William J. McNally II

William J. McNally II Family Story

William J. McNally II was born in 1923, the third child after Betty and Jack, during the family's residence in South Harlem. Even from a young age, he showed a knack for business, taking on extra duties as an altar boy for a quarter. He was also a member of the Gaelic League.

An adventurous spirit, like his father, Bill junior, harbored a deep dislike for the dense population in New York City and liked to spend time at his uncle Pat's place on Pelham Bay, where he enjoyed fishing, rowing, and hearing stories of Ireland. He even dropped out of high school to live on a farm in Pennsylvania for a while.

In 1943, he reluctantly enlisted with Jack in the Seabees and served with the Navy from Tarawa through Japan's occupation. Brother Joe joined the regular Navy and Bill felt that his younger siblings belonged to a different generation. Post war he spent a few summers in Alaska, which included working on a survey crew for the Seaward Highway. Upon returning to New York, he followed Jack's advice and used the GI Bill to further his education. He started at Fordham University and graduated from Gonzaga University in Washington State. He wooed Florence Svereika, who worked alongside his sister Rose Marie at the telephone company, into marriage.

The couple relocated to the Washington, D.C. area where Bill worked on early CBS TV News and started studying for his MA in History from Georgetown University but dropped out to accept a position in public relations with Seal test in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the family lived from 1953 to 1961. There he started McNally & Loftin Publishers and then Heritage Printers. In 1961, driven ambitions to expand the publishing business, Flo's desire to be closer to her family in Los Angeles, a wish to escape the racial tensions of the South, and a love for the California weather he experienced during wartime when he shipped out from Port Hueneme, Bill moved his family to Santa Barbara.

A dedicated businessman and entrepreneur, Bill never lost his passion for nature, purchasing land in Southern California to cultivate trees. Though usually private and reserved, he was known to belt out powerful hymns at midnight Mass and after a few drinks would occasionally sing and pound out lively Irish tunes on the piano.

Mary Ellen, John, Liz, Flossie, W.J., Florence, Kitty, Bill, Susan (1971)

• Mary Ellen, born 1950, passed in 2009. Married to John Obermeyer had one daughter, Emily.

• William J. III, born 1952, is retiring from Printing and NOAA, living Honolulu and had three sons, Cyrus, William Joseph IV and Charlie.

• Kathleen, born 1954, passed away in 2014, and had three sons, Kenny (RIP), Ernak and Nicky.

• Florence (Flossie), born in 1956, married to Al Givens, have one son Matthew who is married to Christine; all live in the Salt Lake City Area.

• Liz/Betty, born in 1958, passed in 2012. She had three children; Rachele, Cameron and Jordan.

• John, born in 1960, lives in Southern California with his wife Sally and have one daughter, Brigid, who was married recently to Jan Schlegel and they live in Austin, Texas.

• Susan, born in 1962, lives in Newport Beach, CA with her husband Gary Haskins.