William "Bill" H. Kocher

William “Bill” H. Kocher of Delafield passed away on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at the age of 92. He was born in Milwaukee on April 30, 1929 the son of Harvey and Eleonora (Muth) Kocher. Bill was employed at the Waukesha Freeman for 25 years as Circulation Manager. After retiring from the Waukesha Freeman, he opened Gallery 1 Custom Framing & Art in Waukesha where he was President and CEO. Gallery 1 will proudly celebrate its 44th year in business this June. Along with his talented and accomplished staff, the business has won over 50 national and international framing awards. Bill was an avid hunter and fisherman and a lousy domino’s player. He was an incredible father, wonderful husband and proud grandfather who loved his family and community.

He will be forever missed by his beloved wife of 34 years, Barbara “Barb” Wallis-Kocher; his children, Marybeth (Sunil) Rao, Steven Kocher, Andrea (Peter) Peckarsky and son-in-law Karl Heider; stepchildren, Jeff (Donna) Wallis, Donald Wallis, Kathy (Dick) Weinkauf, and James (Linda) Wallis. He was the cherished grandfather of Sean (Alexis) Rao, Brendan Rao, Joellen (Tony) Aliota, Erica Peckarsky (Luis), Victoria Peckarsky, Michelle Scholl, Jennifer (Chris) Thomas, Mitchell Heider, Megan (Jerome) Shelton, Alex (Allison) Kocher, Riley (Tom), Ellis, Natalie Kocher, Julianna Kocher (fiancé John), Stephen (Melissa) Flack, Kira (Kevin) Stelzer, Kevin Flack, Julie (Mark) Gossett, Jenna (James) Whitley, Brian (Julie) Wallis and Amanda (Richard) Rudolf; and adored great-grandfather of 18 and he especially enjoyed his special moments with Charlie Jean. He is further survived by his special niece and Godchild, Anne Kocher, sisters-in-law Susan Kocher and Patti Kocher; family friend Linda Kocher, loving brother-in-law Harry “Bud” Wesenberg; along with many other nieces, nephews, other relatives and many close friends. He was preceded in death by his daughter Jane Heider and brothers, Richard and Thomas.

The family wishes to extend their appreciation to Christopher Audley and their staff at Gallery 1 for all their hard-work maintaining the gallery during this difficult time.

A celebration of Bill’s life will take place on his 93rd birthday, Saturday, April 30, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. until the 11:00 a.m. memorial service all at St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 111 E. Main Street, Waukesha, WI 53186. Masks will be required at church. If desired, memorials in Bill’s name are appreciated to St. Matthias Episcopal Church, Holy Hill, 1525 Carmel Rd., Hubertus, WI 53033, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or the charity of your choice.