William Oertel

Bill Oertel entered this Earthly home on April 29th, 1945. His parents were Erhardt and Viola (Hass) Oertel. On Wednesday, May 13, 2020, he entered his Heavenly home. His new father is God.

Bill was raised in La Crosse, WI with his three brothers. He attended school at Smith Valley and graduated from Logan High School. He attained a welding certificate at WWTC. He worked on his Uncle Ed's dairy farm, at Tri State Breeders, Trane Company, and as a Drywall finisher. He then built his own business from 1978 till 2015 as "Bill's Drywall". He took great pride in being "an artist of sorts" as he created beauty in many La Crosse area homes. Unfortunately, his drywall work also created his downfall of Mesothelioma Cancer. Little did anyone know the negative side effects of having asbestos in drywall products. Bill's only fear was leaving his family. As John Wayne would say "Courage means being scared to death and saddling up anyway".

Bill served in the Army with the National Guard for 6 years. He liked his coffee, and chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk. He enjoyed talking, teasing and telling stories. Fishing, turkey hunting, appreciating God's beauty while taking walks in the woods and watching westerns were always in his life. Bill met and married his wife, Dianne (Foust), in 1975 while having coffee at the Country Kitchen. They built a home near St. Joseph's Ridge and there they raised their two daughters. They also had horses, dogs, cats, pigeons and many other pets.

He is outlived by his wife Dianne; daughters, Becky (Dustin) Randall and Mandy (Orion) Deters; seven grandchildren; brothers, Bob (Sandy) and Jim (Betty) Oertel; and nineteen nieces and nephews. Those that went before him include his parents and his older brother, David.

There will be a celebration of his life at another time. His family would like to thank all of the medical staff at Gundersen Health System; especially the Hospice team for their help. May God grant us the Peace that surpasses all understanding as we wait to unite as a family again.