William (Billy) Harry Shaprow Jr. (56) passed away on Monday, February 20th, 2023 at his home in Pasadena, Maryland. His wife, Cheree, and daughter, Madeline, were with him.

Born in early January in Baltimore, he grew up with his mother, father, sister, and brother in Parkville, Maryland. He went to Villa Cresta Elementary School, Carney Elementary, Dumbarton Middle School and Loch Raven High School. He also attended the Community College of Baltimore.After graduation, he started a professional career driving commercial vehicles. He delivered windshields before moving to UPS as a driver. It was a hard job, especially at Christmas, but he loved his route and customers.

When he met his future wife Cheree K Hironimus, a fellow UPSer from Johnstown Pennsylvania, all of his dreams came true. She shared her two sons Zakery and Caleb Null with him and they became a family. He loved calling them "sons" and not only attended their sports games and celebrated their successes, he and Cheree often cooked and brought snacks to the games.

Within a year of their wedding, his daughter Madeline was born and their family was complete. And when he became a grandfather, there was no one prouder. He loved going to Zakery and Theo's games and shared pictures of their adventures together. When collecting stories for this writing, more than one person said that it was evident how much he loved his grandchildren by how he showed up for them. (For the record, he is also known for shaking young children upside down and saying, "give me your lunch money!")

Billy made friends wherever he went because he was so kind and loving. He had friendships that he maintained from before elementary school started. And his circle of friends grew larger and larger through all of his passions: fishing, church, guitar picks and cooking.

In his 20s his fishing expertise led to working as a mate on boats in Ocean City, North Carolina and Florida. He even met baseball player Joe Orsulak who was more interested in learning how to fish the local rivers than Billy was in talking baseball. On a trip to Hawaii (that he won and took his father on) he caught a 797 pound blue marlin which turned out to be the second largest blue marlin caught that year, 1997. He loved fishing with his daughter both in Maryland and Florida - and said that Madeline was a great fishing buddy.

His fishing hobby also turned into his own business, Billfish Lures. Billy made custom lures for large game fish. His expert knowledge of each species and careful craftsmanship resulted in lures that were sought after at fishing shows. He and his wife would sell custom gear that he created, or used gear that he found in the off season.

Another hobby, guitar picks, also turned out to be profitable. Once he could drive and go to bars, he started collecting guitar picks. He loved 80's hair metal -- especially local favorites Kix and Child's Play. When he started collecting band memorabilia in the late nineties, his pick collection became extensive. He would go early before a concert, or stay late by the stage door to trade picks with the bands. He had a knack for finding the extraordinary by searching misspellings on Ebay and getting bargains. The band members were often surprised by their own rare picks that Billy found. The band members and techs would also share drumsticks and autographed guitar pickguard with him.

Over the years, he became friendly with many band members and their teams. Once a guitar tech had run out of batteries and Billy walked across the street to buy some for him. At a later show he bought a ridiculous number of batteries as a joke to give to the tech so he wouldn't run out again. Recently he introduced Madeline to Buckcherry just as he introduced his brother to Tesla, Funny Money, Slaughter and Metallica concerts before and after he turned 18.

He shared his brother's love of music and supported his talents through gifts of instruments. Christmas was his favorite holiday and became our family's Santa Claus with the perfect gifts he always found. His wrapping skills were legendary. One year every gift was dressed like a tuxedo -- buttons and all! But his generosity was secondary compared to the kindness and love with which every gift was given.

In some ways Billy was an old soul. From the time he was little he loved being with the matriarchs and patriarchs of the family. He played cards and made banana fish with his grandmother and fished regularly with his grandfather. He enjoyed walks in the woods with his Poppop. He especially enjoyed being the only kid at his great uncle and aunt's Christmas parties. His cousin said that some of her best memories of Billy are when he joined her and her mom (his aunt) for lunch at the many landmark restaurants in, and around, Baltimore. He was truly adored by all of the oldest members of our family. It is comforting to know they will be glad to see him in heaven.

Billy's family is not large but were always close. As part of the self-named Regester clan (his mother's family) he and his siblings attended parties that his mother and two aunts would host for every birthday and holiday including Memorial and Labor days. It was always a challenge as he was much younger than most of his cousins and wanted to do everything that they did. So, during the summer parties when his family would go "up the Rocks" (his PopPop's Cabin in Rocks State Park) he wanted to hike with them to the King and Queen's Seat but was relegated to playing with his siblings closer to the cabin.

When he did play with his older cousins his good nature shone through. One cousin wrote to share this story. "We were all up the Rocks, probably for a Labor Day celebration. Beer was involved. Tomatoes were rotting in the field. The first annual end-of-season produce battle quickly ensued. Long story short, Billy took a rotten tomato squarely to the side of the head; he had tomato guts all over him and he looked like he'd been shot. We all froze, waiting for his reaction—will he laugh or cry? He hesitated for a moment, then burst out laughing, as did we all."

His sense of humor is another thing people loved about him. Friends and family always have a story of how Billy made them laugh. Sometimes Billy would say something so hilarious that people who were already laughing would double over because his joke was even funnier than what they were already laughing at. He was also known to cause a groan with really good/bad Dad Jokes. Family and neighbors who got to see him as he left to go to work enjoyed his quick wit that brightened their days.

His neighbors also enjoyed his truck. It was a giant Chevy Silverado. It was the brightest yellow-orange color that the neighbors nicknamed the Screaming Cheese Wiz. He took it to car shows and was so proud of people's reaction to his 4-wheeled pride and joy.

There is one last hobby that Billy excelled in -- cooking. He cooked for everyone and was known for fish (of course) and prime rib. When he worked as a mate he would turn the freshly caught tuna into sushi for the guests. And his friends often requested that he make them prime rib because his was so perfect. He hosted his brother's bachelor party "ShinDig" and one attendee wrote "His grill mastery and chef skills were on full display. More than anything he wanted his brother to have the experience of a lifetime but he was also happy to extend his hospitality to everyone at the party." He was fun to cook for too because he loved eating. Chocolate most of all, but anything with onions would always make him happy.

A few last memories of young Billy are important to note. When he was young, he loved science and rockets. Combining both hobbies into experiments with fireworks that terrified his mother. He asked his sister how her day was EVERY school day and was never discouraged when she would say "Tiring" (EVERY day!). And he bought corsages for his mother and grandmother for so many holidays. These are just a few examples of how loving and supportive he has always been to everyone he calls family and friend.

Billy is survived by his parents William and Kathryn Shaprow; his wife and daughter Cheree and Madeline; his sister Portia and her husband Jake Pusey; Brother Ted, wife Lisa and their children Kelcy, Owen, and Claire Shaprow; his stepson Zakery, wife Samantha and
their children Zakery and Theo Null; his stepson Caleb Null and his wife Erynn; Niece Nicole and husband Alex Rose and great niece Lilliann. He has cousins, aunts, nieces, nephews and so many friends who are his chosen family who are missing him terribly; and a cat, Smoky, who just wants his warm lap back and someone to sleep on.