William (Bill) R. Haun, age 84, passed away peacefully at his home in Vermont, surrounded by loved ones, on April 20, 2024. Bill was born on November 20, 1939, in Battle Creek, Michigan, where he was left at the hospital by his birth mother, where he lived for six months until he was adopted by his father and mother, Harold and Grace Haun. Bill served in the United States Navy as an underwater demolition Seabee for four years until he was discharged with honorable mention on September 20, 1961. One month later, Bill met his soulmate and the love of his life, Michelle Wenzl, in Lansing, Michigan; three weeks later, he asked her to marry him. Bill and Michelle spent the next 62 years building a beautiful family together. Bill loved and was passionate about racing, eventually purchasing the East Lansing Kart Track. The track became a gathering place where many families and friends came together to learn not only the art of racing but also about competition, respect, friendship, hard work, discipline, compassion, and sportsmanship. Bill was a father figure to many of the young people who passed through the gates of the East Lansing Kart track, and to this day still holds a place of high respect and admiration in the racing community.
Several years after opening the East Lansing Kart Track, Bill and Michelle became enamored with the artistry of Native American Indian jewelry and art. This spawned the next 45 years of traveling to many reservations, such as Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni, and meeting with the artists one-on-one to buy and support their artistry. Bill and Michelle opened Crazy Horse Indian Jewelry, where they had several locations over the years and built up the largest native American Indian jewelry store in several locations across Michigan, including Mackinac Island and expanded to Sand Point, Idaho. Their passion led them to pow-wows throughout the United States and spending winters as vendors in Quartzsite, Arizona.
Through all the years of hard work and dedication, Bill‘s number one passion has always been his love for his family. Bill is survived by his wife, Michelle; his children, Kevin and his wife, Sandi; Bill and his wife, Karen; Dianne and her husband, Wade; Bob’s wife, daughter-in-law Lisa; Jon and daughter-in-law, Lisa; Michelle and her husband Jeffrey. His grandchildren, Justin and his wife Jessica, Lindsay and her husband Scott, Jared and his wife Lauren, Billy, Alexa, Shelbi, Annie and her husband Dave, Kailey and her husband David, Chelsea and her husband Dustin, Brittany and her husband Jeffrey, Benjamin, Mason, Austin, Ellie, Savannah and Preston. Great-grandchildren Madilyn, Liam, Eli, Max, Isabella, Archer, Sawyer, Hudson, and new baby Haun on the way. Bill is predeceased by his son Robert (Bobby) Carlisle Haun.
A visitation for William will be held Friday, April 26, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 205 E Washington, DeWitt, MI 48820. A funeral service for Bill will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 2pm at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, Dewitt Chapel, followed by a graveside service at Rose Cemetery.
The Haun family will host a celebration of life at the East Lansing kart track on July 27, 2024, starting at 5 PM.
Memorial contributions in Bill's name may be made to Rogel Cancer Center at University of Michigan.
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