By Jay Skebba
The Blade
COLDWATER, Mich. — William “Bill” Greenawalt, who served as a Toledo fireman and ran a business with his wife, died Jan. 11 at his home in Coldwater. He was 78.
According to his son, Bruce, Mr. Greenawalt had been dealing with heart complications.
“My father was very soft-spoken,” he said. “He never said anything bad about anybody. He was never negative; he was a pretty happy guy.”
Born July 15, 1938, in Toledo to Ralph and Charlotte Greenawalt, Mr. Greenawalt graduated from DeVilbiss High School in 1957 before joining the Army.
He spent 28 years in the Toledo Fire Department, beginning his career at Station 15 on Fearing Street.
“He loved being a firefighter,” his son said. “He took great pride in that. There were countless firehouse stories.”
Bruce said when he obtained his driver’s license, he took his father to work at 6:30 a.m., and picked him up the next morning. Mr. Greenawalt retired in 1989 from Station 14 on Reynolds Road.
On his off days, Mr. Greenawalt could be found at one of his do-it-yourself framing stores. Mr. Greenawalt and his wife, Kaye, began The Mitered Corner in the 1970s. The business was the first of its kind in the Toledo area.
The first location opened on Hill Avenue, where customers were shown how to build frames, properly center photos, seal the backing, and attach eye hooks.
“My stepmom was a master interior decorator; that’s why she went into the picture-frame business,” Bruce said. “And my dad was kind of the guy who did all the grunt work. He built all the tables, cabinets, counters, everything that went into all those stores.”
The couple moved to a larger store across the street in 1982. They also opened locations in Sylvania and Perrysburg.
“They were very proud of that business; it was their life,” Bruce said. “If they had [the frame] in stock, they would cut it right there for you and take you step-by-step through the picture-frame process.”
Mrs. Greenawalt died in August, 2014. Bruce said his father cared for her until the day she died.
Mr. Greenawalt was a self-taught woodworker. He made everything from furniture to cabinets, and once made a canoe from 1-inch strips of various grains.
He had a woodshop in the garage of his lake home in Coldwater, where he and his wife moved in the late 1990s.
“There are machines there that I don’t have a clue what they do,” Bruce said. “He could build anything out of wood. The canoe was out of this world.”
Mr. Greenawalt is survived by his son, Bruce; daughter, Sarah Greenawalt-Trimble; sister, Betty Kern; brother, Ralph; eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Dutcher Funeral Home of Coldwater, Mich., has helped the family. A memorial service will be scheduled. Memorials can be made to CHC Cancer Center, Naomi Davis Shelter House, or the Humane Society of Branch County.