William "Doc" V. Estes

William V. “Doc” Estes.  12/9/1929 – 1/3/2022

Bill was born in Kansas City MO to Lester and Hazel Estes.  He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Clarice and sister Elizabeth.  He is survived by his sons, Steve (Leslie) of Raleigh, NC, and Mike (Mary) of Jackson, WY and 5 Grandchildren, William of Raleigh, NC (Victoria), Peter of Raleigh, NC, Sophia Felts of Denver, CO (Ryan), Katelyn Jackson of Boulder, WY (Bruce) and Annie of Jackson, WY.

The family moved from Sedalia, MO to Los Angeles, CA and Bill received his BA in Voice from Pepperdine University in 1952.  After serving in the Army, he went on to the University of Missouri where he met his future wife Clarice Wood and received his MA.  Bill and Clarice were married on June 6, 1957, in Columbia MO.  The newlyweds moved to Champaign IL where he received his PhD in Music Education from the University of Illinois.  After the birth of their first son, Bill and Clarice moved to La Crosse in 1959 to take a job at Campus School.  Shortly after another son was born, Bill became a professor in the Music Department at UW-La Crosse where he spent the rest of his career before retiring in 1991.  At UW-L, he directed the University Singers, Collegiates, Women’s Chorus and Chamber Choir and served as Chairman of the Music Department.  He also led the successful effort to get accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music.  Somewhere along the way, he earned the nickname “Doc” that is still used to this day.

Among their many international trips with the choirs, Bill and Clarice discovered medieval brasses and started a collection that they took to the Minnesota and Arizona Renaissance Festivals for many years. The Brasswood Rubbing Center is still operating at the Arizona Renaissance Festival.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Christ Episcopal Church in La Crosse, WI at 11am on Monday May 30, 2022. Memorials may be given to the William Estes Choral Music Scholarship at UW-La Crosse.