William L.€œBill” Poquadeck

William L. Poquadeck
January 25, 2016

William L. "Bill" Poquadeck, 69, of Constantia, passed away on Monday, January 25th. Bill was born and raised in Syracuse, NY. He was the oldest son of Ted and Maxine Poquadeck. During his childhood he often went to his grandfather Valentine's farm in Gowanda NY. He had fond memories of tending to the different animals and recalls that some of the produce was used by large companies that still exist today.

While a youth, and into his teens, Bill was very civic minded. He started as a Cub Scout, with his mother as den mother, and continued for several years through Boy Scouts and Explorers. During this time he earned several merit badges, which led to the achievement of his three citizenship merit badges. These include active participation, and knowledge in the local, state, and federal governments. These were an integral part in the earning of his Star and Life achievements, culminating in his Eagle Scout Award.

Ever busy, Bill was also a football player for Syracuse Central Technical High School, as a tackle in the Cities League. He held two jobs while in school: Tru Hardware Store and Lincoln Bank. He competed in the Syracuse City Parks and Recreation Archery tournament and fell one point shy of Carl Vecchio, who was named Senior Champ, while Bill was only Junior.

After graduating high school, Bill was drafted to the Army, but chose instead to enlist in the United States Marines. Boot camp was in the notorious Parris Island, and MOS training at Fort Pendleton. Upon completion, he went to that "Jungle Paradise", Vietnam. There he was in the Maintenance Ordinance Division and Logistics. Bill saw much, serving during the Tet Offensive. He did fondly recall working with the "retriever" (a large tank removal truck). His time overseas also allowed him to visit Bangkok, Thailand. There he fell in love with something called a Thai fruit (a fruit, to this day, we have not been able to locate!)

Upon returning to the states, Bill married Nancy (Hauge) Westbrook and moved to Camp Lejeune (lejurn), NC, where he finished out his active duty. After which he returned to Syracuse and remained a reservist for an additional eight years. During this time he also started his 30+ year career at New Process Gear (a division of Chrysler). Logging many painstaking hours and sacrificing the tip of his left index finger, he became a Journey Machine Repairman. His civic duties continued with the Marine Corps League where he was Commandant and then Paymaster for several years. He was also an active member of the American Legions and V.F.W.s in Mattydale and the Constantia area, becoming a lifetime member of each.

There were several people who Bill considered to have a strong and positive impact on his life. Among these were childhood friend Margaret Garcia, her parents, Butch and Veronica, the Hauge family and the Yorks. Bill also mentioned his Uncle Hank and Aunt Pauline and his Scout Master Don Quigg. He spoke fondly of friends Jack Graff (who stood at his wedding) and Walt Palmiere (who wasn't allowed to). Later in his life came Lou and Marilyn Loeven, Nick Zangaro, Richard Lawless, and Charlie Dean.

Bill was predeceased by both of his parents and his late wife Deborah Poquadeck (Sawyer/Griffin). He is survived by his three children from former wife Nancy, Barbara (Ray), Steven (Keith) and Jay (Shonnell). Also his nine "grandchildren": Raven, Talkeetna, Romeo, Tegan, Camille, Doris, Ferguson, Smudge and Thor. He is also survived by his brother David, sister Susan, their spouses and children. Extended family members include aunts, uncles and several cousins. An interesting fact of the name Poquadeck is that we are all related by blood or marriage in this country!

The family also wishes to thank the "in-house" staff of the 6th Floor ICU, 7th Floor staff, In-patient physical & occupational therapists, Dialysis nursing team, Team Blue (Dr. Aziz's team) and the many doctors and surgeons who cared for Bill's health, and ours, while he stayed at the VA in Syracuse. We would also like to thank the friends, family, neighbors, and community who helped and supported all of us through this difficult time, and years past. Please if you see an active service member, veteran or member of the medical community, smile and say thank you!