William (Bill) Anthony Farrell passed away peacefully in his sleep June 6, 2026, weeks shy of his 96th birthday.

Born July 14, 1930 to Thomas and Mary (nee Seebantz), Bill was one of 11 children. It is difficult to write about someone who has lived almost 100 years!

William lived a wonderful life and was always ready to share a story! His memories of ‘growing up on the farm were some of the best. From driving a tractor and rolling corn silk into cigarettes, the corn eating contest with his brother Larry, to his tales of his dog Jigs and how the pup saved baby ducks by keeping them warm under its belly.

Bill told stories about his uncles and Ray Heise who stayed with them, and how his mother made a layered cake that was no more than 2 inches high because she could not bake. (Now his daughter Mary knows where she gets this ‘skill’ from!) His mother also taught him how to dance, and how the girls in high school looked forward to dancing with him because he was one of only a few boys who knew how. After his mother Mary passed after childbirth when he was almost 19, Bill helped raise his siblings and until Thomas remarried Jeanette Kornhoff.

Bill had a thirst for knowledge. Not able to attend college, he decided to enter the seminary. There were more stories of his classmates and teachers and how he lived among them. Stories about one of his teacher’s desire to reserve a grade of 100 for God alone, to Bill's athletic escapades in basketball and slow pitch with his peers.

After taking his vows he worked at St. Thomas Aquinas in Kenosha, he was the Associate Pastor under Father Joseph Higgins. Here, Bill met the love of his life, Father Joe’s niece and housekeeper, Margaret Mary Conley. After Father Joe died suddenly during Holy Thursday Mass, Margaret was sent away to live with other family members in Michigan. Bill would have none of that and asked Margaret to marry him. They eloped to Las Vegas and were married on May 26, 1964. They were married 58 years until Margaret passed away on September 29, 2022.

Bill and Margaret raised two beautiful daughters, Elizabeth Ann and Mary Catherine (because Catherine Mary wasn’t as easy to yell). Education was always their top priority and with much sacrifice, the girls attended St. Charles Borromeo School and St. Joan Antida High School.

They were also very active in their local parishes. Whether at St. Charles or later at St. Mary’s (Hales Corners), Bill was involved in the Charismatic movement, served as a lector and Eucharistic minister and taught religious education, while Margaret helped out with the Christian women, served hot lunches to the students and loved to be the candle bearer for the first Sunday of Advent. They both sang in the church choir.

Bill was the manager of the rental department at Helix PhotoArt, a local Audio Visual company located in downtown Milwaukee. More fabulous stories abounded as he spoke about the antics of his co-workers! He was promoted by the store owner because the owner thought he was Jewish (gotta love the Farrell nose!). The friendly jokes that were played out by Glen and Scott, Rodger and John as they tested equipment that came back from rentals. We still have some of those pictures! Bill got to meet some pretty neat people during this time. Mary received an awesome polaroid photo, as she was a huge Brewer fan, when Larry Hisle came in to rent a camera.

Elizabeth went back to school after college to earn her MS in Secondary Education. Not to be outdone, Bill also went back to school and, at the age of 65 earned his Masters in Divinity from St. Francis De Sales Major Seminary. With this degree, Bill moved on from PhotoArt and became a Director of Religious Education, first at St. Jude and then at St. Boniface. Some of the best times he had was teaching the First Communicants how to bake their own loaf of bread.

The words on this page cannot contain him but are all that his children have to describe who he was and what he meant to us.

Surviving are his beloved children, Elizabeth (Stephen) Ramseyer and Mary (Kenneth) Kveton, grandfather of Scott (Gina) Ramseyer, Conor Ramseyer, Meghan (Jaret Wiler) Ramseyer, Sarah (Daniel) Jarrett, Jared Kveton and Peter Kveton, great-grandfather of Alessia Ramseyer, Matthias Jarrett (‘the luckiest kid in the world’) and Emmalise Jarrett. Bill is also survived by brothers Bernard Farrell, Owen (Joan) Farrell, Jeffery (Denise) Farrell, sisters Therese (Richard) Hrica, Bernadette (Mark) Poedtke, and many nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by the love of his life, his ‘sweetie’, Margaret Mary, his father Thomas, his mother Mary, his stepmother Jeanette, brothers Thomas, Lawrence, Timothy, sister MaryAnn, sister-in-law Jean and brother-in-law Douglas.

Visitation begins Friday July 17 at 9:30 am in the Clement Manor Chapel and concludes as the funeral Mass begins at 10:30 am.

A Celebration of His Life will occur Saturday July 18 from 1pm to 5pm at the Kveton's home. (5060 Mary Drew Dr, Racine WI.)