Saturday, July 25, 2015
Bill Price was a well-known and highly respected member of the Troy business community for 54 years. Born on January 12, 1931, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps on his eighteenth birthday. After discharge in 1952, he continued to serve in the Marine Reserves for the next eight years. He also earned a college degree from the Wayne State University-Department of Mortuary Science in 1955 and then founded Price Funeral Home in the new City of Troy in October, 1956.
Bill believed in public service. He provided an emergency ambulance for Troy until June 1974 (See also the July 18th 365 Story.); was a charter member and past President of the Rotary Club of Troy; and member of the Exchange Club of Troy. As member of the Troy Historical Commission, he worked to relocate and restore a number of buildings at the Troy Historic Village. As the founding president of the Rochester Road Business & Professional Association of Troy, he worked in partnership with City leaders to widen Rochester Road into a five-lane highway.
Bill was also a member of Clawson-Troy Elks Lodge #2169; Wayne State University Alumni Association-Detroit; National and Michigan Funeral Directors Associations; Past President of Troy Chamber of Commerce; past President and board member of the Troy Boys and Girls Club; and the Cpl. Stanley L. Moore Detachment of the Marine Corps League.
In 1980 Bill was selected as Troy’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year. Upon receiving this award he said, “I was overwhelmed, but I really believe that we live here and work here and it’s our responsibility to contribute what we can.
One of Bill’s lesser known hobbies was to document the development of the City by collecting road signs. His private collection which included vintage signs from Interstate I-75, the community of Big Beaver, and Troy Township was donated to the Troy Historic Village following his death on June 8, 2010.
Photo: William “Bill” Price
To commemorate the City of Troy’s 60th Anniversary in 2015, we will publish a different story each day that highlights a person, discovery, or event that occurred locally, regionally, nationally, or even globally between 1955 and 2015 and that helped shape our lives and our community. We will try to post stories on important anniversary dates, but we also realize that dates are less critical than content and context. We will include the facts related to controversial stories, allowing our readers to form their own opinions. We invite you to read and comment on the stories. Your suggestions for topics are also welcome and can be posted on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TroyHistoricVillage. You can also email stories or ideas to the 365 Story Editor at ed@thvmail.org.
