Surviving are his wife of 49 years, Jane; three daughters, Kimberly (Steve) Westdorp, Debra (Michael) Novak, and Pamela Mason; a daughter from a previous marriage, Denise (Dan) Miklusicak; 8 grandchildren, Audrey (Derek) Strickland, Ross (Nikki) Westdorp, Christian Westdorp, Christina (Tony Murray) Novak, Brittany Novak, Zackary Mason, Benjamin Miklusicak, and Amanda (Ken) Dietz; and 8 great-grandchildren.
Bill was Director of Circulation for The Grand Rapids Press when he retired in 1989, ending 34 years in the world of newspapers to begin life aboard Albacore, a custom 45-foot wood trawler they had sailed to the Great Lakes from Massachusetts. Boating was Bill’s passion. He was a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, teaching boating classes, using his own boat on Lake Michigan for patrols and rescue missions, and eventually becoming Division Captain. In 1982, Bill and Jane were crew for friends on their 40-foot schooner, crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Seville, Spain, to the Canary Islands and finally to Barbados.
They traveled thousands of miles in retirement from 1989 until 2011, sailing Albacore down the Mississippi River several times and the Tombigbee Waterway, returning to Michigan via the East Coast to New York City, then up the Hudson River to the Erie Canal and through the Great Lakes to Lake Michigan. They spent years in Key West, at the fort in the Dry Tortugas, in the Bahamas, and finally on A Dock at the city marina in Fort Myers, Florida. Throughout their travels, they met friends who became “keepers.”
Bill was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids. He enjoyed the Tuesday “coffee with the guys” in the church kitchen. When home, he maintained his friendship with former coworkers from The Press.
No public service is planned because of the Covid pandemic. A private graveside service will be held with Pastor Kevin Sullivan officiating.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18