Bill Raymond Demerath, age 57, passed away on August 13th, 2024, at Trinity Health-Ann Arbor Hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He was surrounded by loved ones. He is preceded in death by his parents, Peter J Demerath and Germaine “Gerry” Demerath, and his sister, Marilyn Dietman.
Bill was born on March 18th, 1967, in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. He attended Kimberly High in Kimberly, Wisconsin, and later studied philosophy at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay. Bill loved having long philosophical conversations and debates with anyone willing to engage.
Bill was a passionate and caring person who had a strong sense of justice. He loved animals, art, music, literature, teaching, gardening, but above all, he loved his family. He leaves behind three children, Asha Shanti, Shaddai Demerath-Shanti, and Keshava Demerath-Shanti; a widow, Shelley Wilson; two grandchildren, Avery Gershman and Caden Gershman; six siblings; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Throughout his life, Bill was an activist. He spent his life caring for others in the world and standing up for the rights of all people. He put his strong sense of justice to work as he volunteered at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, churches, and anywhere else he could find that was helping people. Bill was the kind of person to give someone the shirt off his back, and he did so on more than one occasion. He was actively involved in local political events right up until the end.
In the early 90s, Bill moved to Tucson, Arizona, and later became a Waldorf teacher. He was a teacher for several years before becoming a stay-at-home father and homeschooling his two younger children. After his children went to public school, he spent his days helping his friends and neighbors and tending to his animals and gardens.
Bill was a talented artist and created many beautiful works in his life, but he would say that the most beautiful of them all was his family. Through his family and friends, his love, passion, and spirit live on and grow.
A Graveside Service will be held on Friday, August 16, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.
Arrangements by Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea.
