William "Bill" Broeren

1941 - 2021

William "Bill" Broeren

Combined Locks - William "Bill" G. Broeren Jr., 79, passed away on January 14, 2021 following a diagnosis of lung cancer in November. He also lived gracefully with Alzheimer's disease for the last few years. He was born on July 24, 1941 in Green Bay, WI. Bill was the son of the late William and Kathryn (Breunig) Broeren, and graduated from Wrightstown High School in 1959. On September 24, 1966 Bill married Pearl A. Meulemans and they were blessed with three children, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren.

The ninth of eleven children, Bill grew up on the family dairy farm in Askeaton. He helped milk cows before school and in the evening, and loved to tell stories about farm life to his grandkids. He learned his incredible work ethic on the farm, and picked up his mechanical skills from his father, William Sr., who could fix just about anything.

As a young man, he worked for Thillmany before enlisting in the Army. He was proud to serve, especially the years he spent as a driver and mechanic in Germany. Later, he worked for The Post-Crescent, Post Printing, Crystal Print and Kobussen. In the 1980s, he took classes at FVTC to change careers and work in HVAC. Bill then worked at Lawrence University for 23 years until his retirement in 2003.

Bill lived a life of service, working hard for his family, serving in the military, and volunteering in a variety of roles with St. Paul's Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, and with the American Legion Jacob Coppus Post 258. Even as Alzheimer's disease made it necessary to move into a memory care facility after his wife Pearl's death, he continued to help other residents, assisting people who used wheelchairs, and maintaining a cheerful attitude as his life changed dramatically.

Bill is survived by his children: Alicia (D'nardo Colucci) Broeren, Nancy (Peter) Leschke, and Matthew; grandchildren Aaron, Nathan, Anya and Kavya Leschke and Henry Colucci; siblings Paul Broeren, Ed (Jackie) Broeren, Alice Broeren, George (Karen) Broeren, and Kathy (Tom) Sarconi, brother-in-law Paul Bedard, and many beloved in-laws nieces, nephews and other relatives to numerous to name. In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by Pearl, his wife of 53 years, brothers Tom (Joyce) and Gene (Bea), sisters Tess (Carl) Dahms, Eileen Bedard, and Mary Ann (George) Van De Coevering, nephew Mike Broeren and niece Margie Broeren.

Bill's family is very grateful for the excellent, loving care provided by the staff at Frontida-Kimberly Memory Care during the past 15 months. His family is also thankful for the wonderful help offered by Compassus Hospice since November.

For Covid safety, a small, private family visitation and mass will be held at St. Paul's Catholic Church, with committal following immediately afterward. The Mass of Christian burial for Bill will be available for viewing online at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 19, for family and friends via Facebook Live at the Verkuilen-Van Deurzen Family Funeral Home Facebook Page. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Legion Jacob Coppus Post 258, St. Paul's Catholic Church, or the Knights of Columbus. For online condolences, please visit www.verkuilenfh.com.