WATERTOWN – William “Billy” Michael Handlewich, age 68 of Watertown, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 12, 2023 at Waterbury Hospital following a brief illness.
Billy was born on August 2, 1954 in Rantoul, IL, the son of the late William A. and Ethel I. (Hestad) Handlewich. He was a graduate of Watertown High School Class of 1972, where he was a member of the cross-country team. Following high school, he went on to work for the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation and then Bart LoRusso and Sons as a heavy equipment and quarry engineer. He was involved in the Boy Scouts of America where he earned his Eagle Scout award and lived by its motto “Be Prepared”. He belonged to the Housatonic Fly Fisherman’s Association and Lake Quassapaug Sportsman’s Club for which he was a former board member. He enjoyed fishing, boating, hunting, archery, gardening, woodworking, baking, and cooking with ingredients from his garden. He cheered on his favorite sports teams the NY Yankees and NY Giants and was an avid NASCAR fan. He followed in the footsteps of his artistic parents by carving, painting, and crafting custom wooden projects.
Billy was a great listener, gave excellent advice, and always taught us something about life. He was a unique and thoughtful person, living simply yet always finding ways to do things for others. He prided himself in sharing vegetables from his garden and carving personalized Christmas ornaments for new babies in the family. He will be greatly missed for the best hugs in the world, random texts of what he was cooking, his expressions like “put that away” and “like you read about”, but most of all phone calls that ended with him sending “love to all” and reminding us to “never change”. William will be greatly missed by all those who were blessed to love and know him.
Left to cherish his memory and honor his legacy are his children; Erica Smith (Dan), Kayte Bendtzen (Jim), his grandchildren; Susie Miner, Jackson Badger, James, Molly, and Wesley Bendtzen who lovingly called him “Far Far”. Sisters; LuAnn (Charles) Uszakiewicz, Carol Simisky, nieces and nephew; Abbey Uszakiewicz, Lauren Bogert (Brian), and Alex Simisky (Tawny). He also leaves his close friends, Ray Valois and Keith (Rita) Goodson.
Funeral services will be held privately at the convenience of his family. To honor William’s memory and in lieu of flowers, donations to a local Boy Scout Troop would be greatly appreciated. Casey-O’Neill Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 742 Main Street, Oakville, CT has been honored to assist William’s family during this difficult time. Loving-kindness is always welcome, and it only takes a moment to offer a message of condolence, words of comfort, or share a memory with the family and friends of someone important to you. Please visit the funeral home’s tribute page at www.caseyfunerals.com to do so.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Mr. William Handlewich, please visit our flower store.
Billy was born on August 2, 1954 in Rantoul, IL, the son of the late William A. and Ethel I. (Hestad) Handlewich. He was a graduate of Watertown High School Class of 1972, where he was a member of the cross-country team. Following high school, he went on to work for the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation and then Bart LoRusso and Sons as a heavy equipment and quarry engineer. He was involved in the Boy Scouts of America where he earned his Eagle Scout award and lived by its motto “Be Prepared”. He belonged to the Housatonic Fly Fisherman’s Association and Lake Quassapaug Sportsman’s Club for which he was a former board member. He enjoyed fishing, boating, hunting, archery, gardening, woodworking, baking, and cooking with ingredients from his garden. He cheered on his favorite sports teams the NY Yankees and NY Giants and was an avid NASCAR fan. He followed in the footsteps of his artistic parents by carving, painting, and crafting custom wooden projects.
Billy was a great listener, gave excellent advice, and always taught us something about life. He was a unique and thoughtful person, living simply yet always finding ways to do things for others. He prided himself in sharing vegetables from his garden and carving personalized Christmas ornaments for new babies in the family. He will be greatly missed for the best hugs in the world, random texts of what he was cooking, his expressions like “put that away” and “like you read about”, but most of all phone calls that ended with him sending “love to all” and reminding us to “never change”. William will be greatly missed by all those who were blessed to love and know him.
Left to cherish his memory and honor his legacy are his children; Erica Smith (Dan), Kayte Bendtzen (Jim), his grandchildren; Susie Miner, Jackson Badger, James, Molly, and Wesley Bendtzen who lovingly called him “Far Far”. Sisters; LuAnn (Charles) Uszakiewicz, Carol Simisky, nieces and nephew; Abbey Uszakiewicz, Lauren Bogert (Brian), and Alex Simisky (Tawny). He also leaves his close friends, Ray Valois and Keith (Rita) Goodson.
Funeral services will be held privately at the convenience of his family. To honor William’s memory and in lieu of flowers, donations to a local Boy Scout Troop would be greatly appreciated. Casey-O’Neill Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 742 Main Street, Oakville, CT has been honored to assist William’s family during this difficult time. Loving-kindness is always welcome, and it only takes a moment to offer a message of condolence, words of comfort, or share a memory with the family and friends of someone important to you. Please visit the funeral home’s tribute page at www.caseyfunerals.com to do so.
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