William G Staples

“Dad, some day I may find my Prince Charming… but you will always be my King.” This poem was given to him by his youngest daughter and sat on his dresser for years and was shown to any man she dated. William Gregory Staples, 70, of Fort Gratiot, died Monday, August 5, 2019. He was born November 7, 1948 in Highland Park to the late William O. and Leona M. Staples. He married Barbara J. Sopha on December 7, 1968 in Port Huron.Bill had previously been employed with Tour-A-Home, Camperville USA and New Haven Foundry where he was a tool-and-die welder for 29 years. He loved bright colors: reds, oranges, yellows, purples… and even pinks. His favorite pastimes were sitting on his deck, smelling his lilac bushes, watching the squirrels, birds, chipmunks and other wildlife or floating in his pool with a Bourbon and Coke. Bill knew how to live life to the fullest. He was so proud of his family and often said “If my family is happy, I’m happy.” When his son was younger, Bill was very active in Boy Scouts. Working afternoons, he was able to be the school “room-father” for all three of his children and happily ran the tug-of-war for field day. He enjoyed ski trips to Colorado, camping trips to Mackinaw, cruising the Caribbean, white-water rafting, golf outings with his son and grandsons and telling and re-telling New Haven Foundry stories. He was very close to his mother-in-law, Elizabeth J. Sopha, and the two had yearly St. Patrick’s Day lunches together, including green beer. Being “Best Man” in his son’s wedding, helping care for his grandsons, business trips to Taiwan with his nephew, and even something as simple as catching more moles than his neighbor made him happy. He enjoyed working with his son, Billy, on numerous construction projects, most recently being the Beach House. Bill was always proud to be “Papa,” and especially bragged about his two great granddaughters, Josie and Rory. Teasing nurses and waitresses earned him the name “Trouble,” which made his smile even bigger. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Barbara; three children, William (Christi) Staples II, Sarah (Bill) Merical and Stephanie (Mike) Shank; five grandchildren, Jordan (Haley) Dennison, Zachary Staples, Joshua Staples, Brandon Shank and Braylie Shank; two great grandchildren, Josie and Rory Dennison; a sister, Marsha Stonehocker; a brother, Lynn (Cathy) Staples, sister-in-law Nancy Goldman; special nieces and nephews, Todd "T.C." (Reggie) Goldman, their children, Benjamin and Grace, and in addition Sadie Sopha, and Max Sopha. He was preceded in death by his mother-in-law, Elizabeth J. Sopha, brothers-in-law, Dale Stonehocker, Jim Goldman and Tom Sopha, nephew, Jeff Stonehocker, and niece, Jill Ann Goldman. A Celebration of his life will be held Monday, August 12, 2019 from 6-9 pm at Blue Water Convention Center, Riverview Suite, 800 Harker Street, Port Huron, MI 48060. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to Hunter Hospitality House, 1010 Lincoln Ave. Port Huron, MI 48060. Arrangements are by Pollock-Randall Funeral Home. To send condolences, visit pollockrandall.com