Ishpeming- William "Bill" D. Tonkin, age 88 of 612 N. Third St. Ishpeming passed away peacefully on Friday, January 1, 2010 at his home.

Bill was born November 9, 1921 in Ishpeming to Ervin & Mable (Francis) Tonkin. Bill graduated from Ishpeming High School and attended the Kansas State for 2 years. He served his county in the United States Army from 1942-1946 serving as a combat medic with the 97th Infantry where he served in the European Theatre and the Occupation of Japan.

Bill was employed by Consolidated Fuel & Lumber as a manager of 3 yards from 1941 until 1962 when he then purchased the Ishpeming yard, which was renamed Consumers Building Supply. He retired in 1983 and the business is currently being operated by his 2 sons. He served on the Ski Hall of Fame Board, was secretary of Cloverland Lumbermen Association, and was past president of Ishpeming Town Club. He also served on the Ishpeming Planning Commission. He was a life member of the Ishpeming V.F.W. He enjoyed woodworking and spending as much time as he could at camp.

Bill is survived by 4 children: Jackie Fishback of Oregon City, OR, Jill (Tom) Dark of Alexander City, AL, Mike Tonkin of Ishpeming and Jeff (Wendi) Tonkin of Ishpeming,
4 grandchildren: Dean, Grant, Ryan and Mallory along with several nieces and nephews. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of over 50 years, Betty in 1998,
2 brothers: Francis (Virginia) and James (Sis) Tonkin and 2 sisters: Iris (Harold) Wallace and Marion (Bob) Markert.

At Bill's request there will be no services.

Memorial considerations may be directed to the Dialysis Unit at Marquette General Hospital 580 W. College Ave. Marquette, MI 49855.

Bill's obituary may also be viewed at www.bjorkandzhulkie.com where his guestbook may be signed.

A Tribute to Fathers
My father when I was age....
4: My daddy can do anything.
5: My daddy knows a whole lot.
6: My dad is smarter than your dad.
8: My dad doesn't exactly know everything.
10: In the olden days when my dad grew up, things were sure different.
12: Oh, well naturally, Father doesn't know anything about that. He is too old to remember his childhood.
14: Don't pay attention to my father. He is so old-fashioned!
21: Him? My Lord, he's hopelessly out-of-date.
25: Dad knows a little bit about it, but then he should because he has been around so long.
30: Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks. After all, he's had a lot of experience.
35: I'm not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad.
40: I wonder how Dad would have handled it. He was so wise and had a world of experience.
50: I'd give anything if Dad were here now so I could talk this over with him. Too bad I didn't appreciate how smart he was. I could have learned a lot from him.
--Anonymous