William D. Wolking

William (Bill) Wolking, 90, of the Villages, FL, passed away peacefully on Feb. 13, 2017 with his family by his side. He was born on June 3, 1926 in Brooklyn, NY, the son of Clifford and Beulah Wolking. Bill spent his early years in Freeport, Long Island where he acquired a life-long love of swimming, sailing and fishing which he lovingly shared with his family. He proudly served in the Merchant Marine during World War II and subsequently attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN and then earned a PhD from the University of Minnesota in Child Psychology. After college, Bill lived in Minneapolis, MN where he and his first wife had 5 children. In 1964 he married his life partner, Rosalie (Sally) Henkel. Bill and Sally lived in Gainesville, FL where his sixth child was born. He taught at the University of Florida for 30 years. He was deeply committed to the idea that all children can learn and he developed teaching tools to maximize the achievement of every child. After Bill’s retirement from UF’s Department of Special Education, he and Sally moved to The Villages, FL where he has spent the last 17 years Throughout his life, Bill was a lover of learning and could always be found reading. He was also an avid photographer and later in life enjoyed learning how to use technology, another passion, to enhance the pictures he took of family, friends and the world around him. He enjoyed all the activities offered in The Villages and was activity involved in photography and computer clubs. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren were in awe of how much he could teach them about the ever changing world of technology, especially of Apple products. He always had the latest and greatest gadgets…what a “hip” Papa! Bill is survived by wife, Sally Wolking; his only sibling, sister, Ann Mackie (North Carolina); his daughters, Jane (Wisconsin), Deborah (Minnesota) Nancy (Minnesota), Kimberly & son-in-law Ron (Minnesota), and Kristine and son-in-law John (The Villages); his only son, Dave (Minnesota); two nephews, Rob and Ken Mackie, ten grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.