William A Stearns Jr.

William "Bill" A. Stearns, Jr., was born on April 26, 1934 at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. He died on September 16, 2021 from complications of dementia, near his home on Long Island, New York. As a husband, father, entrepreneur and philatelist, Bill lived a full life driven by his Catholic faith, personal curiosity, and professional ambition. Bill grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. His youth was filled with neighborhood games of Ringolevio and afterschool jobs that included bicycle deliveries for Patty's Meat Market and work as a soda jerk. His classmates remember Bill as one of the best stickball players in Brooklyn. Bill graduated from St. Francis High School and St. Francis College in Brooklyn, the first in his family to obtain a college degree. After college, he served in the U.S. Army. After his service as an Army weather observer, Bill landed a job at Benziger Brothers, a publishing company that was New York's largest supplier of religious articles. He left the company to start Long Island Catholic Supply, with three business partners in Garden City's Roosevelt Field Mall. LICS, as it came to be known, attracted faithful shoppers for 55 years with the area's widest selection of rosaries, Bibles, and other gifts. Away from his work, Bill revered books and loved reading. He often directed his children to "go to the library and look it up!". Through his own library research, Bill educated himself on US Postal History and he became a serious collector of postage stamps and "Fancy Cancels" that added distinctive character to mailed envelopes. This postal passion led to Bill's second business venture, the short lived Fancy Cancelist. However it was his next business that endured, Kristal Kare. Established in 1983, Kristal Kare established Bill as a prominent member of the Philatelic community of stamp collectors. All three of Bill's children have operated the Kristal Kare business in turns and it is still thriving. Bill is remembered as a kind and generous person who cared deeply about his family. He loved dining out, traveling, trading stocks, gardening, black and white movies, as well as anything about World War II. He was skilled at weaving WWII trivia into any conversation. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William and Margaret (Markey) Stearns and granddaughter, Emily. He is survived by his devoted wife of 56 years Janet (Lattari) Stearns, who cared for him selflessly in sickness and health, three children, William G. (Stephanie) Stearns of Boston, MA, Christopher (Tara) Stearns of Garrison, NY, and June Ann (John) Vavrina of Lake Forest, CA, and eight grandchildren, Ella, Ivy, Eden, Jack, Joseph, Jenna, Alexander and Danielle. A funeral Mass was held on September 24, 2021 at St. Ignatius Church in Hicksville, NY. Bill's final resting place is Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, New York. He will live fondly in the hearts of family and friends, forever.