William R. Loncar
April 4th, 2011By Shaughna
William R. Loncar of East Amherst, the fearless leader of four children and his wife of nearly 35 years, passed away Sunday after a long and brave battle with Cancer. He was 61.
Born and raised in Buffalo, he graduated from Kenmore West Senior High School in 1968. Following High School, Bill served for four years as a U.S. Army Reservist, receiving his honorable discharge in 1975. Additionally, Bill joined his father in the great American car manufacturing industry, working as an employee of General Motors for ten years here in Buffalo. It was during these years that Bill really completed his American-dream story and found himself lucky enough to meet his wife, Paula Shaughnessy.
Bill and Paula married on November 27, 1976 and began to build their remarkable family, which would become the guiding light of Bill’s life. Over a joyous six-year period Bill and Paula were blessed with Shaughna, Billy, Meghann and Michael. Bill was a truly devoted father and husband, working tirelessly to make sure his wife and kids saw the world as he saw it, being full of joy, amusement and wonder. In a particularly apt and memorable moment, the kid’s pre-school teacher told Paula that Bill was truly a “paragon of fatherhood.” As anyone who met Bill can attest, of all the superlatives that could be used to describe Bill (including funny, witty, talented, artistic, irreverent) this is the accolade suited him most perfectly.
While starting his family in East Amherst with Paula, Bill found time to graduate cum laude from Canisius College and was a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda honor society. After receiving his B.S. in Business Administration, Bill went on to pursue a successful career in the insurance and annuity business, proving time after time to all who dealt with him in the business world that Bill was a natural salesman, serving his clients with honesty and skill. Additionally, as an active parishioner at St. Gregory the Great Parish, Bill participated in the Acts of Faith Ministry (People of Acts) aiding the elderly and the infirm with his unique blend of humor and craftsmanship. On many weekend afternoons Bill could be found fixing leaky pipes, or broken lamps, shoveling driveways or raking leaves for fellow community members lacking the ability to do those tasks themselves.
One January 21, 2009 after a number of doctors visits stemming from a persistent holiday cough, Bill was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer. The diagnosis was both devastating and shocking as Bill had never been a smoker and hadn’t had so much as a cold in decades. Bill and his family quickly regrouped and began his two and a half year battle together in high spirits. The Loncar family left no stone unturned, combining alternative medicine with more traditional treatments in formulating a comprehensive plan to destroy the cancer. After a number of rounds of treatment, including chemotherapy and Insulin Potentiation Therapy, Bill had, at least temporarily, conquered the cancer and enjoyed many great days and months. Bill proved to be just as dogged as the cancer and fought it to a standstill for two years. Throughout his battle, Bill continued to be a devoted father who never missed an opportunity to express his gratitude for his wife’s and children’s devotion to him and his pride in his kid’s educational and professional success, of which there were many.
Over his final months Bill continued to wow his family with his stoicism and bravery, never complaining of pain and continuing to be a gracious host to his countless visitors. Despite his illness, Bill always made sure his guests had drink, or some food or the most comfortable seat in the room, and were always greeted with a kind word or joke. More often than not Bill was the one asking his visitors how they were feeling and what they needed. As perhaps the truest example of the love and devotion Bill inspired in others, each of his four kids and wife were by his side twenty-four hours a day over his final months.
Bill is survived by his adoring wife Paula; his four children; his father Stephen M. Loncar; his brothers Stephen, Robert (Mary Ann), and Richard (Laura); his mother-in-law, Mary D. Shaughnessy; as well as the Shaughnessy, Klein, Jackson and Wojciechowski families.