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Bill Wahman Obituary
November 29, 1944 - May 25, 2022
Bill Wahman (Walter William Wahman) died on May 25th, 2022 of Alzheimer's disease.
Bill was a Minnesota swede to his core, even so, he was utterly romantic about all things. He would pour out poetry to people (like it or not), practiced his singing repertoire full volume across the neighborhood, and was equally exuberant about nature, animals, hiking, music, and fuzzy sweaters.
One of four brothers, he grew up on the east side of Saint Paul, attended North Park College in Chicago, and wound up living the rest of his life in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was an exceptional tenor soloist, and performed with the San Francisco Opera, the Minnesota Opera, the Chicago Symphony, the Schubert Club, Magnificat, and many other venues.
In his thirties he went through a sea change and looked around for something new, trying just about everything, including, selling used cars, waiting tables, and door to door encyclopedia sales. He landed on professional gardening, allowing him to be outdoors all day, and to use up some of his prodigious energy. And yet, for someone with such physical strength he was surprisingly gentle. He rescued bugs and released them outside, gave every street person money, and helped anyone and everyone who needed it. Bill made it easy for those around him by being honest about his Alzheimer's, and remaining kind, generous, and fun loving throughout all of it. He will be greatly missed.
Memorial June 4th, Please contact Priscilla at: [email protected] for information. Many phone and email numbers are lost so please respond.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Bill Wahman
3 Entries
Susan Tabor Wahman
April 27, 2023
My fond memory of Bill Wahman, youngest brother of my husband, Tom, was forged at Christmastime, 1963, when I was on the road in Chicago and Bill was at North Park, studying music and seriously considering a career as a classical singer. It was fiercely cold that winter, the winds howling down Michigan Ave., and Bill & I would hunker down, on my nights off, in a pub, over hot buttered rum, and talk and talk and talk. He talked about his burgeoning love of singing, its challenges and rewards, and asked me about my thoughts on a career in the arts. And we talked about Minnesota and family and oh, so many things.
Bill became a fine and dedicated singer and Tom and I got to hear him on many occasions, including at Carnegie Hall with the Chicago Symphony led by George Solti.
I admired Bill a lot, his devotion to his art and to everything else that caught his interest, and I will always cherish those long ago evenings talking on and on over hot buttered rum, when we became friends. His spirit lives with me.
Jessica Wahman
April 23, 2023
What a perfect tribute to Uncle Bill--it captures him so well! Here are the thoughts I shared on the St. Paul Legacy page:
Uncle Bill welcomed me with open arms when I deposited myself on his doorstep after a long cross-country drive in a VW microbus in the summer of 1990 (this after not having seen me since I was a little kid). I was so delighted to get to know my uncle better during the time I lived in San Francisco. His was always a warm and genial presence: welcoming, open-minded, and interested in everything--from the most abstract philosophical concept to the most concrete details about growing particular plants in specific environments. Uncle Bill enriched my life more than I think he knew. I will miss him very much, but I am so glad to have known and loved him -- my very dear Uncle Bill.
KIMBERLEY A MILLIGAN
April 23, 2023
Bill was the epitome of "Minnesota Nice".
My mother loved him and we miss him!
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