William G. "Bill" Lunney

WILLIAM G. LUNNEY was born to William R. Lunney and Anne E. Stauble in Goshen, New York on September 24, 1941 and died February 28, 2026 of leukemia at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg, surrounded by his loving family that he so cherished.

What Bill did in his 84 years would fill several lifetimes and his influence will long be felt by the countless people whose lives he touched in Dane County and beyond. He was a giant in environmental and parkland preservation, worked tirelessly for good government and even found time for youth and community baseball. He possessed a great curiosity and boundless desire to learn new things. Proud of his Irish heritage, Bill thrived on personal contact and always had questions for everyone he met.

Bill graduated from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with a B.A. in Political Science and a J.D. in Law. He was especially proud to graduate from Madison Area Technical College with a degree in Computer Programming in the 1980s. Bill moved to Madison with his first wife, Lydia, and young son, Michael, in September of 1966 to take a job with the Wisconsin Department of Administration as a Budget and Policy Analyst. In that role, his probing questions and analytical mind so impressed Judge Edwin M. Wilkie, Administrative Director of the Wisconsin State Courts, that Judge Wilkie hired him to be his assistant in 1968. Bill worked for 11 years as Assistant Administrative Director of the Wisconsin State Courts, and helped to create the new Judicial Article of the Wisconsin State Constitution, often known as court reorganization. He was chosen and served as a Fellow on the National Institute of Court Management. Bill and Lydia’s second son, David, was born in October of 1968. After Lydia’s death in 1978, Bill found the second love of his life, Judie Pfeifer, and they were married in 1980.

Bill was highly involved in Dane County government for more than 57 years beginning in 1969 and he served continuously in various policy, advisory and volunteer capacities. He served on the boards of numerous Madison and Dane County government and non-profit organizations. He was honored for his half century of service with the naming of William G. Lunney Lake Farm County Park in 2019.

Bill served on the Dane County Board of Supervisors in two stints, from 1969-1974 and 1979-1986. In that elected position, he first represented citizens in the towns of Madison, Fitchburg and Middleton and then the city of Madison. He was a speaker at the first Earth Day celebration on the University of Wisconsin campus in 1970. Among his first crusades was the successful effort to save Dunn’s Marsh from development. He was instrumental in the preservation of Lower Eagle Heights Woods as a Dane County Board Supervisor in the mid-1980s, working with the Dane County Natural Heritage Foundation (Groundswell). He served on numerous County Board committees (Finance, Budget, Judiciary, Public Protection and Developmental Disabilities) and four years on the Regional Planning Commission. He was instrumental in the creation of the elected office of Dane County Executive. After his first wife Lydia died, Bill worked with three other colleagues to co-found Hospice Care, Inc., which evolved into Agrace Hospice. He served as an Officer of the Founding Board beginning in 1978.

In addition to earning his computer degree at Madison Area Technical College (Madison College), Bill also served as a member and officer of the MATC Board for four years. He helped guide the building of the MATC Truax Campus, was an Adjunct Faculty member in computer instruction for more than 20 years, and served on the College Advisory Committee on Life Long Learning for ten years. He founded and owned a personalized computer service for more than 35 years, designing data bases for law firms and providing computer consulting services for professional organizations.

Bill was appointed by County Executive Jonathan Barry to the Dane County Parks Commission in 1987 and served for more than 30 years as its chair. In that role, he helped increase the preservation and conservation of Dane County parkland and natural resource areas from 3500 acres to 18,000 acres and guided and led the purchase of critical wetlands including the Lower Waubesa Wetlands Complex. He led major fundraising in the community for the construction of the Lussier Family Heritage Center and helped integrate the Lewis E-Way into the Dane County Parks System. While still chairing the commission he co-founded the Foundation for Dane County Parks with his wife Judie Pfeifer and served as the foundation’s President. Together, they built a permanent endowment to support Dane County Parks. Among the initiatives he was most proud of was the parks program to build accessible piers and kayak launches to help everyone enjoy our parks, as well as the coordination and funding of many youth education and volunteer programs. He was always quick to give credit to other people – Parks Department directors, planners, staff and volunteers – knowing how vital teamwork is and embracing his natural ability to inspire.

Bill was a trustee of The Nature Conservancy for nine years and board chair for two years, realizing the importance of private groups purchasing land to preserve it versus relying on governmental zoning and political winds that can and do shift. There, he helped implement the landscape preservation program and was a member of the Emeritus Trustee Council. He co-founded the Wisconsin Wetlands Association in efforts to preserve those vital natural areas such as Dunn’s Marsh from development and attempt to ensure a new South Beltline would be as environmentally friendly as possible. As a board member of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin he helped to grow the NRF into a premier conservation organization. He especially enjoyed his work with the Besadny Grant Program, helping fund local grassroots organizations in Wisconsin and was involved in many NRF committees. He was a board member of Gathering Waters for three years, receiving the Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. His long involvement with Groundswell Conservancy included five years as board chair, active participation in the acquisition of the first conservation easements and the organization’s first historic land purchases of the Lower Eagle Heights (Wally Bauman) woods. With four other colleagues, he helped to found the Friends of Capital Springs State Recreation Area and was a board member and officer for 20 years. With his colleagues, he fostered a working relationship with the Ho-Chunk Nation to develop a plan to integrate the history of the Ho-Chunk and other Native peoples into Capital Springs and Lunney Lake Farm Park. He was a board member of Friends of Wisconsin State Parks for 14 years and served five years as its president. With his wife, Judie, he was recognized by the City of Sun Prairie for decades of conservation leadership with a tree planting and signage in Thoreau City Park and he also received the Senior Service Award for Environmental Leadership by Madison Rotary Club in 2021.

Bill was excited and humbled to know of his upcoming induction into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame. The induction will happen April 21, 2026 at 4 pm at a virtual induction ceremony. The Hall of Fame website, which has more information on Bill, is: https://wchf.org/2026-induction-events/

On top of all of his professional and civic achievements, Bill also somehow managed always to put his family first: perhaps most notably as caregiver for his beloved first wife Lydia and loving father for his two sons. He adored and enjoyed his three grandchildren. He was always ready to come to the aid of loved ones feeling any level of distress. He shared his love of baseball with his sons, leaving work early to coach them in their pre-teen years and continuing into older youth and adult baseball leagues. With Judie, he helped create a West Madison Big League after his son Dave aged out of Little League. On hands and knees, Bill and Judie pulled weeds from the infield at Garner Park to get it into playing shape. In a pinch, he coaxed his body into playing first base while in his late 40s and early 50s in City League and Rock River League games. Christmas mornings were always enchanted, Sunday afternoon cookouts magical. We are in uncharted territory without our dear Bill, but warm memories of him and how much love we all shared will sustain us and motivate us to ensure his ideals and outlook will live on.

Bill was predeceased by his parents and his first wife, Lydia Hendley Lunney. Bill is survived by his wife of 46 years, Judie M. Pfeifer; his two sons, William Michael Lunney (Mike) and David Lawrence Lunney (Dave) and his wife Kendra; and three grandchildren, Ann Marie K. Lunney, Alexander W. Lunney, and Jackson D. Lunney.

A private mass will be held for family and close friends, and a public memorial will be held later this spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Foundation for Dane County Parks; the Bill Lunney and Judie Pfeifer Fund for Parks, Trails, and Natural Resources in the Madison Community Foundation; or Agrace Hospice.

Bill’s family wishes to thank the medical staff at University of Wisconsin Hospitals Hematology Unit and the staff at Agrace Hospice.

Please share your memories of Bill by posting here in his guestbook.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

3610 Speedway Road Madison

(608) 238-3434