SOUTHBURY - William Emil Wilhelms, 84, retired finance professional, historian, and beloved family man, passed away peacefully at The Watermark at East Hill in Southbury on October 15, 2022.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 9, 1938, Bill was the son of Marie (Deuker) and Frank Wilhelms. Bill grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, with his brother Edward and attended Beaumont High School, where he met Judith Ficken in 1954. Bill earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Public Administration from the University of Missouri at Columbia. On June 10, 1960, Bill married the love of his life, Judy, and they picked up and started their lives together in New York City.

Bill worked for the Union Shoe Agency and then built a twenty-five-year career with JC Penney. During those early years, Bill and Judy were blessed with four daughters - Kristine, Kathryn, Kim, and Karin, with whom they instilled a strong set of values emphasizing the importance of family. They chose to settle and raise their family on Long Island (Greenlawn, New York). After retiring from JCPenney, Bill continued his career as the Managing Director of Argonaut Group, a Technology Incubator at SUNY at Stony Brook.

In 1991, Bill embarked on his greatest endeavor - becoming a grandfather of twelve. Bill was excellent at convincing each of them that they were his favorite. A challenge that he accomplished beautifully, as each would happily argue that they were his favorite.

In 1999, Bill and Judy moved to Heritage Village, where they became active community members. Bill served as an elected official with Heritage Village and the Treasurer for Woodbury United Methodist Church (16 Years), Southbury Historical Society, Heritage Village Wood & Metalworking, and Vice President of the Heritage Village Camera Club.

Bill was an avid genealogist, photographer, and fisherman throughout his life. He has researched his family's ancestry as far back as the 1400s. Bill would often be snapping photos of his family and thousands of flowers. Most recently, Bill was very proud to have mastered the art of digital photography, which could be found hanging in various exhibitions.

More than anything, Bill loved spending time with his growing family. He planned the annual family summer vacations and delighted in watching his grandchildren grow up. He created numerous holiday traditions that instilled the importance of family in each one of them.

Bill is survived by his wife, Judy; their four daughters, Kristine Schmaler, Kathryn (Michael) Miranda, Kim (Vincent) Romano, and Karri (Ricardo) Rivera and 12 grandchildren; Jennie (Ed), Jennifer, Caitlin, Christian (Eleni), Maggie, Ryan, Coryn, Leah, Vincent Jr, John, David, and Benjamin. A celebration of life will be held at the Woodbury United Methodist Church in Woodbury, CT, on Friday, November 18, 2022, at 1:00 pm, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to CT Stem Academy at 284 Washington Street, Wallingford, CT 06492.

To leave an online condolence please visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.