William A. “Billy” Goodwill, age 45, of 1600 South 30th Street, passed away peacefully Tuesday morning August 5, 2008, at his home in Escanaba, surrounded by his loving caregivers.
Billy was born December 19, 1962, the son of Mary Goodwill. He was raised in Newberry until the age of 19, at which time; he relocated to an adult foster care facility, in Escanaba, and has remained in the Escanaba area since. In June of 1988, Billy gained employment for Lake State Industries, working until January of 2008 when his health began to decline. He enjoyed volunteering for the city of Escanaba , cleaning and performing city maintenance. Billy is remembered for his social, loving spirit. He enjoyed chatting with city officials and taking tours of the Escanaba Public Safety Fire Garage. In addition, Billy looked forward to his Saturday social skills group where he and friends would tour the Escanaba community learning life and social skills. Billy was also involved, for approximately 10 years, in the annual Delta County Special Olympics. He excelled in the basketball and bowling events, receiving numerous trophies and medals for his participation. In 2006, Billy was recognized at the State Summer Games Closing Ceremonies as a “True Inspiration”, receiving the 2005 Inspirational Athlete award, at Central Michigan University . Billy was very fond of his Hotwheels collection and enjoyed cheering for the Green Bay Packers and NASCAR. His loving and kind heartedness will be sadly missed by those who knew him.
In addition to his friend and guardian, Ann Streichert, Billy leaves to survive:
Special friends: Dorothy Kollmann and Richard Campbell and many loving friends and acquaintances.
Billy was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Goodwill in October of 1992.
Visitation for William “Billy” Goodwill will be held on Friday, from 3:00PM to 6:00PM, at the Skradski-Boyce Funeral Home in Escanaba. Funeral services celebrating Billy’s life will follow visitation, on Friday, at 6:00PM, at the Skradski-Boyce Funeral, with Rev. Fr. Francis DeGroot of the St. Anne Catholic Church, officiating. Committal will take place in the Fernwood Cemetery in Gladstone .
