William J. Toepfer

William J. Toepfer, (“Bill”) died peacefully at Zilber Hospice surrounded by his family on October 6, 2018, at the age of 93. He leaves behind his best friend and loving wife of 69 years, Jean Ann (nee Jennings). Bill and Jean met at Bethany Presbyterian Church and were married there in 1949. They volunteered in the church’s food pantry and were always doing things to help others. They often did crafts together and were very proud of the beaded bracelets they made to raise money for the American Cancer Society. They took many camping trips and taught their entire family to love the outdoors and enjoy the simple things in life. Bill and Jean shared goodwill and warmth with everyone they met. They instilled values in their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to respect all living things, and taught everyone by example what it truly means to love one another.

Bill loved his family more than anything and will always be cherished by his children Judy Olson (Matthew Borkowski), Karin Schmeling (Michael) and Laurie Kadunc (Mark). He was the proud Grandpa of Eric Campbell (Julia), Eric Olson (Stacy), Becky Schmeling (Aaron Buran), Rachel Hery (Duffy), Kelley Kadunc (Steve Heymes), and Kevin Kadunc (Jessica), and dear great-grandpa of the Campbell family, Colin Olson, and Elizabeth Hery. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Betty Stingl (Joe) and Mildred Tarnowski (Tom), as well as nieces, nephews, and many cherished friends.

Bill was a nature lover and had such a caring and gentle soul. He enjoyed watching the birds in his backyard and loved feeding all of his “critters.” He was an expert fisherman and took countless fishing trips with family and friends. He could fish for hours and still would say he needed “one last cast!” He even had a special “fisherman’s handshake” that was his signature hello and goodbye. He loved being in his canoe and in his beloved fishing boat, “The Crawdad” where he spent many hours on the lakes in Northern Wisconsin. Bill had an amazing sense of humor and enjoyed telling stories around the campfire. He loved to tell jokes and to make people laugh. Bill spread joy and happiness to everyone he met. He had a strong faith and spirit which carried him through tough times in life. This was especially important as he served his country for 3 years in active combat in the Army, stationed in the Philippines during WWII.

Bill was a master locksmith by trade. He had such a creative mind, and was always inventing gadgets and fixing things – he had the neatest and most organized workshop you have ever seen. Bill and Jean Ann actually built their first home together on the Fox River in Waterford. Friends and family thought they were crazy to move to “The River” in the middle of winter to renovate an old boathouse into their family home. With determination, trial and error, and a lot of laughter and love, they exceeded even their own expectations and were so proud of their beautiful little home. After a few years, they even had indoor plumbing! They sold their home and moved to “The City” in 1958 to be closer to the family locksmith shop and to provide better schools and opportunities for the kids. Their first home on Elm Island and all of their memories from the 9 years they lived there will always be treasured.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2018, at 11:00 am at Greendale Community Church, 6015 Clover Lane, Greendale WI, Rev. David Gaeth officiating. Private interment at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Union Grove WI.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to Aurora Zilber Family Hospice greatly appreciated. The family will forever be grateful to the caregivers at Zilber for the expert, compassionate care provided to Bill and their entire family.