William C. ‘Bill’ Viau

ESCANABA — William C. “Bill” Viau, 74, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at his home in Escanaba. Born Feb. 11, 1945, to the late Dona and Cecelia (DeLoughary) Viau, Bill was raised and attended school in Perronville. He graduated from Holy Name High School in 1963, and later attended Bay College.

On Oct. 19, 1968, Bill married Jean Williams at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Escanaba, and they enjoyed 51 years of marriage together, building a home and family in the Danforth area.

Bill is survived by his wife, Jean; son, Robert (Sherri) Viau of Bark River; daughter, Jolene (Kieran) Murray of Ireland; grandchildren, Delaney and Gabe Viau of Bark River, and Lochlann and Hannah Murray of Ireland; brother, Donald (Christa) Viau of Henderson, Nev.; sister, Mary Ann (Richard) Sharkey of DePere, Wis.; sisters-in-law, Nancy Viau of Marion, Iowa, and Sharon (William) McGlynn of Roseville, Calif.; and many nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Kenneth Viau; father- and mother-in-law, Marlin and Helen (Curran) Williams; and sister-in-law, Joan Williams.

Bill served proudly in Company C, 107th Engineer Battalion, Michigan National Guard for nearly 40 years – from May 3, 1965 until March 13, 2003 – working as full-time unit administrator at the Gladstone Armory and retiring in 2003 at the rank of first sergeant.

Bill loved spending time in the outdoors, including hunting and working in his garden. He also enjoyed camping each summer with his children and grandchildren, especially at Runkle Lake in Crystal Falls. An avid Lionel train collector, he spent many hours delighting family and friends with his giant basement layout. Bill was part-owner and a lifelong supporter of the Green Bay Packers; he never missed a game and always stayed positive, even during the tough times.

Private funeral services were handled by Crawford Funeral Homes in Escanaba. Burial with military honors will take place this coming summer. Bill also left behind two furry friends, his beloved cats Callie and Annie. in lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Delta Animal Shelter at deltaanimal.org.