William Michael Chkoreff

William (Bill) Chkoreff, aged 98, passed away peacefully on April 21, 2025 at Angela Hospice. He was born on January 14, 1927 to Michael and Aspacia, emigrants from Bitola, Macedonia who settled in the Springwells neighborhood of Detroit. Bill always spoke of the love and strong sense of family that they gave to him. His earliest memory was of his mother singing upstairs as she cheerfully cleaned the house. He said he wished that there were portable recorders then so he could hear her beautiful voice again. But you could see in his eyes that he heard her in memory more fully than any recorder could ever capture. His genuinely warm smile and his kind green eyes would light up. That smile and kindness was always with him and he radiated love to anyone fortunate to know him. 

Bill was especially close to his father who owned and managed Liberty Market just up the street from the family home in Detroit, one of those old-school neighborhood grocery stores that were also like community centers. When Bill wasn't in school, he was often at the market helping his father. He would get up at 4:00am in the morning to pick the best vegetables at Eastern Market and then help stock shelves and assist customers with his usual good cheer. Time away from school and work was enjoyed with his older brother and friends, bow-hunting, ice skating and playing sports in the large former fairgrounds near his home. 

Bill excelled at track in high school and completed his Reserve Officers' Training Corps training in 1943. With the encouragement of his brother Peter, who was by then an officer flying fighter planes in Europe, he enlisted in the Navy in January,1945. He served on a destroyer in the Pacific, constantly under threat of attack. He was honorably discharged in June,1946. 

When he returned to Detroit, he wanted to start training to be an Engineer. But his father's partner in Liberty Market left the business and Michael needed Bill's help. Out of love and a strong sense of responsibility, Bill continued to work with his father at Liberty Market until his father's retirement. 

In 1962, he started what was to become a very successful career at General Motors. He began working security and then transferred to the proving grounds, where he was a test driver, driving in all kinds of challenging conditions. When you were in the car with Bill, you knew you were in good hands. When a position opened in the safety engineering department, he was promoted to become a project engineering technician assisting engineers doing crash tests by preparing, instrumenting and calibrating crash test dummies and meticulously recording the results of the tests. His work evaluations praised his attention to detail and good grasp of all of the engineering involved in the tests. He was a valued member of the General Motors community and spoke with pride of his contributions to keeping us all safe on the road. 

He remained a bachelor early in his GM career and in his free time he excelled in bowling and golf. He regularly went fishing with his fishing buddies, flying with them every May or June into the remote Blue Fox Camp on Lake Kirkpatrick in Northern Ontario. His week at Blue Fox, and frequent fishing trips to favorite spots on Lake Michigan, were high points of his year. 

Bill also became very involved in service to his church, St. Clement of Orhid Eastern Orthodox church in Dearborn. He served behind the altar every Sunday and he was the driver and assistant to the Priest, Father Pamukov, when Father would bless the homes of parishioners. The Ilitch family had close ties to the church and Bill would be with Father Pamukov in the Red Wings locker room when he blessed the team each season. 

Bill continued to live close with his parents and he helped enable them to live in their home until they passed, Aspacia in 1973 and Michael in 1975. 

While Bill's life seemed full enough, he really began to live when he met his wife-to-be Metra when he was assisting Father Pamukov at a funeral that she attended. Father Pamukov introduced them with a twinkle in his eye as he told Bill later that he knew they would be good for each other. Bill and Metra married in 1982. 

Bill was the most devoted, loving husband imaginable and he provided genuine love and support to Metra's children, John and Suzanne. He was always positive and encouraging, dedicated to Metra's happiness and doing all he could to help everyone in his new family. He would say that Metra made him a better man but he also gave Metra the kind of peace and security that enabled her to fully enjoy life. 

After he retired from General Motors in 1989, he and Metra shared a life full of travel and good times. They would regularly travel to California to see family, Las Vegas for wintertime cheer, Connecticut to see their beloved grand-daughter Sophie Sauber and take trips to destinations around the country like the Smoky Mountains where they could enjoy the natural beauty that they both so much loved. They also enjoyed long tours of Europe, including visiting his parent's hometown of Bitola in Macedonia where Metra had also lived until she was 16. 

Their favorite place to be was the cabin that they rented each fall at Dorsey Cottages on Little Glen Lake in Empire, Michigan. They loved Lake Michigan and all that the Leelanau Peninsula has to offer. The vibrant colors of the changing leaves, the dunes and shorelines, the beautiful winding country roads, the magnificent sunsets: Bill captured it all in his excellent photography. But what made him happiest was Metra's smile and you could see how much she loved Bill and their time up north in the photographs he took of her there. 

As Metra's health declined, they moved into Independence Village, a senior living facility where Metra could get the extra assistance she needed after a fall and seizure made her unable to walk. He provided loving support as her health continued to decline, until she passed away in 2022. 

He continued to live at Independence Village, eating at the same table he shared with Metra and keeping her memory alive every day in his prayers. He always thanked God that he was able to share his life with Metra. All who knew Bill are thankful for having had the privilege of being close to such a wonderful, kind and loving man. 

Bill is deeply loved and will be greatly missed by his step-children Suzanne Ramljak and John Ramljak, and his grand-daugther Sophie Sauber. Bill was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 40 years, Metra Chkoreff; his parents, Michael and Aspacia Chkoreff; and siblings Peter (Louise) Chkoreff, Virginia (Stuart) Hilborn and Florence (Fred) Petcoff.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor the memory of William Chkoreff are invited to consider a contribution to St. Clements of Ohrid Eastern Orthodox Church, 19600 Ford Rd, Dearborn, MI 48128.

Memorial Video Link:   https://youtu.be/uMpUoCOUhxI