Douglas Byam

Age 85, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 19 at his Little Long Lake home surrounded by his family. Born on January 4, 1934 the son of two school teachers Mildred and Oliver Byam Doug was a life-long learner and could fix just about anything. His philosophy was that there is nothing you can't learn to do by reading; a result of being stuck in bed with scarlet fever as a boy. He graduated from Whitehall High School and attended General Motors Institute. After a short stint in the army, Doug attended WMU to finish his degree in Mechanical Engineering. His love of planes, trains, automobiles, boats and steam engines was obvious. From Lionel train layouts to building a Cessna in the basement to rebuilding cars and a full size steam engine, he enjoyed tinkering with all things mechanical. A self-made entrepreneur, one of his biggest accomplishments was designing the Torex line of vibratory finishers for his business Delrod Sales Corp. Doug is survived by his beloved wife of 58 amazing years Marilyn (Oesch) Byam and their five children: Nancy (Craig) Pieringer, Fritz (Kim) Byam, Jodi (Thomas) Kennedy, Kathi (Ted) Austin and Kristi (Scott) Mehal. Grandchildren: TJ, Maggie Kennedy; Carly, Christine, Ella Byam; Anna, Drew Pieringer; Emily, Matthew, Charlie Austin; and Camille, Katrina Mehal and his siblings: Jean (Dick) Unger, George (Mary Ann) Byam and Linda Lewandowski. Doug was beloved by many and made instant friends. The family would like to thank the many people who have visited, fed and supported them during the past few months. They will receive visitors on Thursday, January 24th from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at Metcalf & Jonkhoff Funeral Service, 4291 Cascade Road SE. Services for Douglas will be held Friday, January 25th at 11 a.m. at the Apostolic Christian Church, 7157 Wingeier Ave SE in Alto. In lieu of flowers the family encourages you to make a contribution to a charity in support of research related to rheumatoid arthritis or infectious disease.