Bill's obituary
William Francis Greany Jr., known to his friends and family as Bill or Billy, passed away peacefully on February 5, 2024 at the age of 80 in Cape Coral, Florida. He was born on October 15, 1943 in Worcester, Massachusetts to Norma and William Greany. Bill was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, cousin and friend to many.
He is survived by his loving wife of almost 56 years, Darlene Greany of Cape Coral; his children Kathleen (Mark) Bouchard, Colleen (Peter) Despres, Patrick Greany and Bridget Greany. There are five loving grandchildren, Chaelin, Ethan, Megan and Aidan Despres and Thomas Karn. He is also survived by siblings Paul (Ruth) Greany, Matthew (Roberta) Greany, Laurel (John) Kuykendall and Elizabeth (Thomas) O’Donoghue, Sister-in-Law Glenda Greany and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Bill's parents, Norma and William Greany, his brother Mark Greany and his sister Espree Greany preceded him in death.
Bill was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and lived there until the family moved to Dayton, Ohio when he was young. He pursued higher education at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana where he graduated with a Marketing Degree in 1966. He went on to have a successful career as a salesman, working for many large corporations. Additionally he owned and operated a family run business for many years in Virginia Beach.
The University of Notre Dame played a significant role in shaping his future as he met his bride to be, Darlene Schulke, after a Notre Dame football game. Bill and Darlene were married on March 16, 1968 in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. They started their own family in 1969 in Evansville, Indiana. Bill and Darlene enjoyed exploring new areas of our country, and made their home in multiple areas throughout their marriage, including Louisville, Kentucky, Cranston, Rhode Island, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, Virginia before retiring in sunny Cape Coral, Florida.
Bill was a man with a big personality and a gift for conversation. He had the natural ability to connect with people he just met. He loved spending time with his family and could talk to them for hours. Bill was passionate about football, particularly the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the New England Patriots. A highlight of Bill and Darlene's retirement was traveling across the country for 2 months and seeing many of the NFL Football Stadiums. He loved to read great books and has an extensive library to show for it. Since retirement, Bill and Darlene would spend time traveling through local areas of Florida. They found one of their favorite areas, Matlacha, on one of these road trips. He was an avid bowler throughout his life, and competed in pro level Bowling Tournaments throughout the country.
At this time a celebration of life for Bill has not been finalized.