William "Bill" Maczuga

1950 - 2017

Maczuga

William "Bill" , age 67, of Brighton, formerly of Detroit and Woodhaven, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. Beloved husband of Josephine Maczuga of almost 45 years., he will be sadly missed. Born on August 8, 1950, the son of the late William and Maryann (Prechowski) Maczuga, Bill went to Salesian High School and then graduated from Cody High School in 1968. From February 19, 1970, until his honorable discharge on October 10, 1971, he proudly served our country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War in the 1st Calvary Division, Air Mobile Unit. He received the Bronze Star for Valor and the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in the war. Bill was then employed as a Service Planner with DTE for 35 years, retiring in 2010. Bill was quite the character and will be remembered fondly for his sense of humor. He served the city of Woodhaven as a city councilman for several years. He enjoyed spending time boating on his lake in Brighton, entertaining family and friends with his many stories and delicious grilled food. A talented car mechanic, he spent five years restoring a 1959 Corvette, which he proudly drove around town and in hometown parades. As "Papa", he loved making his grandchildren laugh with his silly antics and teaching them how to fish using hot dogs as bait. Most recently, Bill spent time writing to congressmen lobbying for rights of veterans. He is survived by his high school sweetheart, Josephine Maczuga; his two daughters, Kimberly (Steve) LaBarre and Shelly (Paul) Wright; his five grandchildren, Jake, Andrew and Weston LaBarre and Mila and Tessa Wright; his brother, Ralph (Elizabeth) Maczuga; Sister-in-law Alicia (George) Waldo; Brother-in-law Dennis (Kim) Simanca and many loving nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Judy Peruski and niece, Maryann Peruski; as well as his father and mother-in-law, Jenaro and Josephine Simanca. A visitation will be held at the Harry J. Will Funeral Home in Livonia on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 from 2 pm to 9 pm, with a service honoring Bill's life at 7 pm. Interment with full military honors will be held privately at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia later this year.