In memoriam: William "Bill" McClaskey

William “Bill” McClaskey of Davie, Florida, and a longtime resident of Miami Lakes, passed away on January 2 at the age of 91.
McClaskey was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served in WWII from 1945-47. He was initiated into the Free and Accepted Masons in 1967 where he held the office of Worshipful Master in the Miami Temple, Lodge 247, during 1977, and was a 32 degree Mason in the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.
He was received, admitted and constituted a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, Mahi Temple in Miami in 1978, and was a member of the Royal Order of Jesters, Miami Court 088. He was also very active in the North Miami/North Dade Rotary Club.
McClaskey was the owner of Nolan’s Towing and Recovery from 1961-1997 and was a pioneer in the towing industry, both in Florida and nationally. He was a founding member of the Professional Wrecker Operators of Florida (P.W.O.F.) and served as president in 1980-81. He was also a member of the Towing and Recovery Association of America (TRAA).
He was inducted into the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame in 1987, and was a member of Friends of Towing and a Trustee of the Hall of Fame.
McClaskey was actively involved in T.O.W.E.D.., Towing Operators Working to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which towed vehicles and gave rides to impaired drivers free of charge from the first weekend in December through January 1.
He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Jane McClaskey, and a loving father of five children - Debbie Wilkes (Mike Wilkes), Holly McGowan, Sue Sharp (Mike Sharp), William McClaskey Jr. (Tina McClaskey, and Dawn Groves (Scott Groves) - eight grandchildren including Jason Wilkes, Kyle Wilkes, Carissa Ford, Alana Tepper, Paul Rivera, Nicole Merkel, Chad McClaskey and Michael McClaskey, and nine great grandchildren.
Internment was held at the South Florida National Cemetery on January 11. A celebration of life was held that same day at the Pembroke Lakes Golf and Country Club.
Donations may be made in his memory to Shriners Hospitals for Children, Attention Office of Development, 2900 N. Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607, and online donations may be made at Lovetothrescue.org and entering recipient email address billandjanemac@gmail.com.