With great sadness we announce the passing of our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, brother and friend – William “Bill” Edward Brumbill. Bill passed away on the evening of January 11, 2014 at age 69, in Prescott, AZ after a brave and graceful fight against Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Bill was born on June 20, 1944 in Garden City, MI – the third child of eight wonderfully spirited children born to Sidney Brumbill and Dorothy (Kelly) Brumbill. Bill attended high school in Howell, MI where he graduated in 1962. At age 20, he married Barbara Jean Shelly, also of Howell, MI, and became a loving father to three: Sheline Lynn (Brumbill) Calhoun, Mark William Brumbill, and Michael Edward Brumbill. Bill supported his young family in various ways, as a machinist, a typewriter repairman, even a trash collector until learning to be a mechanic under apprenticeship with Detroit Edison in Michigan. Later in his career he was a mechanic for the City of Yuma, AZ and the State of Arizona until his retirement in 2004. Bill was an auto mechanic by profession, but by nature he was an entrepreneur. He loved the risk and reward of being a business owner, having owned a country market in Deford, MI, a satellite company in Prescott Valley, AZ and remodeled and rented various residential and commercial properties in both Michigan and Arizona. Bill will be remember by all who knew him by his mischievous humor, sense of adventure, bravery, incredible work ethic and willingness to invest his time, effort, heart and resources in others. Bill was a cheerleader for positive change. He was a cub-scout leader, a surrogate father to many, a foster parent to two, as well as a trusting and trustworthy boss, co-worker and landlord. “Indiana Bill” inspired friends and family to jump from planes, dive into oceans, become home-owners, complete educational goals and realize dreams, never neglecting to take time for an afternoon nap in his hammock, to eat a fresh tomato from the vine, or to lay on a hillside to see shapes in the clouds with his grandchildren. Bill believed in science and hoped to be part of the cure for the debilitating disease which took his life. He faithfully participated in two ante-mortem and one post-mortem study conducted by the non-profit research group, Cure PSP. In lieu of flowers, Bill would greatly appreciate a Tribute Gift to Cure PSP (www.psp.org). William has joined his parents, Sidney and Dorothy Brumbill, in the after-life. He is survived by his ex-wife, Barbara J Milsom (nee Shelly); his children: Sheline (Brumbill) Calhoun, Mark Brumbill, and Michael Brumbill; six grandchildren, and his siblings: Roy Brumbill, Bessie (Brumbill) Kimball, Joanne (Brumbill) Nutt, Doris (Brumbill) Canfield, Alice (Brumbill) Monroe, Philip Brumbill, and Nancy (Brumbill) Ulrich. Please “friend” Bill and share personal thoughts, stories and photos of Bill on his Facebook page “Honoring William Brumbill”. Memorial services to he held in Howell, Michigan at a future date and will be announced on the same site.
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