William C. Tolonen

Bill (William) Tolonen, age 74, of Livonia, passed away Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Bill fought a courageous battle with cancer over the last three years. A memorial will be held Monday, April 13th at Harry Will Funeral Home, 37000 W. Six Mile Road, Livonia. The family will receive visitors on Monday between 2 and 8 p.m. at the funeral home with a short military service at 6 p.m. After the military service people can share memories.

Bill was born on January 17, 1952 to Carl and Eleanor Tolonen. He graduated from Garden City High School in 1970. After high school, Bill was proud to serve in the United States Army. After serving his country, Bill worked at Detroit Metropolitan Airport for North Central, Republic, Northwest and Delta Airlines. After retiring from the airport, Bill enjoyed working for Livonia transit and getting residents to their appointments.

Bill married Marie Major on September 2, 1978. They enjoyed hosting family and friends for holiday celebrations. Bill and Marie also enjoyed camping with family and later family gatherings at various locations on Lake Michigan and in Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

Bill enjoyed helping family and friends. He could fix many different things, whether it be a spring on a garage door, plumbing or remodeling a whole kitchen. He understood how things worked and could explain how to fix things in detail. Bill was a good cook and shared recipes with many. Bill was an avid fan of Detroit sports team, especially the Tigers, Red Wings and Lions. Bill spent leisure time golfing, bowling, going to classic car shows and monthly meetings with Livonia transit friends. He enjoyed reading and different types of music especially Blues.

Bill was a man of integrity and generosity. He was thoughtful and cared deeply about people in a quiet way. Receiving a text from Bill on holidays and birthdays was something he did regularly.

Bill and Marie were proud parents of Michael and Andrea. They also enjoyed helping with their grandchildren, Alex and Andrew Leventis and Erin and Luke Tolonen. Bill especially enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and going to their athletic events and watching them thrive. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.

Bill is survived by wife Marie, children Michael (Katie) Tolonen, Andrea (Eric) Leventis and stepdaughter Krista (Lenny) Chludzinski, grandchildren, Alex, Andrew, Erin and Luke, sister Sandy, (Ed) Butler, Carol (Marshall) Hill and many adoring nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held in his honor. Details will be provided at a later time.

Those wishing to make a contribution in lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan. www.bloodcancerfoundationmi.org