William F. Ziebell

William F. Ziebell passed away in the early morning hours on November 3, 2025 in Fishers, Indiana. Born on Feb 29th, 1936, in Wauwatosa, WI, he graduated high school from Fort Atkinson High School in 1954. Shortly after, he joined the US Navy in which he had an impressive 20 year long career as a meteorologist, having achieved the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer. He was a true adventurer, having sent the first weather balloon over Antarctica and collected samples for the Smithsonian Museum. He took great pride in mentoring young sailors and providing fatherly wisdom to those who did not have such a figure in their life. He had literally traveled the world from top to bottom and all the way around but his greatest journey was the journey through life in his 64 year long marriage with the love of his life, Myrna, who preceded him in death in 2021. They explored the world together but for 35 years chose to call Lake Zurich, Illinois home after his retirement from the Navy. The first of his family to earn a college degree, he earned his baccalaureate from Roosevelt University in Chicago and continued his life of service in the federal government as an auditor for the National Credit Union Administration.

Bill loved music. He and Myrna enjoyed ballroom dancing to live bands and their Saturday mornings were always filled with the sound of records playing as chores were being done. He also greatly enjoyed cooking and baking and showed his love for others through the many dishes he prepared. He was a man of honor and principle for whom a man was only as good as his word. He was an avid outdoorsman and naturalist, gifted with the uncanny ability to spot wild asparagus growing on the side of the road while simultaneously driving 75 mph and to predict rain by the position of the leaves on a tree. He was never opposed to telling a decent groan inducing bad joke. He will be greatly missed by his surviving family, children Julie Ambler (Robert), William Ziebell (Michelle), Jenna Ziebell Preibisch (Thomas), 7 grandchildren, and his many great grandchildren. Funeral service will be at St. John Chrysostom Episcopal Church in Delafield, WI on the grounds of St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy on Monday, November 10th, 2025 at 1 o’clock. Internment, with full military honors, will immediately follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial donations be made in William’s name to the Wounded Warriors Project or the Alzheimer's Association.