William (Bill) Nesbitt
Date of Birth
February 11, 1931
Passed Away
December 13, 2025
Place of Residence
Canandaigua
Home State
New York
Service Date
December 30, 2025
Service Time
11:00 AM
Service Location
Pulteney Presbyterian Church
Interment Location
Bath National Cemetery
CANANDAIGUA – William (Bill) L. Nesbitt, 94, passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at Keuka Comfort Home, Penn Yan, NY. Bill was born in Youngstown, Ohio, to Caroline J. Hamlin and Clarence L. Nesbitt on Wednesday, February 11, 1931, and would relocate with his family to Corning, NY. He graduated from Corning Free Academy in 1949 and married his high-school sweetheart, Jean Theresa Wolff Nesbitt, on June 6, 1953. Shortly after marriage, Jean followed him to Killeen, Texas, where Bill fulfilled his U.S. Army assignment at Fort Hood from 1953 to 1955. The two returned to Corning, where they raised their family, spending summers at Keuka Lake.
He attended Alfred State College and received a degree in Business Administration, and attended Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University and the National Trust School of Northwestern University. He joined the First National Bank and Trust Company in 1955, was a trust officer from 1961 to 1968, and the Vice President and Trust Officer from 1968 until 1976. During this time, he was supervisor of Business Services for the Corning City School District from 1976 to 1978, elected to represent the city of Corning on the Steuben County Board of Supervisors from 1970 until 1978, held chairmanships of the County Treasurer’s Committee, Data Processing Committee, and countless other committees within his community.
He was a member and past president of the Corning Rotary Club, past president of the Steuben County Chapter of the American Cancer Society, and Alfred Alumni Association. He held treasurer positions for United Way, Cancer Society, and Jaycees, and was active in the local Boy Scouts as cub master and Chairman of the Trust Committee, Concanoga District, Boy Scouts of America. He was also a trustee for the YMCA in Corning for ten years.
In 1978, Bill was appointed as Trust Officer in charge of Endicott Trust Company’s Trust Division, where he worked until he and Jean retired to Keuka Lake in 1988. Bill enjoyed sailing, swimming, motorboating, and anything involving Keuka Lake.
He is survived by his son, Steven (Karen) Nesbitt of Branchport, NY, and Vero Beach, FL; daughters Nancy (David, 2025) Stenger of Pulteney, NY, and Janet (Aldis) Lemesis of Punta Gorda, FL; grandchildren Mathew (Aimee) Nesbitt of Branchport, NY, Michael (Danielle) Nesbitt of McKinney, TX, and Marcus Nesbitt of Rochester; great-grandchildren, both children of Matthew and Aimee, Thomas and Andrew Nesbitt; and two brothers-in-law, Tom (husband of the late Marianne) Rumsey of Charlottesville, VA, and Stuart (husband of the late Marilynne) Zeafla of Sayre, PA.
Bill is predeceased by his wife, Jean Theresa Wolff Nesbitt (2023); daughter Lisa Ann Nesbitt (infant, 1964); his above-mentioned parents Caroline and Clarence; brother John D. Nesbitt (1999); and sisters Marianne Rumsey (2018) and Marilynne Zeafla (2025).
A celebration of life service will be held at 11:00 AM at the Pulteney Presbyterian Church, 9237 County Route 74, Pulteney, NY, on December 30, 2025, with a reception to follow at the Pulteney Free Library. A private burial service will be held at Bath National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Keuka Comfort Care Home, P.O. Box 107, Penn Yan, NY, 14527. Bishop & DeSanto Funeral Home, 35 Main St., Hammondsport, is honored to assist Bill’s family with the arrangements. Online condolences or remembrances of Bill are welcome below, or on the Facebook page of Bishop-Johnson & DeSanto Funeral Home.
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4 Responses
Kim Wheat Condas says:
December 19, 2025, at 1:03 AM
Mr. Nesbitt was always a kind and welcoming presence when I’d hang out at their house or cottage with my friend, his lovely daughter Janet. I love how he lived life until the very end, treasuring walks and talks with friends old and new. His memory is most assuredly a blessing!
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Ann & Brent Penwarden says:
December 19, 2025, at 5:02 PM
Our condolences to the Nesbitt family. Unfortunately, we will be in Florida and unable to attend the service. Bill was a longtime family friend of my parents as well as a college friend of Ann’s Uncle Herb. May he rest in peace.
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Pam (Tietjen) Fingar says:
December 28, 2025, at 8:36 PM
Dear Nesbitt family,
I was very sorry to see that Mr. Nesbitt passed away. I remember how he and our mother shared a lot of friendship at church! My sincerest sympathy goes out to all of you at this very difficult time. Even though I can’t be there Tuesday, I will always remember your father.
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Tom Nesbitt at [email protected] says:
January 6, 2026, at 4:51 PM
Hello, I am sorry to hear of Bill’s passing, as we spoke by phone several years ago. I was able to give him his line of Nesbitt ancestors and we are distantly related. Bill’s father was Clarence L. Nesbitt, born in 1904 in Harmony, PA. His father was Frank Nesbitt, born in 1876 in Harmony, PA. His father was Aaron Nesbitt, born in 1853 in Harmony, PA. His father was Peter Nesbitt, born in 1822 in Luzerne Co, PA, but moved to Harmony, PA, about 1840 with his relatives. The Nesbitt farm is now the campus of Seneca Valley High School, just outside Harmony. I am descended from Peter Nesbitt and his other son Philip, born in 1856.
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