William Kasper

William Kasper, Jr. (Bo) died Wednesday, October 26, 2005 at his home in Topeka. He was born in Lind, Washington, the youngest of five children of William and Hazel Wolff Kasper. He attended the University of Washington. In 1943, he joined the Coast Guard and served for the duration of the war. He spent his life in the garment industry. In 1970, he established William Kasper California, a wholesale and retail company that designed, manufactured and imported cashmere knitwear, greatly expanding the availability of cashmere in America. In 1987, he and his wife, Randall Roy, moved the company from Los Angeles and New York to Topeka. They retired in 2000. Bill Kasper is survived by his wife of 22 years, Randall Roy; his sister Betty Quintin of Pacifica, California; and three children by a previous marriage, Claudia Eskenazi Cohen of Tarzana, California; Stacey Niedergerke of Franktown, Colorado; and David Kasper of Hidden Hills, California. He was a generous and loving grandfather to seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by two brothers, Milton and Harry Kasper, and a sister, Phyllis Mitchell. He was vice president of Friends of Cedar Crest, and an interested investor in the renovation of the Ramada Inn Downtown, where the blues and jazz venue, Uncle Bos, is named for him. He was an active liberal Democrat and proud of it. He was a member of Temple Beth Shalom. Bill Kasper will be missed dearly by his wife, Randy, family, friends, and his furry companions, Dilly and Edna. Private services will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Karl Stock Eye Institute at St. Francis Health Center, 1700 W. 7th Street, Topeka Kansas, 66606. A special message may be given to the family online at www.PenwellGabel.com.