William L. “Bill” Jambrek, age 82 of Kenosha, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 28, 2020 at Froedtert South - Pleasant Prairie Campus.

Bill was born in Kenosha at home on August 14, 1937 and he was the son of the late George and Anna (Schantek) Jambrek. He attended Weiskopf Grade School, Washington Jr. High and was a 1955 graduate of Kenosha High School. Bill also attended and graduated from Milton College and received his Masters Degree in Library Science from U.W.-Madison.

After a brief time being employed with the Milwaukee Public Library, Bill he entered the U.S. Navy in 1961. He spent a year at the naval base in San Diego, CA and the rest of his enlistment aboard the U.S.S. Vancouver (LPD-2). He was a “plank owner”, that is a member of the first crew. The Vancouver ship patrolled the Vietnam Coast for more than 30 days in January 1965. After spending time in Australia, he was honorably discharged in June 1965.

Bill was a librarian at Milton College, and he worked with the S.E. Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.  He then was a public library consultant with the State Department of Public Instruction. In 1975, Bill returned to Kenosha where he worked for the Kenosha Public Library until his retirement in 1993. During this time, he twice served as Interim Director in 1981 and in 1985. In retirement, Bill served as a cataloger at the Kenosha Unified Schools and reference librarian at the South Milwaukee Public Library.

He was a member of Kenosha's Amity Lodge #692 of the Croatian Fraternal Union where he was elected president for many years and as a delegate to several of the national conventions. Bill was also on the board of the Kenosha City Employees Credit Union and a member of the Wisconsin Library Association of which he attended over 50 annual conferences.

Bill always had a book in his hand. He enjoyed the intrigue of completing daily crossword puzzles and he was a jigsaw puzzle compiler. Bob also traveled extensively to Europe and Southeast Asia.

Bill is survived by his loving sisters, Julianna Topolovec of Kenosha, Sylvia (Bill) Kane of Tempe, AZ and Frances Jambrek of Kenosha; his nephew, Michael (Cathy Lam) Kane; his nieces, Ann (Michael) Conners, Kathy Kane and Mary (Bob) Matthews; his great nephews, Ben Kane, Josh Conners and Dan Matthews; and his great nieces, Kristi Conners, Karly Matthews and Emily Kane.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Robert Jambrek; infant twin brothers and his brother-in-law, Frank Topolovec.

Service Info

In accordance with COVID-19 guidelines, funeral services honoring Bill’s life will be held privately.