Billy (Bill) Joe Madison, 70, of Sparta, passed away on Monday, December 20, 2021 at his home in Sparta, WI. He was born on April 9, 1951, in Sparta to James D. Madison and Vernietta (Samson) Kobernick.
Bill married Mary J. Olson, of Sparta, on December 14, 1974, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sparta. Bill and Mary just celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary.
Bill had several interests and hobbies over the years including, leather crafting, engraving, stained glass, raising Bichon Frise puppies, fishing and camping, rummage sales, traveling, winning big (or small) at the casino, and collecting all sorts of oddities. Bill’s humor, storytelling and generosity will be missed by all those who knew him.
During his lifetime, Bill had been employed in several occupations. As a boy, he did odd jobs for people in his neighborhood and delivered newspapers to the soldiers at Fort McCoy. He worked on a Beaver Creek Dairy milk route, ran a Sun Drop soda delivery route and became addicted to Sun Drop, worked in the welding department of the Chicago, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad (later bought out by the Soo Line Railroad), was an Amway dealer, salesman for Trans-continental Bolt Company, advertising agency and trophy salesman, pool cleaning technician, and worked in Terminal Island, CA, Boron, CA, and Oxford WI, for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, within the maintenance departments. After retirement, he continued to keep busy by buying, selling, and trading at gun and knife shows around the state.
Bill was always busy with several projects and was always looking for more to do.
Bill is survived by his wife, Mary, his son and daughter-in-law, Dustin and Allisa Madison, grandson and light of his life, Weston Madison, all of Sparta; his sisters Betty J. Madison (Michael Crannie) of Onalaska, Viola (Michael) Stalsberg, of Sparta, Deborah Koss of Waupun, WI, Kelly (Robert) Tigert of Oshkosh, WI, Kathy (Greg) Palmer of Rogersville, TN; brothers Jeffrey (Heather) Madison of Bedford, VA, Randy (Darlene) Madison of El Dorado, WI, Michael (Kristina) Madison of Brandon, WI; stepmother Betty L. Madison of Van Dyne, WI; Sisters-in-law Alice Olson of Sparta, Janet (Gerald) Gilbert of Corona De Tucson, AZ; Brother-in-Law Larry Olson of Paw Paw, IL; numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, several other relatives and friends including close friend, Robert Anderson of Sparta, and Bill’s puppy, Maizie Jo.
Bill was preceded in death by his mother, Vernietta Kobernick; father, James Madison; stepfather, Arnold Kobernick; father and mother-in-law, Lester and Alvina Olson.
The family would like to send a huge and sincere thank you to the Mayo Hospice Clinic staff for their wonderful care and concern over the past two years. They would also like to thank Bill’s sister, Viola Stalsberg, who helped them immensely during this time, as well.
A Celebration of Life will be held from noon-4PM, Saturday, July 9, 2022, at The Zone, in Sparta.
Lanham-Schanhofer Funeral Home and Cremation, Sparta, is assisting the family with arrangements.
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