William Henry Juntunen

William Henry “Will” Juntunen was born September 24, 1963 to the late Edward Juntunen Sr. and the late Joan Juntunen (nee Dombecki) in Detroit, Michigan. A proud boy scout in his childhood, Will eventually became the Senior Class President at Byron High School, where he was also in the marching band and participated in drama. He earned a B.A. in philosophy from Michigan State University and was a proud member of the Sigma Nu fraternity (Epsilon Rho Chapter). Will loved meeting new people. He was proud of his family history and loved his siblings dearly. A loving father, he took his daughter to plays and instilled in her a love of the arts. He bought her as many books as she wanted (which was quite a few), and took her on adventures all through southeast Michigan and the Midwest. He loved to travel, and when doing so really got to know a place — over the course of his life, he spent time in a number of locations all across the state as well as the country. Within Michigan, he lived in Byron, Northville, Royal Oak, Muskegon, and the Houghton/Hancock area. He also lived in Texas, Albany, New York City, New Orleans, Washington D.C., California, and did a long stint in Streator, Illinois. Will mastered the art of slow travel within the continental United States. He truly loved public transportation — and, of course, complaining about public transportation. Will died having returned to Detroit, the place where he was born and where he started his storied professional life. Though he began as a teacher in Detroit Public Schools, Will would later teach himself computer programming, which opened the door to more than half a dozen jobs across the tech sector. Deeply talented and intelligent in all disciplines, Will was a jack of all trades who did not limit himself to any one field. To that end, Will was also a writer and artist who lived the true Bohemian tradition. He did quite a bit of freelance journalism and photojournalism, and was an avid writer of blogs, including Rip Van Detroiter and Cancer in Detroit. He wrote plays, one of which was performed at the Lake Effect Fringe Festival in 2015. During his battle with cancer in 2023, Will took up watercolor painting through the art therapy program at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center. There, he developed a very distinct style; he loved to paint nature. In 2024, his paintings were featured in a gallery show in Detroit, and he self-published a book of his daily writings in 2025. Will was also deeply interested in religion and a proud member of the Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church. Above all, William will be remembered as a cherished father, brother, and artist. He was the loving father of Amanda (Emily) Costello, and dearest brother of AnnMarie (Stephen) Stevens, Edward (Allison) Juntunen, Karen-Sue Yagle, and the late Matthew (Jim Crall) Juntunen. He is survived by many nieces and nephews. Memorial visitation Friday February 20, 2026 from 4:00pm-8:00pm at Wujek - Calcaterra & Sons Inc., (Shelby Township), 54880 Van Dyke at 25 Mile Rd. A Memorial Gathering will take place at 1:30pm until the time of the Memorial Service at 3:00pm on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church, 17150 Maumee Ave, Grosse Pointe, MI 48230. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Rogel Cancer Center Patient and Family Support Services Program, which funds the art therapy program that Will was inspired by: https://www.michiganmedicine.org/fund/rogel-cancer-center-patient-and-family-support-services-program.

William Henry Juntunen

September 24, 1963 - January 12, 2026