William T. "Bill" Hjorth

William "Bill" T. Hjorth, 86, of Chicago, passed away in his residence on January 13, 2024. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren over the past several months.
Born on May 14, 1937, in St. Paul Minnesota, to the late William and Alice (McGreevy) Hjorth. He was the husband of the late Jeanne A. (Calu) Hjorth with whom he married on May 10, 1969 and shared 49 wonderful years of marriage at her time of passing on May 25, 2018.
Bill and Jeanne were dear parents to Tom (Christine), Jody (Jim), Bill and Stacy and loving grandparents to Andrew, Kate, Alex, Emily, Matt, Patrick, Henry, Ally, Caroline, William and Catherine.
Bill is survived by his brother Patrick Hjorth, husband of Barbara, and his brother-in-law Bob Meceda. He is predeceased by his sister Alice Easterbrook and her husband Ted and his sister Paulina Meceda.
Bill graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 1959 and served in the Army National Guard of Minnesota until he was honorably discharged in 1964. Bill began his career in public accounting at Haskins & Sells. He then worked for Chrysler Corporation until 1979 where he progressed through the finance organization. While at Chrysler he had numerous international assignments in Europe, South America and Central America that he greatly enjoyed and would often speak fondly about. He worked at Clark Equipment as Chief Financial Officer from 1980 to 1986. In January 1987, he joined Equicor and served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer before being named President in September 1987 and eventually Chief Executive Officer in May 1988. Upon the successful sale of Equicor, Bill went on to serve on several boards. Bill was a soft-spoken man of great intellect that led organizations with decisiveness and empathy.
Bill met the love of his life, Jeanne, in Madrid, Spain. Both Jeanne and Bill worked at Chrysler in Detroit, Michigan but did not meet until on a blind date in Madrid. He would say that he fell instantly in love with Jeanne on that night. Bill was in Madrid for work for an extended assignment while Jeanne was over visiting for a vacation. They wrote letters to each other for the next several months until Bill came back to Detroit. Bill and Jeanne were then married in May of 1969 and settled in Detroit but only for a year. Through Chrysler, Bill and Jeanne moved every year, having their 4 children in four different cities. Tom in Detroit, Michigan, Jody in Indianapolis, Indiana, Bill in Wilmington, Delaware and Stacy in Caracas, Venezuela. When time came to move back to Detroit, they settled in Bloomfield Hills for several years until Bill found a new opportunity with Clark Equipment in South Bend, Indiana. In South Bend, Jeanne and Bill had some of their most fond memories including raising their family in Knollwood and taking advantage of games and campus activities at Notre Dame. Bill and Jeanne then moved to Nashville, Tennessee for Bill's next opportunity at Equicor. There Bill and Jeanne raised their teenage children before moving to Chicago in retirement.
In Chicago, Bill and Jeanne's home quickly became the center of the ever-expanding family. With the birth of their oldest grandchild, Andrew, to their youngest, Catherine, Jeanne and Bill were most happy when surrounded by their family. Every Thanksgiving was celebrated at their home and over time was brimming with grandchildren. Bay Harbor, Michigan was the second home to all of Bill's family. Here Bill and Jeanne loved spending time both together and with their children and grandchildren. Like their Chicago home, their Michigan home was cherished by their children and grandchildren with many happy memories.
Bill was a kind and generous man that gave his family love with no expectations. He supported and loved each of his children and grandchildren unconditionally. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Visitation Saturday, January 20, 2024, from 11:30 a.m. unit the time of the 1:30 p.m. Funeral Service at Michalik Funeral Home, 1056 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60642.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, P.O. Box 7154, Carol Stream, Illinois 60197-7154, www.catholiccharities.net, 312-655-7525.
For further information please call 312-421-0936.