William Ezra Shanok (“Bill”) passed away at home, with family, on March 13, 2021, after a long, brave battle with cancer. He was 78 years old.
Bill was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Jewish Hospital, and was raised by his parents in a standalone home in Borough Park during World War II that would soon house three children: Bill, his sister Judy, and his little brother Danny. A proud Brooklyn boy who played stickball with the neighborhood kids, Bill saw his irreplaceable Dodgers leave for Los Angeles at 15 years old, and turned his attention instead to classical music, school, and a future at his father’s Glass Laboratories company, that was moving into the emerging industry of plastics manufacturing, becoming Silvatrim, where he eventually served as president.
Graduating from Brooklyn Tech with certificates of excellence in chemistry, physics, and mathematics, he attended Worcester Poly Tech, where he gained a degree in chemistry in 1964. On his debut visit to Martha’s Vineyard, Bill met the love of his life, Susan Whiting, and they began a whirlwind courtship. The two eloped right after their respective Massachusetts college graduations, and set off on a European honeymoon that coincided with the plastics shows his work required.
With his bride, Bill bought and revived a dilapidated brownstone in Chelsea, tamed a wild property in Chilmark, built around a relocated Menemsha fishing shack, and began raising a family of four cherished children that would grow to be dubbed the Shanok tribe. He traveled the world with his family, introducing them to the cultural and culinary wonders it held. Bill lived every day as a new adventure, and found happiness in life’s simple pleasures: walking his precious collies in Menemsha, brush-cutting on his tractor, and fishing, as long as it was on someone else’s boat! He was an accomplished, nationally ranked skeet shooter, who shared his skill with budding shooters. He was a fan of opera, classical music, golden oldies, and Yiddish stories.
Bill was affable, gregarious, and very generous with his time, helping neighbors and strangers alike, whether it was engineering a DIY solution, or keeping an eye out for something “neat” someone needed. In short, he was a mensch!
Bill was predeceased by his cherished son Gabe in 2010, lost his wife and best friend Susan last year, and leaves behind his three daughters, Tory Dolan, Sarah Kitchens, and Tovah Shanok, their spouses, and five treasured grandchildren, Emma, Katie, Will III, Gabriel, and Hazel.
Bill and his beloved Susan will be laid to rest at Abel’s Hill on Sept. 11, followed by a celebration of their lives at the Chilmark Community Center.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to the Island Food Pantry.