William Stephen Papalas

William "Binky" Papalas of Allen Park, Michigan, passed away quietly with his family present on May 1, 2016, after 89 years. William, also known as “Binky" will be greatly missed and forever remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, cousin, and friend. Fondly referred to as Uncle Binky, he had great love for his family and friends, and even if you were not a niece or a nephew, you might have called him Uncle Binky or Uncle Bink.

William is survived by his wife Betty Hults, whom he married in 1950, and his five children Karen (Scott) Ducharme, Larry (Debbie) Papalas, Christina (Kevin) Stelzer, Lisa (Gary) Skonieczny, and Marcia (David Sexton) Papalas, 10 grandchildren, and 1 great-grand child. William is also survived by his sister Katharine (the late Larry) Kotasek, Tony (Eleanor) Papalas and many nieces and nephews he held close to his heart. William is preceded in death by his mother and father Argyri and Stephen Papalas, his siblings Elias, John (Eleanor), Gus (Sue), Nick, George (Rosemary “Toots”), Alex (Thespina), Marino (Mary), and Mary (Andy) Foundoulis.

William was born in Warren, Ohio, on July 20, 1926. He grew up on the "North End" with his eight brothers and two sisters, in a two-bedroom home with an attic. If you ever watched the Little Rascals, you might have an idea of the antics that took place in the neighborhood. He helped his mom in the garden, played with the neighborhood kids all day, made kites out of newspapers, and had an amazing childhood. His stories are the kind you share around a campfire.

He was a caddy as a young boy, and he grew to love golf and spent all of his years getting in a round or two whenever possible. He often scored his age, and had a beautiful swing and a straight shot more often than not. We honor him and remember him for his talents, but even more so, for the love and support he shared with all, including his love for animals, from family pets to backyard squirrels. He cared for animals as if they were part of his family too.

After graduating from Warren G. Harding Senior High School, he served in the U.S. Army with the Quartermaster Corps in France, and was honorably discharged in 1947. He then pursued a career and began attending college while working full time. As a mechanical engineer, he spent much of his career and his life fixing things -- cars, televisions, pumps, toasters, hairdryers, lamps ... you name it, he could fix it, or "fix" it. You could call him in the middle of the night if your furnace stopped working, and he would be there. He fixed our cars when we would be stranded on the road, and he rescued many of us in more ways than one.

In the 70’s William and his family moved to Michigan to work with his family’s business, the John A. Papalas Company. He spent so many years there enjoying being with his family while working, playing golf, fixing cars, and doing what he loved to do. He also traveled to visit his children, traveled to the island of Icaria to visit his oldest brother Elias, enjoyed watching old movies, and loved tinkering with electronics and computers. He also loved old music and big band music, and he had a natural ability to play many instruments by ear, including the piano, organ, harmonica, bugle, and he even started learning guitar later in life.

William had a brilliant mind, and a heart of gold, and he always knew the right thing to say to make everything seem all right. If you asked him a question and got an answer … “we’ll see”, you knew it meant no. His favorite quotes included “What Will Be Will Be” and “Every Day is a Bonus Day” and we heard him speak these words often. Even with 89 years, there were not enough bonus days, but if you were lucky enough to call him husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, or friend, you know how special he was and how he will be missed and be forever in our hearts.

For those inquiring about donations, the family wishes that you donate to Spanos-Arete Chapter 9 of the Icarian Club, P.O. Box 1141, Lincoln Park, 48146.

Visitation 1:00 - 8:00pm Wednesday, May 4 with 7:00pm Trisagion at Weise Funeral Home, 7210 Park, Allen Park.

Funeral Service 10:00am Thursday, May 5 (In State at 9:30am) at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 16300 Dix-Toledo, Southgate.

Interment Our Lady of Hope Cemetery.