William “Bill” Zadernak, 57, of Gainesville passed away Sunday March 24, 2019 following an extended illness.
Born January 20, 1962 and raised in Butler, PA, Bill had been a resident of North Georgia for over 30 years. A 1980 graduate of Knoch High School, he earned a BS in education from Edinboro University in 1984. Bill moved with his wife to North Georgia in 1988 to begin teaching at Dawson County High School. He devoted much of his time to coaching numerous school sports and was affectionately known as “Coach Z”. During this time Bill also earned a Master’s Degree in School Administration from the University of Georgia. In 2000, Bill became the principal of Dawson County Middle School and eventually Riverview Middle School until his retirement in 2015. He thoroughly enjoyed retirement where he spent time with his family, traveled and umpired baseball games. An avid fan of all sports, Bill always remained loyal to his hometown teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers. He was preceded in death by his father, Paul Zadernak.
Surviving are his wife of 33 years, Bonnie Zadernak of Gainesville; children, Lauren Zadernak, Scott Zadernak; mother, Nancy Zadernak of Butler, PA; sisters and brothers in law, Pauline and James Stavely of West Chester, PA, Jean and Donald Dentinger of Louisville, KY; mother and father in law, Eleanor and David Hackett, Renfrew, PA; a number of nieces, nephews and other relatives.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday March 30, 2019 at 11 a.m. at Bearden Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Stephen Gerrells will officiate.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday March 29 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers donations are requested in Bill’s memory to the REACH scholarship program at https://reachga.org/donate/. Please select Dawson County Schools as the district.
Condolences may be expressed at www.beardenfuneralhome.com.
Bearden Funeral Home, Dawsonville, GA.