William “Bill” K. Crowe

2817-obit-Christmas-2014-069William “Bill” K. Crowe, 56, passed away during the early morning hours of July 7, 2017 at his home in Afton while holding the hand of his daughter, Pamela.

 

Bill was born in Onaway at Russell Memorial Hospital October 28, 1960 to William and Patricia (Hyde) Crowe. A graduate of Onaway High School, Bill built his life and raised his family in his hometown with the love of his life, Shirley Martin. He is survived by his son, William (Laura); daughter, Pamela (Steve) Frye; his six grandchildren, William, Andrew, Ava, Ashlynn, Hadley and Abigail; and siblings, Pam Crowe, Kim (Mark) West and Patrick (Lori). He was preceded in death by his father, William; his mother, Patricia; and his father-in-law, James Martin.

Bill will forever be remembered for his deep generosity, incomparable work ethic and the love of his family, notably his grandchildren.

A man of faith, Bill served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher at the Tower Baptist Church for decades. He helped build the youth center and made general repairs to the facilities and parsonage, joining weekend work bees alongside his fellow parishioners, splitting wood for the church stove. Bill was always eager to lend a hand to his family, friends and neighbors.

A lover of nature, Bill was an avid outdoorsman and hunter. He taught his oldest grandson, William, how to shoot a BB gun. A craftsman, he taught himself how to build his log cabin home by reading books late into the night. His labor of love was completed after years of building over nights and weekends.

Bill was proud to work at Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative, where he was actively employed for 29 years. He was formally trained in electronics from ITT Technical Trades in Grand Rapids, where he started as an operator at Tower. He was most recently awarded the position of chief plant operator at

the Alpine Power Plant. Mechanical by nature, Bill could often be heard puttering in his garage making repairs on farm equipment. The family wishes to thank Wolverine Power for their support and kindness during Bill’s absence from work.

During the summer months, Bill enjoyed taking his grandchildren swimming at the Milligan Creek. His grandchildren loved to get on grandpa’s lap for stories and knew exactly where to find the candy bowl, referred to as the “feeding trough.” He adored them and looked forward to every visit.

Bill was loved and will be missed by his family, friends and community.

Visitation took place Sunday, July 9, at Chagnon Funeral Home. Services were Monday, July 10, at 11 a.m. at the Tower Community Hall. In lieu of flowers, Bill wished that donations be made to Forest Waverly Fire Department and the Onaway Ambulance Equipment Fund.