Bill Fry

Fry, Bill. Age 87, of Southgate. Bill went home to be with the Lord on May 2, 2017. Beloved husband of the late Loretta Fry, his wife of 55 years and the love of his life. They are now rejoicing together in Heaven. Loving father of Stacey (Matt) Studnicki and Billy Fry Jr. Proud grandpa of Matthew, Chelsea and Christopher. Dear brother of Juanita Worrell. Preceded in death by parents Jesse and Maude Fry, eight brothers and sisters, and son Steven Fry. Bill owned and operated Area Collision in Taylor for over 30 years. Bill was born on June 1, 1929, in Trimble, Tennessee, at home. He was the eighth child of ten. At age 2, his family moved to a 100 acre farm in Dyer, Tennessee, in the Mt. Olive community. His Father, Jesse, had purchased the farm and moved his family there in a wagon. There was a big farm house on it, but his father tore it down in 1937 and built a new one. Bill started picking cotton as a child on the farm at age 5. The Fry children went to King's Chapel School, a two-room schoolhouse out in the country. The school went through the eighth grade. Bill attended Dyer High School, where he graduated in 1947. The family moved from that farm and onto the edge of Dyer about a year before Bill graduated. They later bought a house on Yorkville Road near "thrill hill." After Bill graduated on May 14, 1947, his mother, Maude, wanted him to stay around the house a little while to help. He stayed for 2 weeks. On May 28th, he got on a bus to Detroit, Michigan, where his brothers, their wives, and his sister were -- Verdell and Vernell, Lester and Laverne, Walker and Erma, Paul, Ruby and Don, Russell and Becky. Bill helped to paint his brother Walker's house for two weeks. Then he started hanging around the Fry Brothers Service Station, located at 4186 Southfield Road, which was operated by his older brothers, Verdell and Paul. Bill wanted to begin working, and the service station was located next door to UE Ward's Collision at 4168 Southfield Road. Bill spent his days looking at the cars to see what they were doing to them. A couple of days later, Ward asked him if he wanted to sand and wash cars. He started sanding cars and within 3 months he was painting them too. Bill worked for Ward until he was drafted into the Army on February 21, 1951 (22 years old), to serve in the Korean War. Bill was a conscientious objector. He was sent to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to medic school, then to Korea. He was in the Army for two years. Bill was promoted to Sergeant while in Korea. On October 25, 1952, he received a combat infantry badge. On February 13, 1953, he was honorably discharged at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky. After he was discharged from the Army, he went home to see his parents in Dyer, Tennessee. He decided to hitchhike to Union City, Tennessee, and was picked up by a friend and taken home to his parents. His parents wondered what he was going to do. He didn't stay around Dyer very long. He caught a bus in a couple of days and told them he going back to Michigan to work. According to Bill, he was "itching to get back to work." Bill returned to Michigan to work at Ward's Collision bumping and painting cars, from 1953-1958. In January 1959, he met Loretta Lee. Bill first saw and heard Loretta sing at a Sunday afternoon church fellowship in January 1959 in Detroit on Verner Avenue. Loretta's mother, Rev. Marjorie Lee and grandmother, Rev. Olive Bevier, co-pastored the Star of Hope Tabernacle where Loretta sang and played the piano, organ and accordian and taught every Sunday school age. After Bill saw Loretta at the fellowship meeting, he asked friend Leola Mathis where Loretta's church was located. Bill showed up at the Star of Hope at the next Wednesday night service. As Loretta was getting out of her parked car, on the left side of Electric Street, in front of the church, Bill pulled up next to her car, rolled his window down and asked "What time does church start?" Loretta answered, "As soon as I get in the church" - since she was the pianist. Loretta then asked Bill if he would like to attend the service. He answered, "I'll be in as soon as I park this car." Throughout the service, Loretta kept her eye on him and couldn't help but notice that he was very handsome. "He had dark brown wavy hair, blue eyes and perfect teeth," Loretta said. After the service, Loretta asked him to sign the church guest book. She then learned his name. From that time on, Bill attended every service and faithfully tithed his income. He obviously loved the Lord. In about two weeks, Bill asked Loretta if he could drive her home from church. He also asked if she liked Carters hamburgers located at Fort Street and Champagne in Lincoln Park. Loretta and Bill recalled that she was so nervous that she could only eat half a hamburger. Bill proposed marriage several times, and Loretta reportedly turned him down each time. Undeterred, he took each "No" gracefully – and kept coming back to ask again. Loretta's mother and grandmother and aunt saw in Bill the answer to Loretta's and their prayers. They saw in him a hardworking, consistent and faithful man of God. Bill produced a lovely diamond ring set she couldn't refuse. They were married by the Rev. Marjorie Lee and presented in marriage by Rev. Olive Bevier at the Star of Hope Tabernacle on October 31, 1959. They honeymooned in Washington D.C. Loretta continued to play the piano, and was an accomplished musician, singer and counselor. They had three children -- Steven, Stacey and Billy Jr. Bill bought Ernie's Collision in April 1961 in Wyandotte on Biddle Road. He also owned a used car lot on Dix Road in Lincoln Park, Bill's Motor Sales, in the late 1960's. Soon, Bill's former employer, UE Ward, wanted to sell a collision shop he owned in Taylor -- Area Collision -- and asked Bill if he wanted to buy it. Bill bought Area Collision in 1965 and for the next 30 plus years, he poured his heart and soul into it. He doubled the size of the building in 1977 and installed a paint booth. He also operated Bill's Motor Sales on the corner of the lot. Bill worked 6am to 6pm, Monday through Saturday, and rarely took a vacation. In 1995, he retired from running Area Collision. Since that time, he enjoyed attending auctions and spending time with his three beautiful grandchildren -- Matthew, Chelsea and Christopher. In 2015, Loretta went to be with the Lord. Bill really missed her and would often listen to her album. The song attached to this tribute was his favorite, recently telling Stacey "that's my song." Bill and Loretta are now rejoicing together in Heaven.