Dr. William D. Cheaney, age 75, died July 5, 2016. He was born at home, the youngest of six children, on October 1, 1940, in Henderson County, Kentucky, to Harrison L. Cheaney and Flossie A. Cunningham. Bill is preceded in death by his parents, two sisters and three brothers. Surviving are many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Before graduating in 1958, the schools Bill attended were only for Black students. Through the many sacrifices made by his mother and brother, Hodges, Bill attended Evansville College where he first experienced integrated schooling. In 1962, upon receiving his B. A. degree in Elementary Education, Bill moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan to begin his teaching career at Sigsbee Elementary, continuing on to Central High where he taught math. During this time, he also attended Michigan State University, earning his Master's degree in Education Administration. He continued his career as the Community School Director at Jefferson Elementary and later principal of Vandenberg Elementary. Taking a hiatus from his career in 1971, Bill pursued his Doctorate in Higher Education and Administration full time. Achieving this goal in 1974 allowed Bill to begin the next phase of his career working for the Flint Community Schools as Assistant Director of Elementary Division from 1974-1980. In 1981, Bill moved on to the City of Saginaw School District as Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools and Staff Development until he retired in 1993. Two years later, he returned to work for The Leona Group as Superintendent of a Charter School in Muskegon Heights and later in Detroit. Bill extends gratitude for the support and kindness he received from the many staffs he had the pleasure of working with, specifically the support and encouragement of Mr. Richard Bandy, Dr. Joseph McMillan, Dr. Sam Moore and Mrs. Anne Gregory. In 2002, Bill retired again and moved back to Grand Rapids. After suffering a stroke on July 4, 2003, Bill played golf every day as part of his physical therapy. He extends heartfelt thanks for the friendships and support received from all the players and staff at the Pines and Stormy Creek golf courses. Bill also used this time to travel the country until diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2015. During this trying time in his life, Bill's niece, neighbors, and friends made the last few months of his life easier to endure; thus, respectively, he extends heartfelt thanks to Kimberly Minter, Nancy Mello, Richard Strekenburg, and Gary Oberlind, as well, because he's not sure how he would've survived the last months of his life without them. Although not specifically mentioned above, Bill extends a heartfelt thanks to the many people in his life who meant a lot to him, as well. A celebration of Bill's life will take place 1:00 PM Sunday, July 10th at Ofield Funeral Home, 4500 Kalamazoo SE, Kentwood. The family will greet friends at 12:30 PM.



Service Information

Visitation
When: Sunday, July 10, 2016 12:30pm - 1:00pm
Location:
Address: 4500 Kalamazoo AveKentwood,MI 49508