William Robert Kopinski was born in Greenlawn, New York, on May 25, 1942 and was a lifelong resident of Long Island except for two years in the late 70's when he lived in Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas. Willie, as he liked to be called, graduated from St. Dominic's in 1960 where he was a star pitcher for the baseball team and then attended St. John's University for a year on a baseball scholarship before joining the Army. He was a member of the Army's 82nd Airborne Unit from 1962 until 1964. Willie married Linda Bourne in 1966 and together they had one son. He completed his college career at Long Island University earning a BA and an MBA in 1968. He worked for Grumman Aircraft, Amerada Hess, Hendrickson Construction, Brown and Root, and was a teamster for Star Liquor. Besides loving the beach, he was an avid sports fan and followed the New York Mets, Giants, and Knicks. Willie is survived by his son Keith Kopinski, sister Kathy Tarantino, brother Monsignor Richard Kopinski, nephew Michael Tarantino, and nieces Jennifer Bilardello and Katie Tarantino Mousiadis. He died after an extended illness on May 26, 2018.