William F. “Bill” Wegner, Jr., age 88, passed away in Appleton on Thursday, September 12, 2024.  Bill was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 27, 1936, son of the late William and Helen (Haufe) Wegner, Sr.  In June of 1955 Bill enlisted in the United States Army.  He was stationed in Germany where he served his country honorably until his discharge in 1958.  He worked as a police officer in Ripon for a short time.  Bill was a smart hardworking German, most of his working career was spent as a mechanic and farmer.  He was a jack of all trades, a bit of a MacGyver, and could fix, improve, or repurpose anything.  On January 27, 1988, Bill was united in marriage to Joanne Hutjens in Appleton,  Joanne preceded him in death on May 3, 2019.  Bill’s faith in God was strong from an early age and remained strong throughout his life, he was an active member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in the Town of Washington where he loved teaching Sunday school and visiting with other church members.  He was a kind and friendly man who made friends with anyone and everyone he met.  In his free time, he and Joanne enjoyed fishing, gardening, polka dancing, traveling to estate sales and car shows, and more than anything, taking walks beside the Red River behind the family farm.

Bill is survived by: his children, Debbie Wegner, Lisa (Jeff) Berger, Kenneth (Cheri Springstube-Eggert) Wegner, and Susan (Alden) Rideout; stepchildren, Sean (Patty) Clancy, Mickey (Connie) Clancy, and Karen (Jill) Clancy; grandchildren, Adam (Kate Gardner) Gerdts, Alison (Daniel) Marchillo, Jon Kilsdonk, and Chris (Mykayla) Kilsdonk; three great grandchildren, Etta, Penelope, and Ethan; and siblings, Scott Wegner, Reggie (Patti) Wegner, Sonya (Jim) Prellwitz, Jackie Goerl, Dennis (Helen) Wegner, and Garth (Linda) Wegner.  He is further survived by numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

He is preceded in death by: his wife Joanne; a stepson Jerry Clancy; his parents; siblings, Keith Wegner, Robert Wegner, Warren Wegner, Dorraine Degner; and a half-brother, Miles Wegner.

A funeral service for Bill will be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Town of Washington at 11:00am on Saturday, September 21, 2024, with Rev. Craig Nehring officiating.  Burial will be in the church cemetery with military honors conducted by the Bonduel American Legion.  Visitation will be held at the church on Saturday from 9:30am until the time of the service.

Swedberg Funeral Home of Shawano is assisting Bill’s family with the arrangements.