William Victor Backlund, Jr.

Backlund Jr., William

Whitmore Lake, MI

William Victor Backlund, Jr (Bill) of Strawberry Lake in Hamburg died 27 May 2026 from complications of Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia directly attributable to his military service.

Bill was a lifelong resident of Hamburg, born 21 February 1948 to William and Jacqueline (Queal) Backlund. He was the oldest of two and is preceded in death by his parents and brother, Larry. Bill attended Hamburg Elementary and graduated in 1966 from Pinckney High School where he ran track and played football. Bill attended Eastern Michigan University and was a member of the ROTC program. He earned his degree in English and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in Armor. Bill met his future wife, Deborah Theisen of Dearborn, while at EMU, and they were married 7 August 1970 at St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church in Dearborn. They made their first of many homes at Strawberry Lake in the log home built by his great grandfather, Henry Queal in 1939. The young couple lived there for a year before beginning his service career in the Army.

Bill served 3 years in Germany as an Armor officer during the Cold War era. His oldest son, William Victor III was born in Germany in 1973. Bill made the decision to leave Armor and pursue his dream of flying a helicopter. He attended flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama where son, Jeremy Joseph was born in 1975. Bill loved flying the UH1, Huey, and earned his Master Aviator Badge for over 1500 hours. He served as aviation company commander at Fort Ord, California where son, Michael George was born in 1980. The family shared 15 homes over his 23 year career.

Bill found time to encourage his boys in the scouting program from Cub scouting through the ranks of Boy Scouts with two earning the rank of Eagle Scout. He shared his love of the outdoors with them through sports, camping, hunting, trapping, ice skating and snow skiing, scuba diving, and water skiing. He was not one to sit back and watch the world go by but rather an active participant.

Bill retired from the Army in 1994 and went into teaching in the Detroit Public School system as part of a junior ROTC program. His second career spanned 15 years during which he quietly and steadfastly encouraged young people to strive to do their best and live by his mantra of “Always do the right thing”.

After retiring the second time, he and Debbie pursued travel to places near and far. They were always on the go and enjoyed visits with family and friends. Bill was a quiet, soft-spoken man that loved his family deeply and cherished his heritage. His deep faith and innate kindness and courtesy helped him through the debilitating illnesses with quiet strength and calm acceptance.

Bill’s Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 11:00AM (10AM gathering), at St. Mary Catholic Church, Pinckney, Michigan. Fr. Tyler Arens will serve as celebrant. Memorial contributions may be given to The American Legion. Please leave a message of comfort for Bill’s family at 1-877-231-7900, or sign his guestbook at www.borekjennings.com.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.