William Henry "Bill" Wille

To Jan, Kathy, Karen, and Jake, I'm so sorry for your loss. Prayers for peace and comfort for you during this time. I spent summers from 1981-1984 working with your family on the farm helping out Bill. I have great memories of helping with all sorts of chores with Bill and all of the rest of the family, meal times, baling hay, fighting the rats as they dropped out while getting corn out of the bin, trying to chase the mean bull out of the yard, and rebuilding the workshop after the 1984 tornado. Bill taught me a lot and certainly overlooked some pretty dumb screw ups on my part over the years I was there. His laugh was infectious and he was a hard worker and a good man. One of the memories I have, I've told many times over the past 35 years. After we rebuilt the workshop, Bill and Jan went on a trip and my only job was to milk the cows in the morning and evening. But, I didn't want to sit around so I thought I would "organize" the shop, since all the tools were just piled on top of the workbench. Certainly, Bill would be glad to have all the wrenches in one area, sockets in another, pliers in another, etc. What I did not know was that he had those piles already sorted just the way he wanted. The tools for this tractor were here and that piece of equipment were there, etc. He was so upset and claimed that he couldn't find any tool that he needed for the next several months. I think fondly of those times on the farm with you all. Love and prayers for you all. Mike McDonald

October of 2016 the Cross Plains Boy Scout Troop headed to the Harley museum to work on the Engineering Merit Badge. We all know that Bill would never pass up the chance to spend the day with his grandsons surrounded by all that Harley memorabilia. Bill shared so much with the Scouts about the motorcycles he'd ridden and worked on. His presence made the trip that much more memorable. Bill and Jan never missed a Scout brat sale or pancake breakfast as well as attending milestone events of John's and Mark's journey through Scouting from Tiger Cubs to Eagle Scouts and Jan even made Troop 87's distinctive neckerchiefs. Bill and Jan are as much a part of the Boy Scout family as Joe & Kathy and John & Mark.. The adults and youth of BSA Troop 87 wish to extend our deepest sympathy to family. We will keep you all in thoughts and prayers.

My brother told me the plan was to have Bill and Me stand up together for his wedding to Gerry. But I was very tall at 12 and Bill was only 7 so new partners had to be found. But I remember enjoying my time playing with Bill when we were kids, and I always enjoyed our visits at family events. He was a sweet soul, and always greeted us with a smile. Carla Ott-Oldre

Sending love cuz's. So sorry ♡

Dear Jan and family, I am so very sorry for your loss. William meant a lot to me. It was only later in life, that I found out he was my cousin. Dad used to spend his summers on the Wille farm, so it was only natural that when he had a family that we would also go there. We were taught to call him William, not Billie, as most young kids were called, I never thought that strange until I got older. We would play on the playground on the top of hill. I sat and watched William skin rabbits once, a city girl was not into that. But, William was fun to be around, even tho he would try to scare me with his outrageous "skills". As a child William lead me into the chicken pen, so I could catch a chicken. That was fine, until they got into the corne, turned around and came after me. Last time I saw William, he showed me around his new house, had me look down stairs and proudly told me he had shot those deer on the wall. Jan and family, he Will be missed. Thank you for sharing. Barbara Dosie Taylor