William (Bill) Athey Sr., 83 of Kenosha, was surrounded by his loving family as he peacefully passed away on April 16, 2022 at Froedtert South Pleasant Prairie.
Bill was born on April 5, 1939 in Chicago, the son of the late Ernest & Gwendolyn (Goelz) Athey. He was graduated from Zion Benton High School. Bill and Mary Peplinski eloped to Crown Point, IN on November 15, 1966. He was happily married to the love of his life until her passing in 2019, which was almost fifty-three wonderful years.
Bill was owner of Montana’s Siding for many years and was a very hard-working man who would work seven days a week to provide for his family. Being self-employed, he never missed any of the many activities that his children participated in. He also helped Mary operate the Athey Adult Family Home where they welcomed veterans and elderly to live in the home, took care of them, and treated them like family.
Bill was a member of St. Mark Catholic Church. In his younger years, his hobbies included playing sports and cheering for the Cubs & Bears. He enjoyed traveling, working on puzzles, listening to country music, and bird-watching. His favorite activity was spending time with his family, friends, and his cherished grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Bill was especially fond of his two four-legged “kids”, Chubby & Sweetie.
Bill was one of a kind and will be fondly remembered by his friendliness and that he never met a stranger; he would talk to anybody and everybody. He was very compassionate and giving and was willing to help others in any way that he could, even if it meant giving up his own meal to feed a hungry person. Bill especially had a special place in his heart for Veterans, children and the elderly. He was also a very generous man who would donate money to his favorite charities: St. Jude’s, VFW, and the Nature Conservatory, and NRA, to just name a few.
Bill also had a witty sense of humor that he was not afraid to share. His motto was “it is better to laugh than cry”. He enjoyed teasing everyone around him and making them laugh. He had a love for life and always said that he wanted to live to be a hundred.
Survivors include his children, Terri Mason of IL, Tina (Dave) Minnoch of Kenosha, Bill Jr. (Crystal) Athey of MO, Brandy (Tim) Kirton of Paddock Lake; sister, Jackie Athey of CA; many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Bill is also survived by his two special brother-in-laws who he considered his own brothers, Gene and Frank Peplinski. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, and sons, Ronnie, Eddie, Shawn, and Bill.
Bill will be most remembered for being an easy-going and loving family-man who was extremely kind and compassionate, not only to people, but to animals as well. He will forever be loved and missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date this summer.
