William F Sholtis

William F. Sholtis passed peacefully, after a brief illness, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 at Main Street Care Center in Avon Lake. He was born in Leisenring, PA on Nov. 14, 1925. After high school graduation, he was drafted into the US Army and served in WWII in the 411th Infantry Regiment, Company L. He is a recipient of the Purple Heart.

It was in beautiful western PA, that he met the love of his life, Rose Marie Manzella. The couple married in 1949 and moved to Elyria, OH where they raised their four daughters and established life-long friendships and a love of the Elyria community. Bill retired from Bendix Corporation, and subsequently enjoyed family time, travel, golf, gardening, carpentry, card playing, and reading, particularly history.

After moving to Ohio, Bill transferred his sports team allegiance to the Cleveland teams. Although he had impressive knowledge of all sports, his love of and insight into baseball trumped them all. He would have relished a World Series Championship by the Indians/Guardians prior to the submission of this obituary. Bill was an active member of St. Jude Church, the Holy Name Society, VFW, Knights of Columbus, American Legion, and Senior Fellowship, and was a volunteer at the local Salvation Army.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Frank P. and Anna (nee Varga) Sholtis; his beloved wife, Rose Marie (nee Manzella) Sholtis; daughter, Dianne Austin; grandson, Keith Jay Fackler; and siblings - brother, Ted Sholtis, and sisters, Mildred Szepesi, Anne Marie Nudo, and Dorothy Manzella.

Bill is survived by his daughters, Karen Vecchio, Kathy Krause, and Christine Spirgel; sons-in-law, Dr. Raymond Vecchio, Robert Krause, Keith Spirgel, and Jim Austin. He also leaves a legacy of 13 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren. Other survivors include his brothers-in-law, Nick Manzella Jr. and Ed Zentarsky; sister-in-law, Mary Mongell; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Friends will be welcomed on Monday, Feb. 13 from 4:00 - 7:00 pm at the Reichlin Roberts Bollinger Funeral Home, 327 Cleveland St., Elyria, and prior to the Mass from 10:00-10:30 am Tuesday. The funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 11:00 am at St. Jude Church, 590 Poplar St., Elyria, officiated by the Rev. Jerome Lajack, con celebrated by Rev. Richard Gonser and Rev. Joseph Scalco, followed by burial at Brookdale Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Jude Church, 590 Poplar St., Elyria, OH 44035; Disabled American Veterans, VA Regional Office, 1240 E. 9th St., Cleveland, OH 44199; or the Salvation Army, 716 Broad St., Elyria, OH 44035.

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