William (Will) McKay

William (Will) McKay, age 50, died unexpectedly on Monday, February 12th, 2024.

Will was born in Neenah, to Mary (Busse) and David McKay.  After attending Neenah High School, he went on to earn his BS in Industrial Engineering from UW Madison.  Will worked in Information Technology starting with the Bemis Corporation, followed by the Menasha Corporation and most recently at the AEBI Schmidt Company.

In 2002, Will married the love of his life Kerrie (Marsh) McKay. “I was blessed that he picked me,” says Kerrie, “I won the lottery the day I became his wife! He was my biggest advocate in sickness and in health doing whatever he could to encourage and support me and help me get better.”

A few years into their marriage, they welcomed their twin boys, Gavin and Ian. He was an amazing dad, fully involved in the lives of his boys, teaching them both snowboarding, coaching Ian’s soccer team, and sharing his love of music with Gavin. He and Ian loved playing golf together and, of course, shared their mutual love of coffee, helping Ian start his own coffee roasting business. 

Will also loved discussing national and world affairs with Gavin, supporting his future goal of a career in politics. In return, Gavin greatly valued his discussions with his dad, saying “I always felt my dad understood me on the deepest level. I could always talk to him about anything.

Will’s overwhelming positive attitude had a lasting impact on the whole family. According to Ian, “My dad was a calming influence in our family. He was devoted to all of us. In all the little things he did for us every day, he showed us all how much he loved us. All the traveling we did for soccer and golf tournaments and his attendance at every one of my games. I know he did those things for me.”

Will also had a passion and natural talent for music starting from a very young age. Born with perfect pitch, Will mastered the guitar which led to him playing in many punk bands in high school, college, and even into adulthood. This led to lifelong bonds and countless road trips to see live music with his close friends. Of course, Will also dedicated much of his time and effort into caring for family pets, giving them a warm, loving home throughout their lives. 

Will was the most generous, loyal, loving, compassionate, selfless, giving, talented, kind, dependable, and reliable man you could ever have had the privilege to meet or been fortunate to know. We consider ourselves to be truly blessed to have had him in our lives. He was an extraordinary person whose life was much too short.

In addition to his wife and sons, Will is survived by his parents David and Mary McKay, his sister Catherine (Randall) Kuehn and his niece Emma Kuehn. He was preceded in death by his Maternal Grandparents, Milton and Evelyn Busse and his Paternal Grandparents, Clinton and Phyllis McKay.

In lieu of flowers and in remembrance of Will, a memorial fund has been established online at Ever Loved (www.EverLoved.com) under the name Will McKay.

A celebration of life gathering will take place on Saturday February 24, 2024, at 3:00pm at Wichmann Funeral Home, 537 N Superior Street, Appleton. This gathering will be a simple sharing of memories and stories without a time of visiting before or after.

Please feel free to share your memories below.