William Wilson

MADISON - William Howard "Bill" Wilson, age 86, passed away peacefully at home, Friday, June 23, 2017. Bill was born on June 24,1930 in Salem, Oregon, to Gordon and Ruth (Corey) Wilson. He graduated from the University of Oregon where he met and married his wife Anne in 1953. They moved to Madison in 1959, where they raised their three girls and he studied Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin. He worked for the Wisconsin State Historical Society as an archeologist and went on to have a 25 year career in research and development at Ray-O-Vac.

Bill was passionate about golf, diving, history, science and travel. Even though he was generally a homebody, he and Anne visited many of the greatest sites of the world including the pyramids and sphinx of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, the capitols of Europe and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. He was also an orchid whisperer and could get them to re-bloom.

Bill is preceded in death by his wife Anne of 61 years, and his parents. He is survived by his daughters Jennifer Wilson-Pines (Jamie, daughters Lela and Lian), Gillian Lindahl (Juan Martinez, son Oscar Lindahl), Carrie Williams (son Jason, daughter-in-law Erika, great-grandchildren Eva and JJ), sister Mary O'Leary (Wilson, Glass), cousins and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 12, 2017 at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road. Refreshments will follow the service at the funeral home on Saturday.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Bill's name to Wisconsin Public Radio.

https://pledge.wpr.org/WebModule/Donate.aspx?P=WEBPLEDGE&PAGETYPE=PLG&CHECK=28iycdB6UzpEzdPd5eMdba1gzMC6uhq5nDjkJobrCdg%3D


Cress
Funeral and Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road Madison
608-238-3434