I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber;

Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you — the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life;

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

   – Psalm 121, A song of ascents

Obituary

Rev. Wilmer “Wil” Bloy was ordained in the Evangelical United Brethren Church (now United Methodist Church) in 1956. Then followed a life of 40 plus years of being a much-loved pastor, teacher, preacher and clergy friend to people in five different Wisconsin United Methodist churches: Prairie du Chien (1956-1960), Chippewa Falls Zion (1960-1966), Madison Trinity (1966-1972), Milwaukee Bay View (1972-1984), and Wausau First (1984-1990). He was a graduate of North Central College, Naperville, Ill., class of 1953, and received his theology degree from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill., in 1956.

Wil died on January 10, 2026, in Madison, Wis. He was born on August 17, 1928, son of Theodore and Clara Bloy. His early education was in a one room rural school in Calumet County, Wis. He graduated with the class of 1946 from Kaukauna High School. Through the involvement in local church youth activities, participation in church youth camps, and the counsel and encouragement of pastors he felt God’s call to become a pastor.

While still in college he married his youth sweetheart, Allegra “Lee” Reitz, who was his constant loving companion, confidant and helpmate for 58 years until her death in 2008. They were blessed with being the parents of four children: Steven (Laura), Barbra, Christine (Glenn Davis) and Jonathan.

While being pastor of the Prairie du Chien church, Wil was appointed editor of Badger Tidings, the Wisconsin Conference Evangelical United Brethren denominational periodical, published six times a year for all church members. He assumed this editorship responsibility along with his pastoral duties until the bishop appointed him to be pastor of the Chippewa Falls congregation, but his writing continued throughout his life.

He retired from active ministry in 1990. Shortly thereafter he was asked to serve as part-time pastor of visitation for Bashford United Methodist Church, Madison, a position in which he served for six of his retirement years. Also, during this period he became a volunteer docent for the Wisconsin State Historical Society Museum, giving guided tours for 4th and 5th grade students in the Wisconsin Native American exhibits.

When a college student, through a course in art history, he became interested in Gothic architecture and the Cathedrals of Europe and England. This interest was increased in mid-life when he became a member of the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. He enthusiastically represented the cathedral’s ministry, presenting slide and information lectures about the cathedral’s architecture and mission to many Madison area groups. Through the later years of his ministry and in retirement he and Lee traveled several times to England, France, Italy and Israel, especially photographing and researching 29 of the England Anglican cathedrals.

While Wil had roots in the United Methodist church, he very much believed in ecumenism. Part of his ministerial leadership was to be pastor of the merger of First Evangelical United Brethren Church, Madison, and Trousdale Methodist Church, Madison to become Trinity United Methodist Church in 1968.

In early days of his retirement both he and his wife were regular participants in the worship and ministry of Bethel Lutheran Church, where he served as program coordinator and president of the Men’s Fellowship group. Wil and Lee moved into Oakwood Village East retirement community as founding members when it was created in 2000. Wil served on the committee that helped with the creation of the original chapel windows and other worship appurtenances.

Shortly after the death of his wife, Wil was asked to serve as a volunteer for the Wisconsin United Methodist archives in Sun Prairie. There he continued to serve the church for 12 years helping with the keeping of historical records of the United Methodist churches and its pastors in the state of Wisconsin since the year 1857. He served weekly in this capacity for more than 12 years. He received the Wisconsin Conference United Methodist “Ministry of Memory” award in May of 2023.

While helping at the United Methodist archives, Wil met Geraldine Foster. Their common interest in the denomination’s history, and early pastors, as well as family history and genealogy, resulted in a caring friendship during the later years of their days.

Mingled with his many interests was being an active sports fan of UW basketball and the Milwaukee Brewers. He was also an avid stamp collector since age 12, specializing in early U.S. issues and the stamps of Queen Victoria, England. He also specialized in both U.S. and English Christmas stamps. He was a member of the American Philatelic Society for 50 years.

His former parishioners will remember his preaching and his genuine love and concern for their welfare. He believed and practiced a paraphrase of Psalm 37:3 – “Trust God. Do good. Settle down, Be at peace.”

Wil was preceded in death by his wife, parents, two sisters, two brothers, and his daughter-in-law. He is survived by his four children; two grandchildren, Michael (Kirstin) and Sarah; great-grandson, Adam; close friend, Geraldine; plus several nephews and nieces.

Photo notes

The first picture was a church directory photo taken in 2015. The second, a college graduation picture from 1953. The last is a photo of me and my father at Trinity Church in Madison, 1969.