Obituary of William Schiotis

William Steven Schiotis, born July 19, 1951 to Rose and Phil Schiotis. Billy grew up in Brooklyn NY but lived many places throughout his lifetime, ultimately winding up in NJ. He is survived by his wife, Victoria, his children, Dominick and Amy, Michael, Christina and Ian Lerner, and his grandchildren, Julia, Dominick, Alyssa, Lyla and Taylor, his sister Josephine, brother in law Steven, Nephew Pete and Marzana and nieces Amanda and Gina...mother in law Maria Ocello...father in law Steve and Marlene Piercynski, sister in law, Sam and Alex Harris....and I must mention our dogs, Buddy Jack, Casey and Lucy because they were his heart as well..

Billy grew up in Brooklyn NY, and was raised by his mom Rose, his grandma Rose and step dad Frank Carpinelli....Billy was the apple of his moms eye, and his grandmothers'(Gram) as well.....he quickly moved on to begin his journey of life and led a very interesting and colorful life...earlier on he was in sales for many years in various industries, and at the end of his sales career was instrumental in the success of credit card usage for the entire taxi industry...quite an accomplishment...among so many others.

His younger years, although not always easy, led him to an ultimate peace and happiness....Billy moved to NJ in 1994, and it became his home.

Always wanting to experience new and different things, he opened a "spiritual shop" Expect Miracles", and created the Oasis Club in Cliffside Park. He was a devoted "friend of Bill's" for over 25 years and it was a big part of his life. He was a co-owner of the Main St Cafe, with his wife, and ultimately wound up in the business of Fetch Pet Services which truly fulfilled him, as he had a way with animals....

He was a lover of the Mets, animals, rock and roll, The Walking Dead, good Italian food...he was a great cook, but his favorite was Spanish food...he had a love for cars....he loved to buy them tinker for a while and sell....it was a hobby for many years and he loved to go visit his buddy Vahe and talk and fix cars....he spent countless Saturday mornings for years doing just that and he truly loved it...he loved to travel and did so more in his younger years, he had so many curiosities and did get to satisfy many of them. Anyone who knew him knows how smart he was, he was so very wise and knew so much about so many things...he was truly the "go to guy" for his family and many of his friends throughout the years.. many who are no longer with us... I hope he connects with them again...

Billy was a devoted father who loved his children fiercely, not to mention the thrill of becoming a grandparent. He truly got such a kick out of being "grandpa Bill".. he loved every minute of it.

Billy lived his life on his terms, he was his own man.. a very strong man, he held tight to his beliefs and he didn't look back or worry about what others thought or whether they agreed...he was true to himself and that was most important to him. He knew what he wanted and more times than not, he got it... and then with his beautiful smile would say "see, I told you!"

We, his family are heartbroken and our lives will never ever be the same.... he touched so very many lives and I cannot count how many people he's helped through the years and that brought him so much joy and happiness.... knowing that helps us because he not only enriched our lives by being in them, but so many others as well... few people that knew him will ever forget him. He was a staple at the Sahara Club and his absence is felt there as well.

Billy knew how much we loved him, and his last months provided so many challenges for him....but he refused to complain or ever feel sorry for himself... he only wanted, that when his time came, to have everything on his terms, and he did.

Most important is that he knew his family was there with him till the very end and how very much we loved him. We will somehow try to go on without him... I don't know how, but I know it's what he wanted and unfortunately for us, ???????? has a way of moving forward.... I'd rather go back to a time that he was here, healthy and happy, but we will just hold him in our hearts forever, remember him with love and laughter and never ever forget.... for those of us closest to him, he had a profound effect on our lives, and we really don't know what we will do without him..... his suffering is over, ours has just begun...

Rest peacefully my love... we love you... please watch over all of us.... I can't stop hoping this is all just a bad dream.