William (Bill) Corcoran passed away peacefully on June 11th. Bill was the fourth of four children to Emily and Richard Corcoran. He was born on September 25th, 1925 and was raised in Ferndale, Michigan. Bill enlisted in the Army Air Corp in World War II and served for nearly two years. He spent most of that time serving as a crew chief for transport planes at Maxton Airforce Base near Laurinburg, NC. He also helped tow gliders in training for the invasion at Normandy.
Following his discharge, Bill went into business with his father and formed R. Corcoran and Son Tile Co. Bill and his dad started off doing residential work in the Norwalk, Ohio area, having moved there after the war. His dad passed in December of 1963, and Bill assumed complete responsibility for their company. He grew R. Corcoran, later to become Corcoran Tile and Marble, into a large commercial concern. He often said he tiled most of Northern Ohio, and parts of Michigan, Pennsylvania and even Florida. Depending on economic conditions, the company employed 25-65 men for many of the 50 years that Bill ran the company. He was ever conscious of the need to keep his men working, as he was always grateful for the hard work and quality they put into their efforts. Some of his major projects included the Cleveland Justice Center, SOHIO (later BP) corporate headquarters building, Kent State and Bowling Green Universities, Stouffers Foods, Ford and GM manufacturing plants, numerous malls and more McDonalds than we could list.
It was while working that Bill met his wife Rita. They would have 57 wonderful years together, sharing many adventures. Travel was especially important to the family, and Bill delighted in the cruises he shared with son Brian, daughter-in-law Christie and his beloved grandsons Kevin and Kyle. Trips to Alaska, the Mediterranean and the Baltic were especially memorable. Bill and Rita also enjoyed many winters in Naples, Florida. Bill loved to golf, and those winter trips gave him treasured time to play a variety of courses. Bill’s other big hobby was reading, and if you were to visit him in retirement you would have gotten a tour of his library, and a lecture on his favorite books.
Bill is survived by his wife Rita, son Brian, daughter-in-law Christie, grandsons Kevin and Kyle, older sister Virginia Munroe, niece Linda, extended family the Trottnows – Diane, Karl, Matt, Nick and Abby, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother Richard, sister Eleanor, and parents Richard and Emily.
A funeral Mass and internment will be held at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 804 High House Road, in Cary on Monday, June 17th at 11:00 am. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Church.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Bill’s memory to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607.
