William E. "Bill" Ward

William E. “Bill” Ward, 85, of Fond du Lac, passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, August 19, 2019 with his wife, Kay, by his side. He was born in Fond du Lac on Thursday, February 1, 1934 to Edward and Janette (Lepine) Ward. In June of 1956, Bill married the love of his life, Kathryn A. “Kay” Pfeil. Together, they kept busy raising a family of seven children, twenty grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren. Bill accepted Christ in 1979 and had lived with a strong faith ever since.



Bill very much exemplified the men of his generation, living his entire life in Fond du Lac. He worked at Giddings and Lewis Machine Tool Company for 43 years and was a member of the G&L Oldsters. His love of hockey led him to not only play the sport, but also to coach and serve as President of the Blue Line Hockey Club. His passion for hockey was thus shared with his children and grandchildren. Bill enjoyed sports of all kinds, cars, music by Frank Sinatra, dancing, sharing jokes, and spending time with his family. Alongside Kay, he logged thousands of hours in bleachers at multiple sporting events and activities watching children and grandchildren.



Survivors include his wife, Kay; six children, Wendy (Dan) Buehrens, Laura (Greg Bauer) Bartolutti, Kathy (Dave) Cook, Brad (Mary) Ward, Beth (Brian) Smit and Angie (Bob Holsman) Ward; and daughter-in-law, Kathryn Ward. Bill is further survived by eighteen grandchildren, Ben Ward, Michael Ward, Jessica Ward, Kate (Jake) Kohlman, Rebecca (Adam) Hettenhaus, Mariel (Aaron) Bohnsack, Toni (DJ) Bartolutti, Giuseppe Bartolutti, William (Megan) Bartolutti, Christina (Chris) Michael, Ryan (Shara) Cook, Kayla (Rob) Egli, Megan (Landon) Miller, David Ward, Amanda Smit, Eric (Chelsey) Smit, Jon (Jenny) Schultz, and Jacob Holsman; eleven great-grandchildren, RJ, Brooklynn, Kennedy, Abraham, Oliver, Elena, Lennon, Eme, Cora, Landry and Lennox; brother Robert (Helen) Ward; and nieces and nephews.



He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife’s parents; his sister, Jacqueline Burroughs; a son, Perry Ward; and two grandchildren, Kimberly Ward and Christopher Schultz.



Visitation will be held from 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at Community Church, N6717 Streblow Dr. in Fond du Lac. A service celebrating Bill’s life will begin at 12:00 PM with Pastor Adam Utecht officiating. Cremation has taken place and a private inurnment in the Chapel of the Risen Christ Mausoleum, Calvary Cemetery will occur at a later date.



In lieu of flowers, memorials in Bill’s name are appreciated.