William "Bill" Morris

William H. “Bill” Morris, III, of Merrill, WI, died January 14, 2017, at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 67 years. He was born June 7, 1949, in Merrill, WI. He is preceded in death by his parents, June (Gebert) Morris and William H. "Bill" Morris, Jr. He married the love of his life, Jane Christine Stoltenberg on December 18, 1971. They celebrated almost 28 years of marriage before her passing on June 12, 1999. Bill leaves behind many loving memories with his family; his daughter, Jennifer “JJ” Bakkala and her husband, Scott; granddaughters Allina Jane and Emilia June; sister, Paula “Polly” Morris Acton and her husband David; sister-in-law, Sara Mahoney Terry and her husband Dave; nieces, Eliza Prince Atias(Kobi), Deanna Terry, and Rachel Terry; nephews, Jim Prince(Venus), Patrick Mahoney, and Alex Morris Bahr; great nieces, Aya and Amara Prince; cousins, Reid Badeau (Mary), John Gebert, Jon Pannier, and Wendy Pannier (Roger Gromel); and special friend, Deb Horner. He had many dear lifelong friendships with great memories at his home at Lake Pesobic. Bill was a proud graduate of Merrill High School and Carroll College. He was a member of the Merrill High School Football Silver M Club (Class of 1965) and was inducted into the Golden M Class in 2015. He retired from Church Mutual Insurance Company after a long successful career, having been a President's Achievement Club award recipient. He was an avid outdoorsman for his entire life--he loved fishing, hunting, and waterskiing. He was a member of the Lincoln Gun Club, MRC Sportsman’s Club, and Wausau Skeet and Trap Club. He served his community through his involvement in the Jaycees and Optimist Club. A Celebration of Life service will be held at Taylor & Stine Funeral Home on Saturday, February 4, at 3:00 p.m., 903 East 3rd Street, Merrill, WI 54452. Visitation will be from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Silver M Club Scholarship Fund (N820 Center Road, Merrill, WI 54452) or the Lincoln County Humane Society (310 N. Memorial Drive, Merrill, WI 54452). Online condolences may be made at www.taylorstinefuneralhome.com.