William Wilke was born in Flagstaff, AZ on 8/5/1934 and passed away in Minden, NV on 3/18/2025. He was the beloved only child of Margie and Al Wilke, from whom he got his love of writing and the outdoors.
In the fifth grade, his family moved to New Orleans where he would go to LSU games with his dad and eventually graduated from university there. His passion for LSU started young and never waned throughout his life.
After a brief stint in the military and a 2-yr internship in D.C, he chose to move out west to begin his engineering career. He worked on many projects in Nevada and California including a stretch of Highway 50 and Highway 395 along with portions of the BART tunnel. During this time, he married his first wife Bev, and they had two children, Stacie and Kyle.
He later moved to work in Saudi Arabia, and little did he know that the Middle East would become his home off and on for the next 30 years. Bill met Sally on a visit home from Libya and they were married in February 1985. After marrying, they moved to Egypt and Jordan, developing a love for the people of the Middle East. Over the course of 15 wonderful years overseas, they enjoyed many adventures and traveled all over the world, most frequently to their favorite places Germany, Belgium and Austria.
They purchased a home in Stateline while overseas and eventually retired there for many years. After purchasing a fixer-upper home in Gardnerville, partially because of its proximity to JT Basque restaurant and their Picon punches, they settled into life in the Carson Valley area. In his retirement years he authored several books based on his experiences overseas.
One the most important moments in Bill’s life was on his 65th birthday when he turned his life over to God. Bill is a man of integrity and didn’t make the commitment until he was ready, and he took it seriously when he did. God has used his gift of compassion in many ways, including organizing the Bread and Broth at Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church and running it for many years. He was also an Elder in the church.
Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 40 years Sally, his children Stacie Wilke- McCulloch, Lori Little and Lance Little. His grandchildren: Athena Cotsonis, Alexandria Cotsonis, Lance Little, Jr, Chance Little and Tessa Little and his great grandson Silas Cotsonis. He was preceded in death by his son Kyle Wilke.
Bill Wilke enjoyed a life well-lived and will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church or the Nevada Hemophilia Society in his name.