Bill Menck I

All who knew Bill Menck I would agree that he was larger than life. He was an avid outdoorsman who was a man of many passions that kept him very busy. Bill was a devoted and hardworking husband and father who enjoyed in his later years being an active part of his grandchildren’s lives. As his family and friends can attest, he seemed to know everything, and there was nothing like one of his stories. He was a bit of a perfectionist who knew where all his "stuff" was and did not want it moved. He was a firm believer in doing something right the first time. Although his life came to a sudden end, Bill’s family and friends will continue to cherish the precious memories they have of such an extraordinary man.

The year 1941 is often remembered as the year of the vicious attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th. The following day President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war, and countless young servicemen and women were sent overseas while those who remained stateside held on to hope for the safe return of their loved ones. It was just after this historical day that a young couple from Kalamazoo, Michigan, was blessed with the birth of a baby boy on December 28th. He was born at his grandparents home while the men watched the Lone Ranger. William F. was the older of two boys born to his parents, Wilford and Helena (Lesterhouse) Thrasher. Several years later he was joined by his brother, Ron.

Bill’s parents divorced when he was only eight or nine years old. Shortly thereafter he went to live with his maternal grandparents for a time. Both of Bill’s parents later remarried, and he began living with his mother and stepfather, Fred Menck. He ended up taking Fred’s last name although he was never officially adopted. He didn’t see his birth father or half-siblings until he was able to drive.

From an early age Bill was working, which meant he had no time for sports. He baled hay in the summer and also delivered the Kalamazoo Gazette year round. Interestingly, Al Capone’s sister was on his route, and on one snowy day Al saw Bill and picked him up with his bike. Bill worked out in the celery fields, too. He went on to graduate from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1960.

Life was forever changed for Bill when he met the young girl of his dreams. Her name was Mary Ann Marunycz, and she was one year behind him at Parchment Schools. Bill and Mary Ann knew each other as they were dating different people who were mutual friends, but when he called her to get a bite to eat one night the sparks flew between them. They were opposites, but they loved having fun together and began dating.

Their love turned a different corner when Bill was drafted into the Army in 1964. He was sent to Alaska as he had suffered burns over one-third of his body as a boy and they were unsure of sending him into the heat of Vietnam. While in Alaska he learned to build roads and bridges, and as someone whose passion was hunting and fishing he truly loved being in Alaska. While home on leave Bill married his sweetheart on May 23, 1964, at Parchment United Methodist Church. After a honeymoon spent on her grandmother’s farm Bill returned to his duties.

After being discharged in 1966, Bill returned to his family that grew to include their daughter, Anne, in 1964. They rented a house in Kalamazoo for a few months, but later bought a house in the Paw Paw area where he had been working. With the birth of their son, Bill, in 1971, their family of four was complete. Bill later built a house behind the old original home in 1976 enlisting the help of his children.

Over the years Bill had a strong work ethic. His career started off working for his uncle in the heating and cooling business. This was when he started smoking a pipe. The bulk of Bill’s career was spent working in construction for his cousin. He was a jack of all trades who could do just about anything as he was very practically minded and could think his way through whatever needed to be done. Bill was the first to come up with a plan, and he was always right, too. Later in life he helped his children build their own homes and spent some time working in excavating until retiring in 2006. Bill took great pride in his work and in being able to “outwork” people who were much younger.

Throughout his life Bill was a hunting enthusiast. He coon hunted in the Lawton and Paw Paw areas, often with his coon dogs. No matter where Bill was working, hunting season took precedence. Locally he primarily hunted rabbit and deer, but he also went up North to bear hunt and out West to hunt elk. Later in life he went turkey hunting with his grandchildren. Bill loved eating whatever he brought home, and since he knew how to cook he had passed all his skills on to Mary Ann. He was accomplished at black powder shooting as he won various competitions and also knew how to throw axes and knives.

Although hunting was his primary interest, Bill enjoyed other things, too. He loved going out to coffee, usually at McDonald’s where everyone knew him. Bill often walked through L and L Junkyard in Paw Paw, coffee in hand, finding Craftsman tools he could reuse. Vacations during the summer were spent out West or on the East Coast with Bill making sure that all the camping gear was packed just so. Bill did some traveling with Mary Ann in campers and later in a panel van that fit a full size mattress inside. During their retirement years Mary Ann opened a nursery out of their home, and Bill enjoyed chatting with the customers. He loved his lawn and made sure that her business didn’t encroach on his part of the yard. Bill loved getting good deals, found projects to keep busy with, and enjoyed mushroom hunting. When grandchildren arrived he went to their school and sporting events.

A no frills sort of man, Bill Menck I lived life in his own way. He was most comfortable in broken-in blue jeans, t-shirt, and hat with long hair and a scruffy beard. Bill could come off as a bit rough around the edges, but he had a heart of gold and the best of intentions, too. He loved his family, and it was his family who was his greatest source of pride and joy. Bill will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who knew and loved him.

William Menck died on September 10, 2014. Bill’s family includes his wife, Mary Ann Menck; 2 children: Anne (Tom) Giles and William F. (Sandy) Menck II; 4 grandsons: Cody Giles (Nicole Casey), Cole Menck, Eli Giles and Zack Menck; siblings: Ron Menck, Jim, Tom, Jack and Tim Thrasher, Cathy Hale, Nancy Oppenhuizen, and Carol Royal; and many nieces and nephews. Learn more about Bill, view his Life Story film and visit with his family and friends while sharing food and refreshments on Sunday from 2-5 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Homes, Betzler & Thompson – Paw Paw; 60900 M-40 (657-3870), where services will be held Monday 11 a.m. A luncheon will follow in the funeral home. Please visit Bill’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can archive a favorite memory or photo of him and sign his online guestbook before coming to the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Kalamazoo Nature Center. No flowers, please.