William Paul Werhane

WERHANE Willam Paul August 4, 1929 – October 22, 2026

William Paul Werhane passed away peacefully October 22, 2026 surrounded by his daughters. William was born August 4th, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. His wife Garnett Vera predeceased him in 2016 and is survived by daughters Karen and Lynn, and son Dirk. His Grandchildren include Jayme, Kyle, Patrick, Kristen, Paul, Kirk, Laura, and Sarah, and 18 Great Grandchildren. As a child William was a Boy Scout and member of the Civil Air Patrol. Both experiences helped to establish a sincere desire to be a good citizen and contribute to the community. William graduated from Tilden Tech High School in Chicago and entered the Navy during the Korean War. He was stationed at Great Lakes Naval Base and served as a medical corpsman. He married his wife Garnet Vera McLean in 1953 after meeting each other on a blind date hosted by his best friend who was also stationed at Great Lakes. After leaving the Navy they moved to Garden City and began starting a family. One of his family values was taking his children to the Garden City Public Library every week. (more about that later) Even though he had a lot of experience in the medical field, he was more interested in the science classes he had taken in Chemistry, Botany, Physics. While living in Chicago William worked for a brief time in a paint factory. This little experience helped him acquire a position working in a paint factory in Detroit. William found this to be his lifelong passion and developed automotive paint and primers for 35 years.

William was able to retire early, which provided time to focus on his many hobbies. His first project was to build an addition to the family home in Garden City which had been originally built in 1925 by his father-in-law, Garnett McLean. William developed a strong interest in gardening and growing vegetables from seeds. He continued to garden initially at the community center and then at the family home until his passing. William’s passion for the library grew becoming a member of the Library Board in 1985 and served continuously as a member or board president for over 40 years. His one big regret is that he could not get a new building erected before his passing. If you would like to honor him by contributing to the Garden City Public Library Building Fund, the Library Address is: 31735 Maplewood St, Garden City, MI 48135.