William Mickle

"Just listen to your dear old dad, and you'll do all right." -- William C. Mickle William C. Mickle, a.k.a. Daddy, Bill, Wild Bill, Grampa, left the world a wiser place on April 16, 2017, just days before his 88th birthday. He was born to school teacher Florence Laughnan and dairy inspector Peter Mickle in Madison, Wisconsin, and grew up within walking distance of St. James Catholic Church, where he served daily Mass and attended school. "Little Billy is a mischief," the religious sisters wrote of the boy who tied coat sleeves together when frequently sent to the classroom closet for punishment. Daddy's favorite past-time was reading, which made him quite knowledgeable on many subjects. Although he earned a bachelor's degree in Food Technology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he was a frustrated doctor, engineer and theologian. He later earned a second degree in accounting, by which he and his devoted wife, Doris Rae, supported his family of five daughters. Music lessons, extracurricular activities, camping and even a few hunting trips filled our days that passed much too quickly for Daddy. The death of daughter Florence Rae in 1976 was a turning point for our family, but Daddy shed as many tears when each of us moved away and then left after brief visits; sobbing, he was oblivious to being in his driveway or any airport waiting area. Aside from his beautiful family and marriage of 58 years, his accomplishments included: service in the U.S. Army as 1st Lieutenant and Quartermaster in Korea; riding his Harley Davidson to Alaska and back; daily rosary and Mass attendance, either responding from the pews or serving into old age, and his "perfect pitch" voice singing many Catholic high Masses; his ability to learn almost anything on his own; his self employment; and his reading the Holy Bible three times through before losing his sight to a stroke. He loved crossing his eyes in family pictures and eating bratwurst, sauerkraut, cheese on apple pie a la mode and butter. He enjoyed a good joke, occasional beer and a long burp, and telling stories about his life, punctuated with altruisms such as, "Only the paranoid survive." Daddy survived at least two strokes, bladder cancer, possibly a heart attack, and blindness before he went to God. He prayed daily for deceased friends and family, so please join us in praying for the repose of his soul. He is preceded in death by his parents, Florence and Peter, baby sister Mary Battcock, his young daughter, Florence, and beloved Godson, Tom Grady. He is survived by his bride and lifelong caretaker, Doris, and daughters Ann Marie Hill, Judy Sarsam, Nancy Miller and Mary Morales, and sons-in-law Tony Sarsam, Scott Miller and David Morales. Grandchildren are Cecilia, Miles, Elizabeth, John, Julianna, Joseph, Mary and Veronica Hill; Kamila, Karissa, Andrew, Victoria and Nikita Sarsam; Sara and Gage Bisel, Wesley and Katie Miller; Sydney, Teresa, Clare, Marjorie and Bonnie Morales; and honorary grandson, Zachary Hill. Daddy is also survived by his elder sister, Phyllis Gryskiewicz. We wish to thank Father Paul Andrade for his spiritual care and companionship to Daddy and our family. We will miss you, Daddy. Thank you for raising us to be strong women, for your example of a life well lived, and especially for teaching us to drive and providing us cars when we were 16 so that we could go where we wished and become whom God intended -- along with your prayers that always kept us safe. Interment Details Holy Cross Cemetery