Ishpeming – William "Bill" H. Wooden, age 85, of Ishpeming passed away peacefully Tuesday September 19, 2017 under the loving care of his wife Susan.

Bill was born March 24, 1932 in Appleton, WI to the late Earl and Anne (Nelson) Wooden. He served the country in the United States Navy during the Korean War. He and his wife Susan have been married for 40 years.

Bill has been a resident of this area from 1976 until 1994 when he and Susan moved to Texas before returning back to the area in 2012. He was the 1 ^st recorded person to successfully be treated for non-hodgkin's lymphoma. Bill loved to work. He spent 65 years working in the HVAC field finishing off his career at the age of 80 as an Instructor at the Lindsey-Cooper School of Refrigeration in Irving, TX. He was an inventor, most notably creating a lift which he had patented in the United States Patent registry. In 1995 Bill received an award for his lift, for the invention that most helped the handicap for that year. Bill enjoyed hunting, going to deer camp, golfing, was an avid Packer fan, and simply just loved life. He was always smiling, laughing, and happy up until the end of his life.

Bill is survived by his wife Susan (Henson) Wooden, children- Ken (Jan) Wooden, Perry (Sheri) Wooden, Cindy (Robert) Warner, Deb (Dave) Paavo, Dawn (James) Lofton, Janet (Rob) Eny, brother- Roger (Marilyn) Wooden, brothers-in-law- Glen (Ginger) Henson, Ken (Pat) Henson, Dennis (Tina) Henson, Donald (Julie) Nyman, Brandon (Cristina) Anderson, sister-in-law- Jeanne (Scot) Harsila, 9 grandchildren- Kenny, Mathew (Cristel), Eric, Kyle, Travis, Mallory (Tushar), Kaitlyn, Ben, Alex, 5 great grandchildren- Taylor, Destiny, Mathew, Makayla, Vinny, along with numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, grandchildren- William and Robert, brothers-in-law- James and Keith, sister-in-law- Tanya, mother-in-law- Lorraine Anderson, father-in-law- Ernest Henson, special nephew- Donald Nyman, special niece- Katrina Madsen.

Bill's family will greet relatives and friends on Sunday September 24, 2017 from 2:00 PM until the time of his service at 3:00 PM at the Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming with Rev. Warren Geier to officiate. Military Honors will be accorded by the Vietnam Veterans of America #380. Following the service coffee and desserts will be shared in the church hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Disabled Veterans of America.

Bill's obituary may also be viewed at bjorkandzhulkie.com where relatives and friends may leave a note of remembrance.

The funeral service recording, when it becomes available, can be found here .