William A. Dunphy

As the fiddle began to play, Bill Dunphy strolled out to the center of the stage in Fellowship Hall and gazed musingly out into the audience. He had already transformed himself from a respected elder at Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church into Tevye from the little village of Anatevka. He posed the question, “A fiddler on the roof?” And, then the magic began. Of the many church musicals in which he played the lead role, Fiddler on the Roof was, perhaps, his favorite. No one who has ever heard his beautiful tenor voice singing “Sunrise, Sunset” is likely to forget it.

William Arthur (Bill) Dunphy died in the early hours of Saturday, March 13 ^th , after a long performance of over 93 years on life’s stage, ending with a short run of less than 36 hours at Providence Park Hospital in Novi.

Bill was born and lived all of his early years in the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. He was the son of Bernard and Luella (neé Pierce) Dunphy, who raised their family supplemented by worship and song at Strathmoor Judson Memorial Baptist Church. His older half-sister, Muriel Rice (Pastor Ronald), of Winston-Salem, NC, and younger brother, Maurice Dunphy (Suzanne), of Westland, MI, predeceased him. Three of Bill’s four grandparents were Irish. The Pierces, his mother’s family, came most recently from Ontario, where Bill spent summers working on Aunt Maggie’s farm.

Bill began his ministry with a church of his own, Schaefer Baptist Church in Detroit, became an associate pastor at the larger Trinity Baptist Church in Detroit, and then moved his family, with the church, to Livonia, Michigan, where he and his wife raised their family. While Bill left formal ministry in the early 1960s, the skills that had made him a successful pastor and choir director remained the four cornerstones of his long life: faith, music, writing, and, above all, his enjoyment of people. After 15 years at Blue Cross as Director of Training and Management, he worked for 22 years with The Forum Corporation as a Resource Network Associate, helping numerous international Fortune 500 companies become better. Once he finally retired, he devoted much of his time to religious writing, publishing his first book Voices from The Word (Westbow Press, 2017), dedicated “To the glory of God and to Caroline, my understanding and loving wife, artist, and the mother of our two creative children.” Many times, Bill received an award during his church’s May mission trips: “A man after God’s own heart.” He was.

Bill and Caroline Dunphy celebrated their 70 ^th wedding anniversary on August 12, 2020. Their strong partnership continues to serve as a model for others. Bill loved Caroline very much, and he is survived by his loving wife. Bill, also known as Dad, Papa, and Grandpa is much loved by his wife, Caroline, artist-owner of the former Painter’s Place in Northville; his children, Maureen Dunphy (Craig Daly) and Gregg Dunphy (Diana Newton Wood); his grandchildren: Meagan Dunphy-Daly (Jason Somarelli), Caitlin Barr (Andrew Barr), John Wood (Dee Wood), Liam Dunphy, and Tim Dunphy; and his five great-grandchildren: Avery Grace, Caden, and Tyler Somarelli, and Heather and John Wood.

Bill will be remembered for his welcoming smile and how his eyes lit up just at the sight of you—you always knew he cared—and for his eagerness to listen to your story and to enthusiastically support you in reaching your goals.

Bill’s ashes will be buried in the Memorial Garden of his church. A private memorial service will be held at 11am on Saturday, July 31, 2021. The service will be live-streamed on the Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church YouTube channel. Please click on the link a few minutes before 11am: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQx6DWUAlcBzOxLZha5_elQ .

In lieu of flowers, contributions would be appreciated to Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church , 9601 Hubbard St., Livonia, MI 48150.