William J. Darras
Loving husband of his late wife, Violette, devoted father to sons James (Georgia), Chris (Jean) and Nick (Maureen) and cherished grandfather to Christina, Billy and Dori. Bill is preceded in death by the late, proud father, James, proud mother, Panagoda “Pauline” Darras and as a beloved brother to late sisters Lulu, Edna (Nicholas), Lucille (George), Frieda (James) and Catherine (John).
Yes, together we mourn, yet today we celebrate Bill’s passing into the Hands of God. We celebrate Bill’s life and achievements as a loving provider to his wife, sons and daughters-in-law, as a loving uncle to his many nieces and nephews, as a loving grandfather to his three grandchildren and, equally, as a most successful, hard-working businessman. We also celebrate Bill as a truly genuine, caring man to so many people he befriended throughout his life.
One day during his 30-year career with Weber Marking Systems, our dad was on a business trip traveling internationally in 1985, on board TWA Flight 847, scheduled to depart Athens, Greece for Rome, Italy. He had spent a day in Athens to visit his cousin with whom he regularly called in order to stay in touch with our Greek relatives. Before departing for the flight to Rome, however, the plane was hijacked by Lebanese terrorists who commandeered the pilot at gunpoint to fly the plane to Beirut, Lebanon. It was an arduous flight. Our dad was stripped of his passport and valuables, including the Greek cross he wore around his neck, one of the four Greek crosses that our late grandmother had brought back from Greece after having them blessed by a priest living in a church monastery. He cherished that cross. Our dad was seated in an aisle seat so, as the terrorists patrolled the aisle, he was pistol-hit on the back of his neck several times during the flight because he disobeyed orders given to all passengers to keep their heads down, so as not to memorize the faces of the hijackers for later identification. After seventeen grueling days of diplomatic talks between United States and Lebanese officials, all of the hostages were safely returned to Chicago without casualties, except for the Navy Seal who was brutally murdered in front of several passengers and whose dead body was then irreverently thrown onto the tarmac prior to the Athens departure. Our mother journalized every newspaper article published in every Chicago newspaper until our dad’s return, along with the many cards from family and well-wishers praying for a speedy return. However, this ordeal did not phase our dad to any permanent extent. Bill’s love of God, love of country, military training and personal fortitude prevailed throughout all of the remaining 96 years of his life. He went on to become a 3-time trophy winner at the game of 3-cushion billiards, mastering the art of the gentleman’s game. Bill saw active duty in the United States Army Air Corps as a pilot during WWII. As a veteran, he will be honored with a flag-draped casket and bugler, both for his volunteering into the army during a time of war and for his courage maintained throughout those war years and then subsequently throughout his hostage ordeal.
While residing within his retirement suite in the nursing home, the facility arranged for all veterans of foreign wars living there to board a bus that would take them to Midway Airport, upon which they would board a plane that would take them to Washington, DC to tour all of the veteran monuments and memorials; it’s commonly known as “The Honor Flight”. Each veteran aboard, whether ambulatory or in need of a wheelchair, was assigned a member of our armed services to personally escort and attend to them throughout their day tour and return to Chicago. Upon arrival back to Midway Airport at 1:00 in the morning, our dad did not expect any family members being there to greet him so late at night, but several of us were there. When he first saw his granddaughter Dori greeting him and then saw the rest of us, he was overwhelmed. When we further presented dad with a hard-bound book containing photos and narratives highlighting all that he had visited that day, he was equally overwhelmed, since he couldn’t write notes fast enough to record all that he had seen. The folded flag to be received during the funeral service will be shared by Dori, Christina and Billy, as a keepsake remembrance of their grandfather, as these three cousins build a continuing Darras family name and a God-loving life of Greek Orthodox Christian traditions, along with Irish and Polish Catholic traditions we have equally shared and maintained throughout each of our families for over the past 30 years, or so.
On one occasion while visiting our dad, shortly after the televised funeral of George H. W. Bush in 2018, we told dad that Mike Pence, our Vice President at the time, while giving a eulogy about President Bush, told how the former president touched the life of Pence’s young son who had just earned his wings as an Air Force cadet. Ironically, Cadet Pence was stationed aboard the George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier. Pence said his son received a shore-to-ship telegram from the former president, congratulating him for his flight training achievement. Cadet Pence said he knew the telegram was from the president personally, because there was a handwritten acronym on it, a code known mainly amongst pilots….”CAVU”. Our dad recognized the code and recited it to us. So Dad, as a former Army Air Corps cadet, now ascending into the Heavens to join Mom, we ALL wish you CAVU….”Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited!”
Due to the varying conditions associated with the current Covid-19 pandemic, a private service will be held at this time. In lieu of flowers, kindly make a donation in Bill’s memory to St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church, 133 S. Roselle Road, Palatine, IL 60067-5855
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