William Bill Edward Sorfleet

William Edward (Bill) Sorfleet was born April 4, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois to Isabelle Ann Meyer and John Thomas (Jack) Sorfleet Sr. Bill was the middle child of five and grew up on the Southside with his older siblings Grace and John T. (Jack) Jr., and younger sisters June, and Ruth (Irene). Bill and Jack were very close, and together helped their father around the house. Bill was a hard worker and never afraid to get his hands dirty. While many looked at a project and saw difficulties, Bill saw a challenge to be conquered. He learned the sooner you started a project the quicker you could finish and have fun. His youthful memories were of family summer trips to Traverse City and Cadillac Michigan. He related stories of fun times fishing, campfires and of summers living in the trailer.

On March 4, 1946, one month prior to his 18th birthday, Bill traveled to downtown Chicago and enlisted in the Marine Corps. He soon shipped out to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Paris Island, South Carolina. After boot camp, he traveled by train to Oceanside, California to complete his infantry training at Camp Pendleton. In the summer of 1947, Bill boarded a ship to China. He was assigned as a machine gun crewman and stationed at the Great Wall of China to protect it and the railroad from the invading Japanese forces. He also worked in the motor pool, learning skills that would serve him well. Bill was honorably discharged as a Corporal on November 20, 1947.

Bill returned to his home and family in Chicago and was soon back in Michigan to help Jack and his father build the family’s vacation home on the corner of Evanston and Harding in Coloma, Michigan. Jack had returned home from the war before Bill and had already built the first half of the house. Bill got right to work with his father and siblings, to finish the other half. This is the house where Grace, Jack, Bill, June and Irene would spend many summers. In later years, Bill would tell stories of high speed drives to Michigan with Jim Cornyn, owning the 3 B’s toy store with Willie Meyers and Brian O’Conner, the boat he owned with Cornyn, borrowing the tractor from a house along Blue Star Highway and of course the bowling team and Ed Walsh’s bar.

The bowling team and the bar were a favorite story for obvious reasons. This was where he met the love of his life, Frances Jean McCartney. In a recent interview when asked how they met, Bill said “she was chasin’ me through the alley, but I could run fast” Frances then added “not fast enough”. Fact is, Bill was on a bowling team sponsored by Frances’ Uncle, Ed Walsh. The team needed one more bowler and Frances was just what Bill and the team needed.

Frances was fond of clowns and Bill was to become the most cherished one in her collection. William and Frances exchanged vows on November 2, 1956 in St. Justin's Church with the Reverend James Brian Fleming officiating. The Maid of Honor was Elizabeth (Betty) McCartney Vlahakis and the Best Man was John T. (Jack) Sorfleet Jr.

When the first child, James Joseph, arrived at the house on Lafayette Street, Bill began his perpetual remodeling of homes. Bill was never far from a hammer. Pictures from their first year show Bill knocking down the kitchen wall while Frances, holding Jimmy, stood watching. It seemed that whenever another son was due, another remodel started. Bill and Frances had four more sons: William David, Thomas Vincent, Steven John and Robert Ronald. Bill and Frances would move the entire family two more times, first to 84th and Aberdeen and then to 60th and Maplewood.

Family was important to Bill and Fran. Dinner was a time when the boys were to be home gathered around the table. Frances had dinner ready when Bill came home from work and the boys were expected to be there. For those who lost track of time, Bill’s whistle would alert them, along with the rest of the neighborhood, of where they were supposed to be.

Bill worked hard to provide for Frances and the boys. His primary career was working for the City of Chicago. He started as a Laborer in Streets and Sanitation and retired as an Electrical Mechanic in the Chicago Police Motor Maintenance Division. He worked hard but found time for fun, usually in the form of practical jokes. When installing new street lights along State St. at Madison Ave., Bill placed a quarter, dime and nickel in the freshly poured concrete. Upon his later return to the scene, Bill incurred the wrath of the Police Officer directing traffic. As planned, the people crossing the street would tie up traffic when they bent over attempting to pick the coins from the concrete. His fellow mechanics at the police garage were not immune to his jokes either. Bill was known to drill holes in their tool boxes, insert a grease fitting and fill the locked box with grease, or shock them on a metal bench where he had wired an ignition coil.

Eventually Bill and Frances decided it was time to have a place of their own to enjoy as a family in Michigan. Staying in the two bedroom house that was converted from a two-car garage by Bill’s father was just not working well for a family of seven. “The cottage”, was purchased in 1966. It was a two bedroom home at the top of the hill from the “Big House”. Bill paid $1,500, because after asking his dad for advice, his Dad told him “well any more than $1,500 tell him to stick it”. Bill was proud of his purchase especially since it came with a saw in the shed. The property surrounding the small structure was wooded and Bill saw great challenges to be overcome.

Michigan was his favorite place to be. Every summer when school let out, Frances had all of the kids and necessities packed and ready to go when Bill came home from work. Bill would load the cars with amazing skill, for the two hour drive along the old road. Frances would drive with three boys, while Bill would drive the other two and the dog. The ride along US Route 12/20 was fun and usually involved a stop at Frank N Stein, The Lure or A&W. Bill would spend the start of summer working in Chicago and commuting weekends to the Cottage, but the month of August was his four weeks of vacation and nothing could keep him from Michigan.

The cottage became a place the Sorfleet family would spend summers doing construction, refurbishing, clearing newly acquired lots and having fun. The boys spent summers creating fond memories with their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles including Bill’s best friend, “Uncle Jim” Cornyn, and their Michigan friends.

Bill taught the boys how to measure twice and cut once, nail boards together, wire an electrical outlet, dig garbage pits, patch roofs, fix the plumbing, hang doors, hot wire cars, repair refrigerators, safely take down a tree, fall gracefully from a tree while hanging a street lamp, throw Drewry beer bottles to make them whistle and how to add onto the cottage they loved. There were family water fights with Bill and the boys outside with balloons and buckets while Frances used the sprayer at the kitchen sink. It became a place filled with laughter and the cry of “Francesssss” echoing through the woods.

Bill grew up in a time when it was important to be thrifty. In his later years, his thriftiness became a passion. Bill loved “going junking” or “shopping”. Friends and family kidded Bill about his early morning shopping routes but they weren’t laughing when Bill would go into his “collection” for something they needed. Bill saw the value in what others thought was junk.

In 1985 Bill retired but never slowed down, spending more time with Frances and adding to his collection. To house his collection he built a pole barn, a place where Bill would often be found organizing and re-organizing the “stuff”. There was a little bit of everything in the pole barn and Bill knew what it was and where it was. The remodels continued and Grandma and Grandpa worked together to raise their first three grandchildren.

Bill’s legacy is the love he held for Frances as well as the love and knowledge he passed on to his five sons, 12 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and all the friends that he collected throughout his life.

We will miss the advice when something needs fixing, the silly faces, razz berry kisses, the cheating at Uno, the calls of: ”Fraaaancessss”, “bye boys”, “ I don’t know”, “get out of here”, “brains”, “stupe nagle”, “holy moses”, “oh jeez”, “ I didn’t feel it”, “144”, “you can all go scratch” and “alright STOP IT”.

It is time to ring that final bell. Rest in Peace, Semper Fi,

Love ya, BE GOOD!