Bill, who we lost very suddenly, is survived by his beloved wife, Claudia Penoza, their two sons Chuck (Carleen) Penoza of Beverly Hills, MI and Andy (Cara) Penoza of Troy MI, and his only sister Sue Penoza of Novi, MI. He also leaves behind 4 cherished grandchildren Maddy, Zach, Charlie, and Leo. He will be terribly missed by Claudia's siblings, nieces and nephews, and many good friends and neighbors. Bill was the son of William Charles and Mary Helen Penoza of Waterford, Michigan.
Memorial services will be delayed due to the current pandemic. The family requests that donations go to the Torch Lake Protection Alliance https://www.torchlakeprotectionalliance.org/content.aspx?page_id=301&club_id=767124
Bill was known for his competitive spirit and played basketball and football at Waterford Kettering High School. He was proud of the fact that he held a track record at Kettering for years. He married Claudia Everett, his high school sweetheart, in 1971. With the support of Claudia, Bill worked at GM and attended Lawrence Tech, graduating in 1981. He made a career move in 1988 and joined Perot Systems where he had a successful career until 2006. He remained friends with colleagues from Perot Systems for the remainder of his life.
Bill and Claudia created traditions at both their Bloomfield and Torch Lake homes. They teamed up to offer gourmet meals at family gatherings and grandchildren often called to request favorites or to get the menu. True to Bill’s competitive nature, gatherings at the Penoza home in Bloomfield often ended with grandchildren asking Bill to play competitive games of ping pong, shuffleboard, pool and card games. Bill and Claudia enjoyed sharing their home on Torch Lake. Days were spent on his pontoon with his granddaughter Maddy as a figurehead at the bow. He recently took pleasure in teaching his two eldest grandsons, Zach and Charlie to drive the pontoon (and the jet boat!). The tiki bar he and Chuck built was famous for afternoon gatherings. His grandson, Leo, has become expert at Pina Coladas and served alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. Often heard was “is the tiki bar open?”
The most cherished times for Bill were times spent with his sons, their wives, and his grandchildren. Meals were developed for grandkids – ‘pick out what you don’t like’ being a favorite. A pontoon ride to ‘put the boat away’ each evening became a tradition. Driftwood trophies were awarded for horseshoe and cornhole competitions. The entire family on the pontoon for the July 4th fireworks was a must. As the grandkids became older, badminton, cribbage and text-twist became popular competitions. Bill shared a love of music with both Chuck and Andy, and music was a large part of campfires at Torch Lake.
Bill was a favorite of the younger generation including local nieces Kristy, Jamie and Julie, who have memories of him at Torch Lake. Friends of Chuck and Andy often called Bill the ‘Chief’ and included him in outings at the DAC, trips to the Kentucky Derby and the Masters.
A popular nickname for Bill was ‘Cuddy,’ a name given to him by Hannah and Alex his grand niece and grand nephew. Often heard at Torch Lake was ‘Cuddy can we have a fire tonight, Cuddy let’s play horse shoes, Cuddy what’s for dinner?, Cuddy you have to stay up to help get the big word in text twist, and Cuddy can we go tubing? ‘
True signs of a life well lived: a loving marriage, surrounded by family and friends, and especially grandkids competing for his time. Bill had it all. He will be dearly missed.
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