Atty. William K. Sonnenburg, 89, of Sheboygan passed away peacefully on December 29, 2018 in Sheboygan. William was born to the late Willard and Ludwina Sonnenburg on July 26, 1929. His mother died when he was only five years old and his father was later remarried to Doris O’Rourke. William graduated from Sheboygan North High School and went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. He was united in marriage to Gladys Gehrig on August 30, 1952 at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Sheboygan. He was the District Attorney of Sheboygan County and later joined and shared the law practice of David Rabinovitz, which was later expanded by Sam Zelpe. William retired from his practice with Sam Zelpe in 2016. William was an avid Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers fan. He was also an outdoorsman as he enjoyed fishing, deer hunting, snowmobiling, gardening and tinkering on various projects.
William is survived by his wife Gladys; five children Delia Sonnenburg (Rick Diehl), Heidi Sonnenburg (Timothy Piatt), William Sonnenburg (Margaret Allen), Kurt Sonnenburg (Monica Winkler) and Jane Sonnenburg; grandchildren Kajsa and Malina Piatt and Madisen Diehl. He is further survived by siblings Doris Beach, Ruth Truttschel and Donald Sonnenburg.
He is preceded in death by his mother Ludwina; father Willard; stepmother Doris and siblings Mary, Robert and Willard.
William proudly donated his body to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School. A memorial service will be planned at a later date. Donations may be made in his name to Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Sheboygan. Condolences may be expressed online at
www.reinboldfh.com
.
