Saturday, August 19, 3 p.m. at St. Clare’s
William (“Bill”) Feiser Jr. passed away on June 29, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the age of 76. Bill was born on April 17, 1947, in Newport News, Virginia to Margaret and William Feiser. Bill grew up in Virginia, and after obtaining his BS in Botany, moved to New York City to work in the house and garden plant business.
In the early 1980’s, Bill was a warden of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in the Chelsea district of New York City and helped organize a chapter of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship. Jill Crabtree joined St. Peter’s around the same time and became the first director of their Food Pantry. Bill and Jill were both known by friends for being well-read, having great senses of humor, and for their servant hearts. Their paths inevitably crossed, and a first date occurred on July 4, 1984. Bill proposed to Jill on July 4, 1985, exactly one year later, and they were married in October. They spent many wonderful years in New York together, Bill studying for his Master of Social Work (MSW) during that time, and then they relocated to Ann Arbor Michigan to be caregivers for Jill’s parents.
Once in Michigan, Bill took on a position providing social support services to the mentally ill and became involved with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Michigan. Bill was an active member of NAMI, both in support of those he cared for, and to continue to work on his own life’s challenges related to depression. Bill was active in the church, where he held a leadership role in the Shelter program, and the couple were active at the Presbyterian church where Jill worked. With God’s grace, Bill and Jill also moved Bill’s mother from Virginia to Ann Arbor to care for her during this time. After 35 years of marriage, Bill lost his loving wife in January of 2021 to a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Bill is survived by his brother George Feiser of Richmond Virginia, and Bill’s nieces Makaylah Feiser and Amelia Stup, who was born on Bill’s birthday in 2020. Bill is also survived by his brother-in-law Lloyd Crabtree and his wife Marci Crabtree, as well as his nieces and nephews, Brad Crabtree, Deborah Crabtree, and Stephanie Fitzgerald.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Michigan (https://namimi.org). Funeral Services will take place at St. Clare’s Church in Ann Arbor on Saturday, August 19th at 3:00 p.m. Those unable to attend in person may find a Zoom link and service bulletin at www.saintclareschurch.org/worship the week prior to the service.