William "Bill" Minkus' Obituary
William “Bill” Minkus, Germantown, TN, ageless and forever young passed away September 25, 2015. He was a longtime advertising executive and former Motion Picture Executive. He was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee and attended East High School thru his junior high years. After that he enrolled in Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, Tennessee and attended the academy for four years where he graduated as a 1st Lieutenant on the battalion staff. During his senior year he was honored, by the Rotary Club of Columbia, Tennessee with their award to the outstanding senior who best exemplifies the spirit of Rotary “Service Above Self.” Upon graduation from CMA he attended Memphis State University where he majored in Advertising and Marketing. During his freshman year he joined Malco Theatres working in the company’s advertising department working advertising, marketing and promotions and also theatre management. During his tenure with Malco we would later become assistant advertising director and assistant city manager for the company. He put a private screening room in his home and on weekends countless numbers of friends would gather for first run movies, many times a month before they were released nation-wide. It was once calculated that thru the many years over 1,200 films were viewed in the comfort of his home. He was approached to by a Florida motion picture distribution company to serve as branch manager for the Memphis and Mid-South region. His first big breakout release was the now classic horror cult film “HALLOWEEN”. With a limited amount of theatrical prints, it opened in the Mid-South region and grossed $250,000 during its first week of release. After that he released the first “Nightmare on Elm Street” to stellar grosses. Other films continued to follow including “Prom Night”, “Teen Wolf”, “Valley Girl” and many more. It was not uncommon for him to have 20-25 films playing in the Mid-South during a given year. Upon his departure from film distribution, he joined the Joe Padawer Company in Memphis working in the promotional products industry. At the time it was the oldest promotional products company in Memphis. With the merger of another company, the combined companies were rebranded and renamed Zebra Marketing. Bill remained there as a Senior Account Manager until his untimely passing. Bill had a flair for architecture and was an admirer of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. When he bought his second home in the late 1980’s it encompassed the look and feel of his iconic designs. It had vaulted ceilings, the use of natural building materials; it had a sunken living room, and elevated dining area and skylights and plenty of window views a trademark of Wrights. He enjoyed gardening and landscape architecture. He often referred to his back yard retreat as Shangri La. With its 8 foot majestic palms 4 foot Kimberly ferns and flower beds filled with fragrant Lantana and Impatiens. For many years Bill opened his home during the Christmas holidays where he held a cocktail dinner party for as many as 150 of his friends. He enjoyed traveling and called Miami Beach his second home where he vacationed for the last 19 years at The Newport Beachside Hotel and Resort, where he spent the months of May and October at the resort. He was predeceased by his father, William L. Minkus, who was owner and president of W.L Minkus and Company cotton brokers for 50 years and was also president of the old Bertig Cotton Company in Paragould, Ark. His father was an avid golfer and in 1950 designed, built and completed in conjunction with Trent Jones the second 9 Holes at the old Ridgeway Country Club. He was also preceded in death by his mother Virginia Minkus, who was a former model for the old Levys and Gerbers department stores in downtown Memphis; she was also a former Duchess for Memphi. Bill was a member of Temple Israel, Ridgeway Country Club, The Variety Club of Memphis and a past member of the Racquet Club of Memphis. He leaves his extended family: the M.A. Lightman, Jr. family of Memphis, the James Tashie family of Memphis and Asheville, NC, the Irvin Bogatin family of Memphis and San Francisco, CA, the Joseph M. Cooper family of Germantown, TN, Dr. Mark and Sheila Grenadier of Pittsburgh, PA, and the Dr. Robert Cornfeld family of Hollywood, FL. Friends are invited to gather at 9 a.m., Sunday, October 4 at Memorial Park Funeral Home before a graveside service in Memorial Park Cemetery at 9:30 a.m. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, “Celebrating Life… Behind the Stone Wall”
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