William Frederick "Bill" Probst

Born June 11, 1951, William “Bill” Frederick Probst passed away on to eternal life on April 23, 2026, joining the love of his life, Karen Elizabeth Probst, who preceded him in death in 2014.

Born to Robert W. and Eleanor E. Probst, one of three boys along with his brothers Paul and David, Bill grew up on the west side of Madison. Bill graduated from Madison Memorial High School in 1969, and then went on to attend the prestigious Conservatory of Music at Lawrence University in Appleton where he earned an undergraduate degree in music performance on the clarinet, though he was able to play piano, saxophone, trumpet, and flute as well. Of course, he was also a member of the famous “Bob Probst Band,” under the tutelage of his father Robert, himself a virtuoso musician.

Bill returned to Madison to further pursue music where, as luck would have it, he met Karen at a summer music clinic at the UW Madison Graduate School of Music. The two got married in 1977 and moved back to Appleton to begin a family, later welcoming sons Robert (Bob) and Michael (Mike) in addition to Karen’s already-existing menagerie of cats. As such, Bill went back to graduate school at night, graduating with his Masters in Business Administration from UW-Oshkosh, and, until his retirement in 2015, Bill worked as a credit manager for several major companies including Buckstaff, Pierce Manufacturing, Unilever and Bemis Corporation.

In his personal life, Bill continued his life-long involvement in music, serving as church choir director while Karen was the church’s organist for two UCC churches in the Fox Valley area over a more than 20-year span. And Bill joined MacDowell Male Chorus, where he and his brothers in song performed for audiences in Appleton and beyond with Bill playing solos on his clarinet. Finally, Bill played for many years in the Appleton City Band as Principal Clarinetist, as he was both a skilled performer but also an excellent sight reader of music.

After Karen passed and Bill retired, Bill was able to travel solo to places such as Italy, Spain and France while also taking family trips to Hawaii, Disneyworld, Las Vegas, and Gulf Shores, Alabama.

In 2019, Bill moved back to Madison to focus on his favorite role: Grandpa. He was blessed with five healthy grandchildren; Evelyn (“Eve”), Benjamin, Ethan, Clare, and Owen Probst. Grandpa Bill was a staple at the many birthday parties, concerts, and other events that his grandchildren had, and enjoyed nothing more than simply spending quality time with them, whether in his condo in Madison or up at “the Lake” on Lake Petenwell, or simply enjoying a nice, quiet Grandpa hug and a book in a recliner and (preferably) a cat nearby.

We will miss Grandpa Probst deeply; but, we know he may now rest comfortably with Mom and all those cats, playing music to his hearts’ content, all while enjoying the memories and moments from a life well-lived and a legacy of love, music, and professional and personal achievement from which to draw.

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