William E. Gabert

William E. Gabert, 97, a resident of One Penny Place, Woodruff, passed away peacefully July 1, 2023 at Seasons of Life Hospice.

He was born in Milwaukee, on Jun 22, 1926, the son of Joseph Gabert and Charlotte (Harris) Gabert. Bill spent his early years in West Allis along with his sister Mary, who was five years older. Their father Joe was a teacher at the Milwaukee Vocational School.

In the mid-1930s the family purchased property on Oswego Lake in Boulder Junction. They camped in a tent until building a one-room cottage and continued to spend their summers enjoying the Northwoods.

When Bill’s sister got married, a friend of Bill’s from band, Johnny Quong, inquired with Bill’s parents if he could board in the extra room. Johnny’s parents had sent him from Canton, China to the U.S. prior to the U.S. joining the war. He lived with the Gaberts as family until moving to Hawaii although they kept in touch through letters the rest of their lives. Bill attended Shorewood High School but was drafted into the Navy a year before graduating. He went to Seattle for training and was assigned to the USS Buoyant.

Being a carpenter’s mate on an all-metal ship led to unusual assignments. He was requested to build an ironing board for the captain. The ship was sent to the Pacific to sweep mines off the coast of Japan and China. The war ended on their voyage over, so their dangers were greatly reduced. In 1946 Bill’s ship stopped at Nagasaki, and he saw first-hand the devastation of the atomic bomb.

Upon being discharged from service in 1946, Bill attended Milwaukee Vocational School to study carpentry. From there he moved to Boulder Junction, on Oswego Lake to join his parents who had moved there after Joe’s retirement. Joe and Bill went into the construction business as J. S. Gabert & Son. The family was active in the Community Church and Bill and his mother Lottie sang in the choir.

When asked in his later years what he had done for a living, he said, “I made a lot of sawdust!” Bill continued the building business as Quality Builders after Joe’s retirement and in 1977 was joined by his son Bill Jr. He and his crew built or remodeled many vacation homes in the Boulder area along with resort cabins and commercial properties including the former Junction Square and Arvilla’s Antiques shops (in the 1970s) and the Lutheran Church Parsonage. As a side hobby in the 1970s he restored a 1929 Model A Ford and rode that in the small-town parades. The crowd always liked to hear the “a-ooo-ga” sound of its horn.

After retiring from construction, he opened the Carpenter’s Bench business out of his garage, where he made custom furniture. In the driveway leading up to the shop, the sign read “Antiques made ... while you wait … and wait …”

Bill and Jan sold their home on Elizabeth Lake and became snowbirds for 16 years, traveling between Woodruff, and Rolling Greens in Ocala, Fla. where Bill’s sister Mary and her husband John Singer had retired. They explored all over the state of Florida, met a lot of new friends and made many great memories. The unfortunate theft of his hand-made cedar canoe from Hiawatha Mobile Estates resulted in a new hobby of making instruments. He crafted a violin, cello and an archtop guitar to name a few.

In 2011 Bill and Jan moved back to Wisconsin permanently to be near family. Although Bill no longer did woodworking in his later years he enjoyed watching cooking shows, trying new recipes and sharing them with family.

Bill is survived by his wife of 55 years, Janet, his son, Bill (Marilyn) Gabert, three daughters, Julie (Robert) Williams, Kathy (Dave) Thom and Jean (John) Bonham; grandchildren, Caleb (Sarah) Nichols, Jay (Michelle) Nichols, Tyler (Meghan) Gabert, Dustin (Sheila) Gabert, Jillian and Jeremy Bonham and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister and her husband, John and Mary Singer, and a daughter, Karen Cuff.

Special thanks to the employees and volunteers of Aspirus Home Hospice Care, Seasons of Life Hospice House and Meals on Wheels for their dedication and assistance during the past year.

A memorial service will be held at the Boulder Junction Community Church on Monday, Aug. 28 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Community Church of Boulder Junction or Tunnel to Towers Foundation.