William J. Opatken, Jr.

William Francis Opatken, Jr. of Austintown, passed away on April 20, 2018, after an 8 month struggle with cancer. The son of William and Gloria Opatken, he was 62 years old. William graduated from Fitch and attended Youngstown State, majoring in Civil Engineering. He was a consultant for various firms in the area. After Bill suffered a work related injury, he made it his full time job to take care his father. He enjoyed college football and tailgating, spending 12 years manning the grill for the Westminster College football parents tailgates, even after his nephew graduated, while listening to the Buckeyes and Penguins on the radio. He especially liked to annoy his nephews and nieces by calling them when their when their favorite teams were losing. Billy was amusing. He was a storehouse of information, and arcane facts. He was a prodigious watcher of The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, TCM and followed professional sports, especially the PGA (Phil!) and Nascar. He loved Neil Young, The Beatles, Mumford and Sons. He knew every line of Jesus Christ Superstar. He loved old movies, and not so old movies. He could and would recite (often) Captain Quints soliloquy about the Indianapolis from the movie Jaws - "anyway, we delivered the bomb." He could do the Sunday crossword in 20 minutes. Bill is survived by a daughter, Grace Geiger, and 2 grandchildren. His passing is mourned by his sibling and their spouses: Marlene Rhodes (Paul), Carol Opatken, Chepke (David), Tim (Peggy) and Tom. Eleven nieces and nephews are also processing his passing. There will not be a funeral service at this time per Bills wishes. The family will gather at a future date. The family extends their gratitude to Austintown Healthcare Center nursing facility (formerly Meridian Arms Nursing Center) for the care he received in his final months.