Meet the Staff & Vestry

Reverend Bill Van Oss- Rector

I was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin in a devout Roman Catholic family. I attended Catholic schools, including the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. After graduating, I worked for a year before attending Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois and being ordained a Roman Catholic priest for the Diocese of Green Bay.

I served churches in the Fox Valley and Algoma before resigning to marry Sue in 1996. We moved to Minnesota, where we discovered The Episcopal Church. We joined a wonderful congregation in St. Anthony Park. I began discerning being received as a priest in The Episcopal Church, a process that included a year of Anglican Studies at Seabury -Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.

I was received as a priest in 2000 and began serving All Saints Episcopal Church in Northfield, Minnesota and doing college campus ministry. Our lives were blessed to overflowing with the adoption of a child in 2003. I accepted a call to serve St. Paul’s Episcopal in Duluth, Minnesota in 2006. We spent 14 wonderful years serving St. Paul’s until accepting the call to St. Michael and All Angels on Sanibel in 2020.

I have had the good fortune to serve alongside my wife and life-partner Sue in each of my calls. Together we have worked to build faith communities that reflect the all- inclusive, unconditional love of God for all of God’s beloved. We believe the church needs to be outward facing, teaching The Way of Love modeled and lived by Jesus Christ and sharing that life-changing love of God with the world.

In my free time I enjoy jogging, sports and appreciating the natural beauty of Sanibel Island.

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Rev. Suzy Post- Assisting Priest

I was ordained a Priest in1991 in the Diocese of New York, I have served parishes in New York and Connecticut. I moved to Florida in 2002 when I accepted a call to be the Associate Priest at Saint Michael and All Angels. Recently, I served as Priest Associate at Iona Hope Episcopal Church in Fort Myers. I have been active in the Diocese serving in a number of capacities. I have also had the privilege of working with the local food pantries and Habitat for Humanity. My most favorite thing to do is sing and see a Broadway show!! I love music, movies, theatre and meeting new people. I live in Fort myers with my little Toy Poodle Lilly. I live every day grateful for the gift of each day and being in ministry together with the clergy, staff and parishioners at Saint Michaels!!

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Susan Gonzalez

Office Manager

I moved to Fort Myers, from Bay Shore, NY, when I was a mere teenager in the summer of 1985. I have served as Parish Secretary/Office Manager since May 2006. I am the secretary to the Rector, help the Assistant Priests, assist ministry groups, manage daily operations of the church office and adjoining buildings and coordinate the office volunteers. I like to read, crochet, bake and enjoy jigsaw puzzles. I am also a Notary.

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Sue Van Oss

Director of Digital Communications & Christian Formation

I have served in churches in the Midwest for over 30 years in Christian Formation and Communications, moving down to Florida last fall. I enjoy helping people stay connected online and support all ages growing in their faith at home and in community. I enjoy bicycling, shelling and spending time with my husband exploring the outdoors. We have one child who is in college in Chicago.

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Wendy Warner

Parish Nurse

I retired from the U.S. Air Force after 20 years and moved to SW Florida with my daughter to be closer to family and joined St. Michael's. I have been a nurse for over 40 years, serving here since 2014. My experience with nursing has taken me from cradle to grave, in the hospital, clinics, in an airplane and in the community and I still love it! I have a love for the water, sun and am always in hunt of the most perfect shell on the beach.

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Pat Norton

Finance Director

I am a semi-retired business executive with 20+ years of diverse industry experience in operations, financial budgeting, program management, and new website implementations. We moved to Sanibel in 2017 and joined St. Michael's soon after. In my free time, I continue to volunteer as the church's website tech. I like reading, working jigsaw puzzles and still enjoy the occasional bike ride on Sanibel's shared-use paths, with my avid biker husband, Hank.

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Erik Entwistle Director Of Music

I studied piano performance and musicology and have been giving piano lessons and teaching college-level music courses for 30 years. I moved to Sanibel from Cambridge, MA in 2014 and first began subbing in at the organ for St. Michael’s in the summer of 2018.

I enjoy the natural beauty of Sanibel and walk my dogs on the beach every day if possible, especially at sunset. For me, music and nature are two of God’s gifts that complement each other perfectly.

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Retired Clergy Associates:

Rev. Dr. Douglass Lind - I have loved being in the ministry since 1967 where I served as a Presbyterian minister in New York and Connecticut for forty years and then became an Episcopal priest in 2008 and began serving as a priest associate here at St. Michael and All Angels. I am retired from a forty- year career as a pastoral counselor and still do some management consulting work both for the Church and for secular organizations and corporations. As we all know, God is with us all the way. Now being in my mid 80’s I am slowing down a bit and won’t be on the preaching rotation, but am delighted with the thought of being available along with the other clergy if you find that a pastoral visit would be of help. Whether in hospital or at home, in grief or an issue of faith, I am pleased to be available. I’ve been married to Penny since 1965 and we live in Cypress Cove in Fort Myers. We feel very blessed to be a part of this wonderful church.

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Rev. Gail Avery- As a child I was fortunate to spend summers on a lake in NH where my love of the outdoors was nourished. So, when my parents bought timeshares on Sanibel in the late 70’s, it was easy to fall in love with an island community that protects its wildlife. In 2018, my husband and I bought a home in Sanibel in anticipation of our retirement. We raised 3 sons in the seacoast area of NH and have five grandchildren. While in NH I served three parishes, ministered to the international seafarers frequenting our ports, and later accepted a call on Diocesan staff as Canon for Transition and Community Engagement. Certified as a Professional Coach has broadened my ministry of presence. It’s a privilege coming alongside others as they discern where God is calling them next.

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