William Wresch Obituary

William C. "Bill" Wresch III

July 16, 1947 - July 12, 2025

BARABOO - William C. "Bill" Wresch III, passed away on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at his residence. Bill was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 16, 1947, the son of William Wresch II and Joan Martin.

He spent his teen years working at his father's garage. After high school he spent two years at UW Milwaukee (hated it), then quit and became a VISTA volunteer in the war on poverty (back when we still cared). He spent a year working in Wilmington, Delaware.

After VISTA, Bill moved to San Francisco where he earned a BA and MA in English/Creative writing. But mostly, Bill just enjoyed the city. He was there in 68 – 72, lived in Haight Ashbury, frequented Filmore West, and saw all the major bands ($3 for Led Zeppelin).

When he finished his master's degree, he joined the Peace Corps and was sent to South Korea where he worked in a county medical center identifying and treating people with tuberculosis.

After two years, he returned to Milwaukee and taught briefly at UWM. He then took a job at the two-year campus in Marinette (since closed). He was there nine years. During that time, he spent his summers working on his PhD in Madison.

One day he met a beautiful redhead named Susan Larrabee, and invited her to go sailing with him. She said "yes." A year later they were married. They stayed in Madison for a year while he finished his coursework in Education and Computer Science. Then they moved to Marinette and had their first child (Jennifer).

Once he had completed his PhD, Bill was offered a job at UW Stevens Point. They were there thirteen years. Bill and Sue had two more kids (Jeremy and Joanna), and Bill was made chair of the Math and Computing Department. Bill also published two books on computers for the National Council of Teachers of English and a software program (Writer's Helper) that was popular for eight or nine years.

Once the kids were in grade school, Bill won a Fulbright and took the family to Africa for a year. Bill taught at the University of Namibia, the kids went to the International School, and Sue made many friends. Bill also connected the campus to the Internet. He wrote a book about that effort. It was briefly popular.

Several years after returning to Stevens Point, Bill was offered a job at UW Oshkosh. He spent the next eighteen years there doing a mix of teaching and administrative work. His best years there involved Rotary where he was club president and District Governor and met great people.

Bill retired in 2015. He had been doing some consulting work for a university in Oman, and they asked him to come teach for a year. It was a great opportunity to be immersed in the Muslim culture, and a very beautiful country. It was the perfect way to close out his career.

On his return in 2016, Bill and Sue moved to their new home in Baraboo (Sue's hometown). They volunteered at the Baraboo Food Pantry and the circus museum and were active in their church.

Bill was killed by cancer, but he lived a great life. He had a large circle of friends, enjoyed the work he did, and had the perfect family. He was always proud of his kids. But of the many marvelous things that happened to Bill, certainly the best was when Sue said she would go sailing. When she stepped onto that tiny sailboat, the best years of Bill's life began.

Bill is survived by his wife, Sue; three children, Jennifer (Luke) Richard, Jeremy and Joanna; two grandchildren, Noah and Marion Richard; and a brother, John. In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by a brother, Tom.

Memorial services will take place at 11 a.m., on Saturday, July 26, 2025 at the First Presbyterian Church, 416 Ash St., Baraboo, Wisconsin, with Pastor David Gilmore officiating. Visitation will be at the church from 10 a.m., until time of service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Baraboo Food Pantry. Baldwin Funeral Services is assisting the family.