William "Bill" E. Sloey

Dr. William Sloey, age 91 died on May 1, 2026.

Bill was born July 29, 1934 in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin to Elma M. (Roth) and Earl T. Sloey. He had one brother: Francis (Bud) Sloey and one sister: Joyce E Pinnow, both deceased. He graduated from Fond Du Lac High School in 1952 and was the first in his family to attend college: at the then Wisconsin state College-Oshkosh. He graduated with a BS degree, with biology and natural science majors and a geology minor in 1956.

He married his childhood sweetheart Patricia Dietrich in 1955 and had one daughter Gayle A. (Fischetti). Patricia died in 1957. Grandma and grandpa Sloey cared for Gayle for three years. Bill married Veda Marie Scudera in 1959 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Bill earned his master's degree in plant pathology in 1960 from UW Madison.

Bill returned to UW-Oshkosh as a lab instructor in 1963.

Veda and Bill have four additional children. Cheryl Goergen (Kurt, Eau Claire) Robert Sloey (Shelly, Madison) Julie Strey (Dan, Oshkosh) David Sloey (Kim, Madison).

Bill and Veda took a leave of absence (with five children) for him to complete his PhD at UW-Milwaukee (1969). Dr. Sloey was promoted stepwise to Full professor in the department of Biology and Microbiology at UW-O while developing and teaching numerous courses relating to ecology of natural ecosystems and doing research and publishing some 30 papers on Wisconsin lakes and wetlands (mostly with Dr. Fred Spangler and Dr. William Fetter). He was caretaker of the universities’ two natural areas: High Trestle woods and Allen marsh. He served on many state, regional and national committees. He served on advisory committees to establish several Wisconsin administrative rules relating to phosphorus and water quality as well as wetlands. He helped prepare the Winnebago comprehensive management plan. He was chair of the Oshkosh environmental advisory committee.

He advised in developing master plans for the northern highland/ American legion state forest. He was awarded the James F. Duncan Research award in 1979 and the prestigious John McNRosenbush Professorship Award in 1980. Bill retired from UW-Oshkosh in 1993. With the help of family and friends, he built a log cabin near Star Lake in Vilas County where he spent much of his retirement hunting, fishing and golfing and enjoying the north woods and lakes with his family. There he served for many years on the Lakes committee for the town of Plum Lake. These contacts generated many friends and acquaintances in the northland. He was a member of the Wild Ones natural landscaping group for years. He established several native prairies in Winnebago and Vilas counties.

He is survived by his wife Veda and their five children. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren as well as other extended family members.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at Konrad-Behlman Funeral Home-Westside, 100 Lake Pointe Dr. Oshkosh, WI 54904 at 3:00 p.m. Visitation will take place from 1:00 p.m. until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, a memorial will be established.

The family would like to thank the staff at Senior Stride, Country Villa in Omro Wisconsin and St. Croix Hospice for their loving care and support of Bill.