William "Willy" R. Sweetman, age 78 of Beaver Dam, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, January 4, 2018 at Beaver Dam Community Hospital.

Visitation for Bill will be held on Thursday, January 11, 2018 at Cornerstone Funeral & Cremation Services, 135 Keller Blvd., Beaver Dam from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral service at 1:00 p.m. with Rev. Randy Carey and Deacon Dennis Bennin officiating. Burial will take place at St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Beaver Dam.

Bill was born on August 27, 1939 in Forman, North Dakota, the son of Roland and Harriet (Salter) Sweetman. He proudly served his country in the United States Air Force. On February 7 1959, Bill was united in marriage to Jeanne Bennin at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Chilton. Together with his wife, Bill owned and operated Sweetman's Barber & Beauty Salon in Beaver Dam. He proudly founded Sweetman's Diving & Salvage when he developed, designed and engineered his "one-of-a-kind rig" for removing cars from the bottom of frozen lakes, which also lead to pier and boat lift work. It's been said "Nobody knew piers, boat lifts and water like Bill Sweetman". He was an avid sportsman, enjoyed deer hunting, pheasant hunting in South Dakota, and fishing throughout all of the seasons, especially with his grandchildren. Bill was a longtime member of the Beaver Dam Fisherman's Club and served for two years as President. He was the reigning Bullhead Skinning Champion for many years! Bill enjoyed trying his luck at the casino from time to time, and he was a diehard Green Bay Packers fan.

Bill is survived by his wife, Jeanne of Beaver Dam; children, Kim Sweetman of Arizona, William (Desiree) Sweetman of Waupun and Terri (Jon) Westervelt of Arizona; grandchildren, Casey (Bo) Siewert, Josh Sweetman, Taylor (Troy) Aalsma, Madison Westervelt, Olivia Westervelt and Max Westervelt; great-grandchildren, Ryleigh, Zander, Lennette, Rhett; brother, Bruce (Linda) Sweetman of Sheboygan; and further survived by other relatives and friends.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his son Jeffrey and other relatives.

Cornerstone Funeral & Cremation Services in Beaver Dam is honored to be serving the family.