William A. Masley Ii

WILLIAM ALEXANDER MASLEY age 75, beloved husband for 51 years of Ann (nee Waite); loving father of Tina Kraft (husband David), twins Teri Johnson (husband Bob) and Kate Springer (husband Donny), and the late Bill Masley III; devoted grandfather of Jordan (fiancé D.J. Pickus)  and Donovan Springer, Alena Kraft, Brynn Johnson, Jacque Kraft, Dani and Billie Johnson ; cherished son of the late William A. and Helen E. (nee Kletchie); dearest brother of Leslie Kalinowski (husband Michael), Stephen and Richard Masley (wife Rosanna); treasured brother-in-law of Stephen Waite and Jane Waite; dear uncle of Kyle Kalinowski. U.S. Army Veteran.

Bill was born on August 1, 1946 and died peacefully on September 30, 2021.Bill and his wife Ann lived in Burton since 1976. Previously they resided Cleveland. He and Ann were members of St. Helen Catholic Church, where he was a Eucharistic Minister.

Bill graduated from St. Joseph’s high school in 1964. He attended Cleveland State University until he was drafted to serve in the United States Army. Bill proudly served his country in Vietnam. A man of strong character Bill and one of his friends were caught in gunfire and unfortunately his friend was killed. Bill carried him on his back for three days through the heat so he could be returned to his family. This was a testament to the type of man he was and the life he lived. Bill came home and graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a Bachelor of Science and his Masters degree in Biology. He was hired by the institute of pathology and worked as a building engineer at CWRU. He worked for Turner Construction and RelMec (formerly Reliance Mechanical)

Bill’s passion was music and woodworking. Over time he built half of the current family home by personally adding several additions.  Bill loved anything with a good harmony. He played the oboe and the bass and was a member of several bands when he was young. He enjoyed opera , musical theater, and folk music. He loved traveling, including camping and cross-country trips. He enjoyed traveling the globe with his wife. He especially enjoyed traveling to Germany. Bill was a car enthusiast and he enjoyed restoring cars.  He was a fan of Formula 1 and Indycar racing. He  began building a race car for his late son.

While Bill was stoic inside the home, outside of the home he was very charismatic. Bill was very intelligent and could fix anything. He was the family McGyver.  Bill was an honorable and loving man. He was devoted to his family and faith. He will be missed dearly by all.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in memory of Bill to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, PO Box 22324, New York, NY 10087 or the Veterans Affairs Northeast Ohio, 10701 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106 Mass of Christian Burial Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at St. Helen Catholic Church at 10 AM. Burial following with Military Honors at All Souls Cemetery. Family will receive friends to pay tribute to and celebrate the life of Bill at THE DeJOHN Funeral Home & Crematory of Chardon (formerly Ritondaro) 126 South St.  (Rt. 44, south of Rt. 6/Chardon Square) SUNDAY 1-5 PM.