William Franklin Stitziel, 78, resident of Oak Park from 1971 to 2012, died on Jan. 24, 2015 in Chicago of complications related to Parkinson’s disease. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 29, 1936 to a steelworker and a homemaker, he worked night shifts on the railroad to put himself through junior college and the University of Missouri, graduating with a B.S. in chemistry.
His service in the U.S. Air Force in Texas from 1960 to 1964 contributed to aerospace medical research. He then moved to Chicago and married Mariel Reeves in 1968. After working most of the next two decades as a salesman and manager for lighting manufacturers, he started his own company to pursue a variety of business ventures. Often ahead of his time, in the early 1990s he taught himself HTML and transformed his business into e-commerce.
A devoted and adoring husband, father, and grandfather, he said his proudest achievement was his contribution to rearing his children. He also loved to play the piano, listen to classical music, enjoy fine arts, and read, especially history. He was an active member of First United Church of Oak Park and his community.
After retirement and his subsequent diagnosis with Parkinson’s in 2002, he became an avid writer of nonfiction and poetry, publishing several short stories and essays under the name Will Franklin. Upon his death he donated his brain to Rush University to further Parkinson’s research.
Will Stitziel is survived by his wife, Mariel Stitziel; his children, Judd Stitziel (Mary Glendinning), Amber Stitziel Pareja (Carlos Pareja), and Nathan Stitziel (Janis Stoll); and his grandchildren, Leo and Adelaide Stitziel, Diego, Paloma, and Pablo Pareja, and Asher and Eloise Stitziel.
A memorial service will be planned at a later date. To honor Will, donations may be sent to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (www.michaeljfox.org) or the Rush Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Clinic (rush.convio.net/wstitziel).
