William Bertram

William G. Bertram October 27, 1931 - November 7, 2024 William Bertram, age 93 passed away on November 7, 2024 at Aurora Hospital in West Allis, WI.  He was born on October 27, 1931 to Olive and Edwin Bertram in Mayville, WI. William was preceded in death by his daughter Stephanie in February of 1962, his wife Sharon Meyer Bertram in 1972, his second wife, Mabel Bertram in 1990, and his daughter Beth Louise Bertram on August 10, 2024.  William was also preceded in death by his parents, Olive and Edwin Bertram. William is survived by his daughter, Annette Meihack (Marc), his brother, Daniel Bertram (Shirley), his sisters Gail Michaels, Diane Lopez, Edwina Allarding, his sister-in laws, Joanne Gillette (Clinton) and Susan Holmes (Robert). As a young child, William had poor sight which worsened over time, leaving him totally blind as an adult.  He did not let this stop him from having a full life, from having a paper route as a teenager, to holding various jobs. After he graduated from Mayville High School in 1949, he attended Dodge County Normal School  in Mayville in 1955 and then received his BS from UW-Milwaukee in 1958.  He taught elementary school until he lost his sight completely. He attended the Wisconsin Center for the Blind in Janesville for an adult summer session and met his future wife, Sharon Meyer, who had recently lost her sight.  They married on November 26, 1960. William returned to the UW at Milwaukee and completed a Master of Science degree in June of 1970. William dealt with poor sight his entire youth and lost his sight completely as an adult. He over came many hurdles and earned a Masters degree of Science in the era of no recorded text books.  His mother-in-law and his sister-in-law  read his textbooks to him and were constantly amazed by his ability to remember everything that was read to him.  His sister-in-law remembers the time she was reading to him and he said,"go back to page 206, the middle of the page, as there is something I need to review." William went  to work for Wisconsin Lutheran Child and Family Service as a Social Worker in June of 1970 and remained there until his retirement in the 1990's. He was a respected Social Worker and was able to sense helpful cues from his clients without being able to see them.a  Bill took the many challenges he faced in his life and gave back a life of service. Funeral Services will be held  on November 15, 2024 at 11:00 am at Living Hope (formerly Good Shepherd) 1235 S. 100th St. West Allis, WI. Visitation at 10:00 am. Memorials may be given to the Badger Association for the Blind, Wisconsin Lutheran High School, Lutheran Social Services, Wisconsin  Evangelical Lutheran Synod or ARC, Milwaukee