William Ernest Stieler, 95, was surrounded by his loving family at his home in Mesick, Michigan as he passed on to life eternal on November 7, 2011. Born the son of Fred and Helen Stieler on August 1, 1916 in Berkley, Michigan, Bill graduated from Berkley High School in 1934 after being raised along with his eight siblings, two adopted brothers, and one step-brother.
As an undergraduate at the Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, Bill studied animal husbandry until he was married to Virginia R. Jones of Birmingham, Michigan on March 28, 1941. The day following Bill and Ginny's wedding, Bill received his draft notice, and on April 9, 1941 entered the United States Army.
Bill spent the first five years of his career in the Army as a Rifleman with the Texas Oklahoma Infantry Unit and then entered WWII as a soldier assigned to General George Patton's 90th Infantry Division. After landing in Normandy France one day after the Allied Force invasion of Europe, Bill's military career came to an abrupt end on December 13, 1944 when, at the rank of Platoon Sergent, a German mortar took his right leg and nearly his life on a battlefield near the Saar River in Germany. Bill was rushed to a MASH unit, patched together and loaded onto a hospital ship bound for the United States. He would spent the next fifteen months recuperating from his wounds until being honorably discharged from the United States Army on March 8, 1946.
In 1948, Bill and Ginny settled into the small farming community of Marlette, Michigan where Bill reentered the workforce as an accountant with McMann Metal Works for the tidy sum of $25 per week. At about this same time, Marlette had become known as the Midwest's manufacturing capital of mobile homes. So, upon proving his skills in business at McMann, Bill was offered a leadership position to handle the books for the largest employer in town, Marlette Mobile Homes. Soon after accepting this position, Bill quickly linked an increasing number of customer complaints and a drop in trailer sales with the poor quality of window treatments that had been assembled and sewn in the wood shop adjacent to the main production floor. Seeing an obvious solution to this problem, he armed himself with a plan that he often referred to as a defining moment in his life. Bill returned home with the news that would have Ginny pulling out her sewing machine to make curtains in the basement of their rural farmhouse. And so it began. With a tenuous grip, Bill and Ginny climbed aboard a journey in the drapery industry that would last for the next thirty years.
In 1954, Bill and Ginny christened their budding window treatment business Quality House Custom Draperies. And with that, an impatient market place clamoring for their unique quality and service soon forced the business out of their humble basement workshop. Bill was able to secure a vacant farm implement building in Marlette and add a small list of much needed employees. However, with a burgeoning list of in-demand products, Bill recognized this too as an intermediate step. He quickly set about the construction of a facility that would allow him to grow his staff and secure an environment commensurate with his innovative talent to identify and quickly fill orders of any size or complexity.
Over the next twenty years, the steady growth of their business would require three separate expansions of the original building. In the end, they had established over 26,000 sf of production and material storage space. A 5,000 sf wing dedicated to the research and development of new products and production machinery led to the acquisition of two drapery hardware patents. Before retiring in 1984, Bill and Ginny's operation had grown to employ a crew of 60 people. They delivered window treatments into homes throughout the continental US, countless recreational vehicles, apartment complexes, hotels, motels, resorts and high rise office buildings nationwide.
From such humble beginnings, Ginny and Bill cataloged an amazing list of satisfied customers. Of particular interest was an order placed for a set of terry cloth draperies to be installed in the motor home of Elvis Presley. Their outstanding reputation reached national acclaim when a mobile home fitted with Quality House custom draperies was used as the subject of the 1954 comedy film, "The Long, Long Trailer" starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
Bill stumbled upon a balance to his well established business career while vacationing in Colorado in the winter of 1972 with Ginny and their son Geoff. The modest ski resort of Winter Park was where Bill met his friend Hal O'Leary and learned the art of "three-track" snow skiing. He quickly developed an enthusiasm for the sport and a strong desire to promote adaptive sports activities for other less fortunate individuals. In an effort to reach out, Bill wrote his first book, "Kick the Handicap, Learn to Ski". He then assembled a demonstration ski team comprised of athletes having various physical challenges, and set about to cultivate his new favorite passion.
In 1974, with his self-funded demo-team and publications, he began traveling throughout the upper Midwestern United States to introduce the concept of adaptive skiing to thousands of curious onlookers. "I thought if I could just get a couple people interested, they could take it from there", he once said. His commitment to raise public awareness drew the attention of ski enthusiasts from around the world. Eventually credited with founding the Michigan Handicap Sports and Recreation Association, he then refocused his effort on the creation of a single program representing a myriad of sports in venues well beyond skiing. Today, the Adaptive Sports Network based in Rochester Hills, Michigan is a result in part to Bill's work and humble idea that he could provide an opportunity for someone to free themselves of a handicap and experience the joy of skiing.
An exhibit paying tribute to Bill's indefatigable promotional effort has become a permanent feature among the artifacts on display at the National Ski Hall of Fame in Ishpeming, Michigan. On permanent display is the "Stieler Cup", of which he is the founder. It is awarded annually to the top men's three-track skier in a national competition sanctioned by the Michigan Adaptive Sports Network.
In 2005, Bill was recognized for his efforts in philanthropy and was inducted into the Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame where his story resides alongside his beloved peers and fellow competitors in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
By the mid 1980's, Bill and Ginny had finally decided to slow down. So, they packed their bags and spent a few years traveling to every one of the Continental United States in their motor home. By comparison, the warm climate, beautiful flora and unlimited golfing opportunities of N. Ft. Myers, Florida best suited their needs for retirement. In 1987, Ginny and Bill quietly settled into a new routine to enjoy life by themselves.
However, it didn't take long for Bill to become interested in a new challenge. His childhood interest in trains and steam engines drew him toward the struggling Southwest Florida Model Railroad Association. Seeing an opportunity to make a contribution, he joined the association and ultimately was elected President. His involvement with that group of enthusiasts expanded into county politics. Bill launched a highly successful campaign that not only saved the Lakes Regional Park Recreational Facility from land developers, but also turned a portion of the facility into a state-of-the-art railroad museum. Following another of his childhood dreams to be an architect, Bill designed a small complex that included a building to house the museum, an adjoining children's playground and an outdoor shelter to cover an historical steam locomotive also on permanent display. His enthusiasm and the many potential benefits of his proposal won overwhelming support of the railroad association as well as the publicly-elected officials representing Lee County, Florida. The completion of his complex was marked with a commemoration ceremony held in Bill's honor. As a tribute to his vision and effort, the William Stieler Library and Archives Room inside the museum was so named in his honor.
In spite of losing his leg on a battlefield in Europe, Bill never considered himself handicapped. His optimistic attitude allowed him to accept simple daily challenges, and with confidence in his self-efficacy to conquer specific problems, he had defined his journey through life on his own terms. An inventor, a philanthropist, a champion of the less fortunate and an author of many historical books that chronicle over 160 years of personal family stories and experiences, Bill has provided a legacy of which we can all be proud.
He was a devoted husband of 70 years, a loving father and a doting grandfather. Bill was a true gentleman and will be missed by the scores of people blessed by his friendship.
