William J. Pituch

William J. (Bill) Pituch of Sylvania, Ohio, passed away peacefully on Tuesday evening, June 19, after a brief illness. With him at his passing were his wife, Martha Pituch, his sister, Shirley Shea, and his beloved dachshund Zoey. Bill was born in Detroit, Michigan, on September 17, 1929, to Michael and Julia Pituch. He was proud of his Slovak roots, and fond of Slovak food. Bill was also a proud Navy veteran, enlisting in September, 1948, and serving in the Korean theater until he was honorably discharged in September, 1952. Following his Navy service, Bill attended Highland Park Community College and the Lawrence Institute of Technology (now Lawrence Technological University). On September 7, 1957, he married a head-strong nursing student named Martha Johnson. He worked most recently as a configuration control manager at Teledyne CAE, and retired in 1993. The people in his life were always Bill’s greatest treasure. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Martha Jane Pituch, for whom he bought flowers every week for 40 years. Martha and Bill had a large 60th Anniversary celebration last September and were so grateful for all of the memories. Bill is also survived by his “baby” sister, Shirley Pituch Shea, who saw him not only as a big brother but as a best friend. Bill, Martha and Shirley all enjoy traveling, and have taken many trips to points far and near. Bill’s favorite trips were always those to visit people he loved. He remained in close contact with many of his shipmates, and enjoyed visiting them and their families across the country. Bill also leaves behind several “spiritual children” to whom he could not have been a more loving and devoted father figure. This privileged group includes: Sherie Modelski (Michael) of Dearborn, MI; Ronald Richards & Estelle Saphir of New York, NY; Tom Hayward (Tom Wright) of Lexington, KY; and Mary Bailey of Toledo, OH. Of course, all of these spiritual children know that they take a back seat to Bill’s number one child, Zoey, a devoted and heartbroken black & tan dachshund. Visitation for Bill will be held at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Avenue, on Friday, June 29, from 2:00pm – 8:00pm, and on Saturday, June 30, from 9:00am until 12:00pm. A memorial service will immediately follow visitation on June 30 at 12:00pm (noon), with Bishop Dayton Gnau and the Reverend Bridget Coffey presiding. Burial will immediately follow the service in Toledo Memorial Park. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Bill & Martha Pituch Nursing Scholarship at Wayne State University, or to the Cherry Street Mission, 105 17th Street, Toledo, Ohio, 43604. Online condolences may be shared at walkerfuneralhomes.com.