William Edward "Bill" Vavrik
1931 - 2022
William Edward "Bill" Vavrik
1931 - 2022
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William Vavrik Obituary
February 20, 1931 - June 12, 2022
William "Bill" E. Vavrik, 91, of Charlottesville, Virginia, died peacefully on June 12, 2022, at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville.
Born on February 20, 1931, in Berwyn, Illinois, he was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Julia (Matousek) Vavrik; his brother, Joseph "Jr."; his dear wife, Marie "Marian" Vavrik; and granddaughter, Robin Crater.
From humble beginnings in Cicero, Illinois, Bill lived a full life centered on his family. He graduated from Morton High School, attended Morton Junior College, and earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1957. After graduation, he and Marian started their family in the Chicago suburbs where he was a design engineer for Northern Illinois Gas Company and she an elementary teacher. They later moved to Naperville, Illinois, and Bill became an instructor at the Institute of Gas Technology (now GTI Energy), a division of the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He founded the Chartered Industrial Gas Consultant course, which continues to be a respected professional program today.
Bill and Marian retired to Sun City West, Arizona, and became active members of the Desert Palms Presbyterian Church and officers of the Czech-Slovak American Club.
After Marian died, Bill moved to the Colonnades in Charlottesville in 2016. He made close friendships quickly with staff and residents, especially his lunch table and coffee group. He was a member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Bill loved people and would regale friends and strangers with detailed stories from his childhood in Cicero, his training at Great Lakes Naval Station with the U.S. Naval Reserves, his business trips to Algeria and Bolivia, and his sightseeing trips to Europe with Marian. His smile and sparkling blue eyes charmed any room. Above all, he was most proud of his children and their families.
Bill is survived by his three children, Diane Crater (Jim Baum) of St. Charles, Illinois, Carole Lopez (Robert) of Houston, Texas, and Steven Vavrik (Ellen Hayes) of Charlottesville; six grandchildren, Teresa and Cassandra Lopez (Nick Carreon) of Houston, Madison Crater of Chicago, and William, Charles, and George Vavrik of Charlottesville; and two great-grandchildren, Gabriel and Alicia Carreon of Houston.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at the Colonnades. A graveside service will be arranged in Stickney, Illinois, later this year.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Czech Center Museum Houston at https://www.czechcenter.org/donateinmemoryof
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.hillandwood.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
2 Entries
JoAnn Ochs and Robert Konecny
June 24, 2022
Remember our wonderful lunch dates with Bill and Marion when they lived in Sun City, AZ and we lived in Gold Canyon, AZ. We would meet at a place midway in the Phoenix area and enjoy lunch and long visits. Marion and Bob shared stories of growing up years as cousins. Bill and I both enjoyed hearing these two cousins reminisce the old days when life was uncomplicated and simpler. Bill was such a gentle and sweet man. We have kept in touch via phone in our senior years. Bill in Virginia and us in Arizona all living in independent senior apartments. It was always fun to compare our facilities and programs. Especially our dining room stories of meeting new people. We have all been blessed with years of good living doing the things we loved and raising our families. I will always remember our good times together sharing grandparent and great grandparent stories. He will rest in peace and share his life reunited with Marion. So glad they were a part of ours!
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Scott
June 18, 2022
May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.
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