William L. Nitz

William was born July 29th, 1922 in St. Joseph Twp, MI the son of William C & Blondena A. (Orlaske) Nitz and was united in marriage to Marguerite A (LaMunion) Nitz on September 5, 1942 who preceded him in death on March 26, 2002. Visitation will be held Tuesday evening from 5 to 8 p.m. at Kerley-Starks and Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will follow in Riverview Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Salem Lutheran Church of Coloma, where he was a member. Bill was a veteran of the US Armed Forces serving from 1944 to 1946 in the European Theater of Operations. He was awarded two bronze service stars for the Rhineland and Central European Campaigns. Bill worked at Nylen – Bendix Products in St Joseph from 1941 to 1971 taking a couple years out to serve in the military. He later transferred to Buhr Machine Co in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1971 and retired in 1981. He was on the Lakeshore School Board from 1953 until 1968 serving for several years as President and was instrumental in the building of Lakeshore High School in 1956. He was also Constable for the Village of Baroda from 1953 to 1968. Bill’s favorite pastimes were fishing and deer hunting up north with his son Bill and his closest friend, Leroy and his son Ken Patzkowsky. He also enjoyed motorcycling, water skiing, camping, wintering in Florida and just sitting and watching the sunset on Paw Paw Lake, Watervliet, MI with his family and friends. After moving to Coloma, his health slowed him down a little, but he still made it out to lunch everyday and visited with friends and family. He always had a joke, a story to tell or advise to give out. He is survived by his three children, William J (Bonnie) Nitz, Judith L Nitz, Paulette C “Pixie” Nitz; his three grandchildren, Melissa Jo Nitz, William C (Tracy) Nitz, LaSondra “Lacie” J Nitz, Megan L Nitz, Robin J. Rehder, and his five great grandchildren, Zachary T Nitz, William “Gunnar” Nitz, William “Konrad” Nitz, Ashley Battisti and Keegan Battisti. He is also survived by his sister, Lois (Milton) Fox. A special thanks to friends Clifford & Ruth Tallman, Kenneth Jennings and Gertrude Patzkowsky.