Alexander Valley.  Bill moved his practice with him and joined the law firm of Meyers Nave.  He and Linda immediately met and befriended many new neighbors and became actively involved in the community.  Bill joined the Alexander Valley Association board and served on both the Northern Sonoma Healthcare District’s foundation board and its governing council.  As a principal in the family wine business, he studied viticulture at Santa Rosa Junior College and oversaw the legal aspects of selling Joseph Family Vineyards (JFV) wine and grapes.  After 16 years in the wine country, Bill and Linda moved to Reno, NV, to be close to Linda’s sister and brother-in-law. They enjoyed life in the high desert for 6 years until returning to Northern California in 2022.

Throughout his life, Bill was famous for his energy, enthusiasm, and love of life.  He was an excellent cook and exuberant host.  Born into a small family, he loved big ones.  Bill felt that the best gift he gave his daughters was marrying into Linda’s famiglia and earning his status as an honorary Italian (complete with more or less proficient Italian language fluency in food vocabulary).  He had a wide circle of close friends he called family, from his West Point classmates to friends from childhood, high school, and law school, and later to the extended Joseph family clan .  

Eternally young at heart, Bill loved young people, welcoming his daughters’ and granddaughters’ friends into the family home as if they were his own kids.  Many younger generations remember sitting with Bill at a family dinner table as he told stories, poured wine, debated the issues of the day, and tried to recruit them for West Point.

Bill had a wide variety of interests and skills. He was an accomplished outdoorsman, earning the affectionately sarcastic nickname “Ranger Bill”.  Sporting his signature red neckerchief, he backpacked all over the Sierra Nevada, was an avid fly fisherman, and loved camping with his family.  He was an expert downhill skier and was a ski patrolman while in college.  He waterskied, played tennis and golf, and loved games like Darts, Hearts, and Dominoes.  He was a 49er Faithful and a SF Giants gamer dude, and counted himself lucky to attend Super Bowl XVI in 1982, and the World Series in 1989 and 2010. Bill was a voracious reader and an insightful critic of The Arts in all forms.  A masterful storyteller and first-rate writer, he kept journals during travels and backpacking trips, and sent many a thoughtfully-composed missive on topics of concern.  Once retired, he and Linda traveled all over the world together, with multiple returns to Italy.

Bill is preceded in death by his brother, Robert Esselstein; his mother, Jane Esselstein; his father and stepmother, Walter & Helene Esselstein; and his first wife, Marlene Esselstein. He is survived by Linda; his daughters Lynne (Jonathan Joseph) & Lisa; and his granddaughters Rose Joseph and Caroline Joseph.

Friends and family will gather to remember Bill and celebrate his life on Saturday, June 28th from 11:30am – 2:30pm at Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley, CA.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Bill’s memory to the West Point Center for Oral History. 

Well done, Bill. Be thou at peace.

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