F. William (Bill) Bohné, artist, teacher, runner, wine enthusiast, music aficionado, and an influential member of the local and the national art community, was born on February 14, 1941 in Ohio. He attended the University of Dayton and the School of the Dayton Art Institute, where he earned a B.F.A. in 1963 and Ohio University, where he completed an M.F.A. in 1965.

As an artist, teacher, and curator, Bohné combined an intensely personal vision and memory with his vast knowledge of art history. He was as enthusiastic about the canonical works of art as about the diverse interpretations and expressions of the artistic spirit throughout history.

In his own work, process was very important to Bohné. He was attentive to the ritual of creating work and concerned that the narrative of the work, both his and those constructed by the viewer, be steeped in meaning and emotion. In 2011, Bohné took the planks of the bleachers from St. Norbert's Minahan Stadium, built in 1937 and torn down in November 2010, and turned them into sculpture pieces. "An artist can turn waste into wonder," wrote Warren Gerds in his column in the Green Bay Press-Gazette. In an interview with Mr. Gerds, Bohné said that after the workers had left, the stadium was "quiet, extremely lonely. This was very poetic for me. It was like melancholia 'OK, bye bye.' But then I kept thinking about what had happened there over the years."

In one of his last art exhibits, in September 2012, Bohné contributed six mixed media works to the Biennial Art Faculty Exhibition at St. Norbert College, where he had taught art since 1965. In 2013, he curated the exhibit, "Dining with Da Vinci" at the Godschalx Gallery at St. Norbert College. The exhibit, which examined the iconic image of the Last Supper, was made possible by Bohné's knowledge of art history. He commented on how "experimental" Da Vinci's original approach was and his expertise on the popular culture of our time, from the porcelain dish on which "you can serve some bon-bons" to the spray-painted version which looked "Cubist if you look at it long enough." The exhibit also featured the reproduction of "The Last Supper" from the dining room of Bohné's childhood home.

Bohné was a natural communicator. A brilliant lecturer, he spoke to his students without notes, improvising knowingly and expertly. His passion was to combine art history with knowledge about the local community. He loved to take students on walks through De Pere neighborhoods to identify architectural styles. During these walks, he would fearlessly speak to home owners, 99% of whom were so charmed by his genuine interest that they told Bohné and his students about not only the styles, but also the stories, of the houses.

Bohné died at his home in De Pere, Wisconsin after a long battle with Leukemia at the age of 73, on April 14, 2014.

Source: William "Bill" Bohné Obituary: https://www.ryanfh.com/obituaries/William-Bill-Bohne?obId=1370303