William Roark

William N. Roark died peacefully on Easter morning April 21, 2019 at Madison Heights Senior Community, where he was in hospice care. Born in Madison on April 12, 1935, he had just passed his 84th birthday. Following several brain injuries, he had suffered a gradual loss of muscle and nerve control.

Bill graduated from Madison West High in 1953 and earned his BS at UW Madison in 1957. He later attended Purdue University and in 1967 earned a MS in sociology. He had held part-time student positions in research libraries, enjoyed them, and went on to work, for about ten years, at the library of Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Being a confirmed birdwatcher and nature enthusiast, he found it especially satisfying as a reference librarian to work with biologists and other scientists. He earned a MA in library science at the UW in 1981, and worked in several specialized libraries in Madison including that of the DNR.

Bill was alarmed when his contacts at the Madison Audubon Society told him of a plan to develop condos on the wooded banks of Lake Mendota between Picnic Point and Shorewood. He joined a handful of activists determined to convince the Madison Plan Commission, that so choice, a natural area, should be preserved. Bill attended every meeting of the Plan Commission and spoke up at every hearing. The group engaged leaders at the University and Dane County as well as the city. In the end, not only did they protect most of the shoreline (today, the UW Lakeshore Preserve), but they inspired the County, in 1984, to create the Natural Heritage Land Trust, now named the Groundswell Conservancy.

In 1994, Bill took a position in records management with the Dane County Parks. He enjoyed years of association with the staff, continuing some of his work after retirement as a volunteer. He continued to keep a protective eye on lakeshore environments including the half-mile of waterfront the Roark family owned on Lake Wisconsin. Bill and the family put this land under the easement protection of the land trust so it could never become a condo development.

Bill never missed a family gathering at the welcoming home of his brother, Gene and sister-in-law, Jean with her splendid holiday dinners. He shared his nature observations with family and friends, as he shared also his love of opera and classical music.

Bill is survived by his sister, Nancy Roark of Berkeley, California; sister-in-law, Jean Roark; and two nephews, Michael of Madison, and David (Sally) Roark of Reading, England, whose family includes sons, daughters and grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents Raymond J. and Margaret (Mott) Roark and his brother Gene Roark (2015).

A gathering will be held on Thursday, May 2, 2019 at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Rd., Madison, beginning at 11 a.m. followed by a time of sharing at 11:30 a.m.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road Madison
(608) 238-3434