William E. "Bill" Stasyszen entered eternal life on May 4, 2007, surrounded by members of his family and sustained by prayer.

Deeply rooted in his Catholic faith, he was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend, employee and volunteer.

Born on May 19, 1924, in Ft. Worth, Texax, Bill grew up in Harrah, Oklahoma.

He married Gloria E. Junk on October 15, 1949 and they shared a loving and life-giving marriage until her death on September 14, 2005.

They established their home near Tecumseh, Oklahoma where they raised their five sons.

They were faithful members of St . Benedict Catholic Parish in Shawnee.

Bill served in the Army Air Corps during World War II in the South Pacific. Honorably discharged at the end of the war, he worked for a short time as an auto body repairman and then was employed at Central Plastics Company in Shawnee as a machine operator for over thirty years until his retirement in 1988.

He was a devoted husband and father who took a keen interest in the activities of his children. After retirement, he enjoyed traveling extensively with his wife Gloria, visiting all fifty states. He was an avid and successful gardener and was a member of the American Legion. Quiet by nature, he was a man of prayer and enjoyed being in the midst of his extended circle of family and friends.

Mr. Stasyszen was preceded in death by his wife, Gloria; his eldest son Pete; his parents Mike and Martha Stasyszen, and several siblings.

He is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Bill II and Jonna Stasyszen of Shelbyville, Kentucky; Joe and Marla Stasyszen of Chandler, Oklahoma; Rick and Monica Stasyszen of The Woodlands, Texas; the Rt. Rev. Lawrence Stasyszen, O.S.B., of St . Gregory's Abbey in Shawnee, Oklahoma; and Jeannita Stasyszen of Meeker, Oklahoma; his grandchildren, Jandi and husband Karlen, Bill III, Jason and wife Andrea; Philip, Sarah and husband Nate; Dusty, Mark, Jeff, Alex and Emily; his great-grandchildren, Noah, Aaron, Wesley, Alicia, and Allison; his brother, John and wife Rosemary Stasyszen; sisters-in-law, Bernice Foree and Evelyn Ekroat; and brother-in-law, Dan Hymes; and many nieces and nephews.

A Vigil of Prayer for the deceased will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, May 7, at Cooper Funeral Home in Tecumseh.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 8, 2007 at St . Benedict Catholic Church in Shawnee, with burial following at Calvary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be directed to the Bill and Gloria Stasyszen Scholarship Fund at St . Gregory's University in Shawnee.