ForeverMissed
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This memorial website was created in memory of our loved one, William Stilwell, 77, born on July 28, 1936 and passed away on April 19, 2014. We will remember him forever.  NOTE:  IF YOU CHOOSE TO LEAVE A MESSAGE, PLEASE END IT WITH YOUR NAME.  THERE IS A TIMELAG ON POSTS AND THE POST APPEARS AS IF IT CAME FROM FRED DANNER BUT, IF YOU ADD YOUR NAME , THIS WILL NOT BE A PROBLEM. 

June 2, 2014
June 2, 2014
Dearest "Dr. Mrs." and family, my sincerest condolences on the loss of such a special person. Dr. Stilwell was quirky and fun, but had an incredible sense of loyalty and dedication to his students. He was a true academic and one of the more caring people I have ever met. I loved listening to him articulate his lens on life and he helped me think more critically about how I interpret this complicated world. I was driving to a meeting a few weeks ago with a fellow graduate and we happily shared Dr. Stilwell stories. He made me smile many times and gave me confidence in myself when I needed it most. I can only imagine the many people he touched. Thinking of your family.
Sincerely, Laura Moore Lamminen
May 30, 2014
May 30, 2014
The ripple one person can have in your life is extraordinary. Because of Bill Stilwell emerging into my life, I was accepted into UK's Master's program. Lord knows it wasn't my grades. But he saw something in me, and he pushed me to become something. He pushed me through my Masters, my PhD and all in his gruff but incredibly caring way. He was supportive of my decision to join the Air Force, and that became one of the defining experiences of my life. I now have a career I love, and vastly more importantly, am married to the love of my life, whom I met in our doctoral program, Dawn Johnson. We are both so saddened by his passing, but so grateful for having him in our lives. To Bill, I can only say Thank You. God knows where I'd be without you. Your memory will always bring a smile to my face. To Doris and his children, God Bless.
May 22, 2014
May 22, 2014
Bill "thank you" for helping me toughen up, for expectations were high for me and all the while you knew when to back up only to push some more. I will forever miss your teaching and encouragement. In the arms of our Savior.

Phyllis Mosman
May 12, 2014
May 12, 2014
While I never had the pleasure of having a class with him, I was touched by the fact that he took the time to know my name among so many other graduate students roaming Dickey Hall. He was always willing to share a moment of his busy schedule and he helped me to feel like a member of the Ed Psych family. I appreciated his kindnesses and I know that he will be remembered fondly by many people… including by me. I will keep your family in my thoughts and prayers.

Sandy Hunter PhD
May 11, 2014
May 11, 2014
Dear Dr. Stilwell,

I am always grateful to you for what you have done for me. While in the program, I had encountered many challenges and difficulties. You were so supportive of me, which I felt encouraged of. I miss your humour and cheerful slogan. "Hang in there!!" You are the person who have made my life more plentiful. I will remember all of your help, love and care.

Seongjik Lee from Seoul, Korea
May 8, 2014
May 8, 2014
Dr. Stilwell taught my professional issues class and basically taught me the importance of being an involved member of my professional organizations. Because of him, I joined the Society of Counseling Psychology and APA and am still very much involved and loving it. I loved being in a program with 2 married couples on faculty. Doris, you taught my statistics class, and Dr. Stilwell taught several of my classes, along with Pam and Rory Remer. It was easy to feel like part of a family there. Dr. Stilwell will be sincerely missed. -Katharine Hahn Oh
May 8, 2014
May 8, 2014
I remember Dr. Stilwell's ethics class and the good discussions we had in it. He was also very supportive of my decision to become a military psychologist and for that I am grateful. He will be missed.

Maj Phillip Howell
May 8, 2014
May 8, 2014
Dear Stillwell Family,
When I was an elementary teacher at SCAPA Dr. Todd sent Bill out to help me be one of the first to have internet access in my classroom. I loved his crusty ways and his genuine helpfulness. When I came to the university it was always a delight when I heard these words--"Hello Kid." I knew I was in for a round of teasing, coaching or surprises. I'll truly miss those moments and I'm thankful to be able to write this as someone who truly appreciated Bill as the character he was.

Jeanette L. Groth
May 7, 2014
May 7, 2014
Bill had managed the listservs for the Society of Counseling Psychology and Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs for many years. His service was much appreciated. We will miss you, Bill.

Barry Chung
May 7, 2014
May 7, 2014
Bill was so welcoming to me when I arrived at UK as a new faculty member in Counseling Psychology. Early in the fall semester of my first year, I mentioned I wanted to experience a UK basketball game at Rupp Arena. A few months later he surprised me and took me to my first UK basketball game - against the UNC Tar Heels which is almost always a big game. He introduced me to all of the other folks in the stands surrounding us, and everyone knew Bill. He took the time to "check in" with everyone and ask about their families and how they were doing. I have come to learn that he has taken several others to their first UK basketball game. I was fortunate to go to several games with Bill, but I won't ever forget that first game with him - it was truly special for me. I will miss him.

Jeff Reese
May 6, 2014
May 6, 2014
Dear Doris, Wes, and Belen: Bill was one of the most remarkable people I ever met. While he was often gruff on the outside, in the 26 years I worked with him I saw him do so much for people behind the scenes. He was a genuinely caring person who was secretly everyone's daddy, watching over them, cleaning up their messes, and laughing with (and at!) them. I will miss him terribly. Fred
May 6, 2014
May 6, 2014
One of the first things I realized about Bill, his presence could be felt before you heard a word from him. When he spoke you couldn't help but pay attention, and what he always managed to elicit was action from those words. There are many stories often shared amongst the folks who had the joy of working from him. Some are shared in hopes that the context makes sense to those who were not there. Other stories are "Bill". Without the context you knew that was just his way. The halls of the College of Education, still carry his presence. Some days I half expect to walk into the lab, and see him checking his stocks. Talking about his grand kids soccer team, his hopes and pride in his son, and a lot of the goals he still had for his time with the people around him. He was always very aware of what mattered.
May 6, 2014
May 6, 2014
Bill and I were buddies from the moment we met in our first Stanford Ed. Psych. class in fall 1964. He also became a close friend of my husband, Jim, and would frequently visit us in our home in the East Bay. He was like an uncle to my children. We all attended Bill and Doris' wedding soon after he and I graduated in 1969. When Jim went to UK as the first chairman of the newly established EDP department, he asked Bill to come to UK with him. So Bill and Doris moved to Lexington in 1969 and have lived there ever since. He loved all my family, and we loved him. I will miss him terribly. May God be good to you, Bill!
Love,
Lisa K. Barclay, Ph.D.
May 6, 2014
May 6, 2014
Dear Bill,
I am sure that everyone who knew and worked with you are saddened by your passing but feel blessed to have known you. I feel fortunate to have known you as a colleague and fellow EDP faculty member during my 8 years at UK. I certainly learned a lot of valuable lessons from you. Thanks Bill for wearing those trademark red suspenders, it always brought a smile to me. Thanks for always asking that familiar "You doin OK?" whenever you passed me in the EDP hallway. And I always appreciated that we shared the same vision for moving the EDP faculty into the digital age of electronic communication! I recall vividly the day we had that lengthy hallway conversation about creating listservs and how they could be used even at the national level to improve communication and links between psychology graduate programs across all the specialty areas -- days later, Voila! SPTRAIN. Wherever the afterlife leads you, we hope you will still be keeping an eye out for all of us! Peacefully, Paul BdeM

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Recent Tributes
June 2, 2014
June 2, 2014
Dearest "Dr. Mrs." and family, my sincerest condolences on the loss of such a special person. Dr. Stilwell was quirky and fun, but had an incredible sense of loyalty and dedication to his students. He was a true academic and one of the more caring people I have ever met. I loved listening to him articulate his lens on life and he helped me think more critically about how I interpret this complicated world. I was driving to a meeting a few weeks ago with a fellow graduate and we happily shared Dr. Stilwell stories. He made me smile many times and gave me confidence in myself when I needed it most. I can only imagine the many people he touched. Thinking of your family.
Sincerely, Laura Moore Lamminen
May 30, 2014
May 30, 2014
The ripple one person can have in your life is extraordinary. Because of Bill Stilwell emerging into my life, I was accepted into UK's Master's program. Lord knows it wasn't my grades. But he saw something in me, and he pushed me to become something. He pushed me through my Masters, my PhD and all in his gruff but incredibly caring way. He was supportive of my decision to join the Air Force, and that became one of the defining experiences of my life. I now have a career I love, and vastly more importantly, am married to the love of my life, whom I met in our doctoral program, Dawn Johnson. We are both so saddened by his passing, but so grateful for having him in our lives. To Bill, I can only say Thank You. God knows where I'd be without you. Your memory will always bring a smile to my face. To Doris and his children, God Bless.
May 22, 2014
May 22, 2014
Bill "thank you" for helping me toughen up, for expectations were high for me and all the while you knew when to back up only to push some more. I will forever miss your teaching and encouragement. In the arms of our Savior.

Phyllis Mosman
Recent stories

First Impression

May 7, 2014

I met Bill for the first time when I interviewed for a job in 1978.  Bill, Judy Worell, Ray Wilke, and I went to lunch as part of my formal interview.  The restaurant was rather noisy by Judy was very professional, doing her best to interview me.  Ray appeared to be happy for the free lunch and was quite amiable but every time he said something his teeth whistled.  Bill kept interrupting with goofy questions and comments and astonished me with how much he knew about me, my friends, even my home-town.  (This was well before Google and I was unnerved by his eerily accurate commentary).  Judy was annoyed, Ray's teeth kept whistling, and Bill kept on happily interrupting.  I felt like I was in an SNL skit and was becoming progressively more anxious.  Bill sensed this and (purposely, I now think) flipped his fork under the table between us.  We both dove under the table.  I turned to him and he had a huge grin on his face and said, "you having fun yet?"  He was just messing with me!  I decided to see if I could get him back.  I tilted my head toward Ray, touched my teeth and said "you can't just order them out of a catalogue, you have to have them fitted."  He hooted, bumped his head on the table, and the two of us were not able to make eye contact for the rest of the lunch.  We were like two little boys in church trying not to giggle.  We were friends ever since.  He often did things like this on first meeting someone and it took me years to figure out what he really meant by it.  He wasn't just trying to mess with you, he wanted to say:  You can take life seriously without always having to be serious.  Thanks for teaching me that, Bill.  Fred

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