William (Bill) Firestone , a long- time resident of Santa Cruz, California, passed away peacefully on January 17, 2026 at Palo Alto Commons Retirement Center. Bill was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1944. He was pre-deceased by his parents. Bill was devoted to his loving mother , Mabel Brail and her caring husband, Boris H. Brail. He is survived by loving cousins and relatives.
Bill’s broad education included Evanston Township High School, Yale University and advanced studies in Computer Science at SUNY Buffalo. He loved theatre, music and all things creative and excelled in theatre production and set design He was devoted to exercising, especially running most days. One of his most interesting hobbies was searching genealogy and putting together more than a century of family history, a monumental accomplishment which his family appreciated greatly.
Bill was an accomplished Software Development Engineer/Technical Leader at Cisco Systems retiring there in 2019 after a successful 23 years of service. His earlier career included software development at other leading high technology corporations.
Bill Firestone was a modest, kind and loving spirit with a wonderful sense of humor. He will be greatly missed by his family and all who knew him.