William John Balgooyen

Balgooyen, Mr. William J. Muskegon, MI Mr. William John Balgooyen Jr., age 90, died Wednesday, September 29, 2021. He was born on January 30, 1931 to William and Edna (Fors) Balgooyen in Muskegon, MI. Bill grew up in a house on Baker Street in Muskegon Heights with younger sister Sue and brother Ric. A sharp youngster, Bill started school early and graduated at age 17 from MHHS in 1948. He entered the University of Michigan that fall and enjoyed his years in Ann Arbor immensely and remained an avid UM fan all his life. During his time at UM, Bill's old friend asked him to double-date with his girlfriend Perky Carter from North Muskegon. Perky's best friend was Jayne Petersen and the date must have been a success. Bill and Jayne were married in 1952 and spent their honeymoon in Detroit, watching a weekend series between the Tigers and Yankees. The couple lived in Ann Arbor while Bill attended UM Law School. Their first son, Jeff was born at UM Hospital in 1953. After moving back to Muskegon to join his father's law firm, sons Jim and Jay were born and the family lived in Norton Shores. Bill had a very successful career practicing law in Muskegon until 1996 and like his father served many years as the City Attorney of Muskegon Heights. He also served as the City Attorney of Montague. Bill and Jayne loved watching and attending UM football games and traveled to watch many games at various Big Ten and Bowl sites. Most summers, Bill predicted that the team would go undefeated in the upcoming season. The couple loved taking family vacations to Ft. Lauderdale every spring and always enjoyed having drinks and dinner with close friends. In later years, Bill and Jayne enjoyed spending the winters in Florida. Bill loved to laugh and to make friends and family laugh with his quirky sense of humor. SURVIVORS 3 sons, Jeff Balgooyen, Jim (Carol) Balgooyen and Jay (Julie) Balgooyen; 11 grandchildren; 7 great grandchildren; brother, Ric (Marti) Balgooyen; sister-in-law, Lois Hickman; special friend, Shirley Kohler. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Jayne, granddaughter, Julie Rose and sister, Sue Mitchell. SERVICE A Private Family Service will be held. Please visit www.clockfuneralhome.com to leave a memory or sign the online guestbook. Clock Funeral Home - Muskegon