William A. Cheney

William "Bill" Albert Cheney

formerly a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, a northern Michigan summer resident since 1923, and year-round Petoskey resident since 2009, passed away at his home in Petoskey, Michigan on Sunday, October 19, 2014. Bill was preceded in death by his wife Jane in 2008. Caregivers from Harbor Care Associates provided very kind and loving support since he relocated to Petoskey in 2009 for which the family is very grateful.

Bill was born on November 7, 1923 in Winchester, Indiana to John Irvin Cheney and Arline (Browne). Until he served in the Army (1944-1946) Bill never missed a summer on the shores of Crooked Lake at the cottage built by his maternal grandparents on land purchased in 1901. Some of Bill's early adventures are recorded in the book his mother self-published in 1967 entitled "In the Wake of the Topinabee" - Cherished Memories of Lakeside Cottagers. At the age of 9 he lost his father and was thereafter raised by his mother.

After graduating from high school in Winchester he attended Purdue University. His studies were interrupted by World War II. The Army sent him to Chicago University to study Meteorology. He then served in the American Theatre with posts at Boringuen Field, Puerto Rico; Waller Field, Trinidad; and Miami Army Airfield, Florida. As a Lieutenant, his duties included Weather Relay and Communications. Prior to the advancement of radar, guiding aircraft was critically important during the war. Bill supervised operation and maintenance of critical communications equipment and personnel. In a recommendation for promotion his commanding officer praised Lt. Cheney's judgment as "mature and accurate in almost every instance" and hailed his personal initiative, sound sense of responsibility and eager interest in his work as an inspiration to those associated with him. He advanced to Captain in the Army Air Forces. Upon leaving the Army, Bill completed studies at Purdue, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. In 1950 he earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Bill met Barbara Boget while employed by Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were married in 1951 and had two children Elise Ellen and John Thomas. They were married for 36 years and blended three generations of family in Cincinnati and on Crooked and Burt Lakes during the summers. During Bill's tenure with Proctor and Gamble he focused on manufacturing efficiencies.

By 1966 Bill and co-founder Durwood (Durk) Rorie had organized their own company, United Air Specialists UAS. The company's mission was to develop high quality air purification equipment. The Smokeeter, a two stage electrostatic precipitator, transformed bowling alleys and bars into friendly environments by cleaning the air of cigarette and cigar smoke. Extensive patent research and collaboration with others were instrumental in helping Bill and Durk being assigned a patent in 1969 for their indoor air cleaning system. Bill's children recall "vacation trips" to bowling alleys in far-flung places to sell Smokeeters. The market for this product expanded to many other types of commercial establishments. UAS subsequently developed the Smog-Hog for industrial applications and added numerous products utilizing electrostatic technology. After 25 years of working at UAS, Durk Rorie presented Bill with a commemorative plaque with the following inscription that he signed: "Business partnerships are among the most difficult relationships to sustain over a long period of time. The fact that the partnership between Bill Cheney and myself has found us, after a quarter of a century, still working together with respect and mutual affection, is mainly testimony to his steady, quiet and relatively non-critical personality. He is prescient, patient, persistent and risk oriented. I'm glad I ran into the guy." After his retirement from UAS in 1991 Bill continued on as Chairman of the Board until 1996 when UAS merged with and became a subsidiary of Clarcor, a manufacturer of engine, industrial and environmental filtration products based in Franklin, Tennessee.

Following his divorce he married Jane (Bales) Engle of Muncie, Indiana in 1987. For much of their married life they wintered in Florida and returned to the shores of Burt Lake each summer, welcoming family and friends.

Bill had a life-long interest in watching the weather, listening to classical music, and in his early years was an accomplished flutist. Northern Michigan life brought opportunities for him to skip stones on Little Traverse Bay and to bounce around the sharp curves of Crooked River. He supported many endeavors for family members, friends, and charity organizations with a desire to make a difference in people's lives and their pursuits.

He is survived by children, Elise Billingsley (Michael Fleming) of Boulder, Colorado, and John Cheney (Polly) of Charlevoix, Michigan; step-daughter, Jennifer (William) Pierce of Indianapolis, Indiana; grandchildren, Brendan Billingsley (Allison Churnside) of Boulder, Colorado, Kyle Billingsley (Alana) of Burbank, California, Sara Billingsley of Thornton, Colorado, and Benjamin Cheney of Charlevoix, Michigan; four great grandsons, William, Emmet, Albert, and Henry, and one great granddaughter, Eleanor; former wife, Barbara (Boget) Cheney, Paul (Jennifer) Boget, Christopher (Beverly) Boget, Holly (Mark) Thompson, three grand nieces, one grand nephew; and by Tom Gattle, a dear and life-long friend, of Florida and Michigan.

A celebration of Bill's life will be held in Petoskey during the summer of 2015. Please check Stone Funeral Home's website /http://www.stonefuneralhomeinc.com/ in the spring for details.

The following organizations represent some of Bill's interests and a donation to any one of these would represent a meaningful tribute.

Little Traverse Conservancy: 3264 Powell Road, Harbor Springs, MI 49740; Interlochen Public Radio: Classical IPR, P.O. Box 199, Interlochen, MI 49643; Inland Water Route Historical Society: P.O. Box 433,Alanson, MI 49706.