William "Bill" Joseph Schweitzer, age 75, of Sparta, Michigan, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, December 28, 2025. He was born October 31, 1950, in Grand Rapids, MI to the late Vincent and Veronica (Ritzenhein) Schweitzer.  William graduated from Sparta High School with the class of 1968, and went on to study electronics at Sam's Technical Institute in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  He proudly served his country in the United States Army during the Vietnam War.

William married the love of his life, Carla Joyce Boese, on November 4, 1972.  He worked at International Harvester for four years in Indiana before joining the family farm in 1976, and becoming a fourth-generation apple farmer. William had a passion for agriculture and heavy equipment.  He truly enjoyed what he got to call work. In their younger years William and Carla were members of West Michigan Dive Club. They went on multiple vacations and trips with the club where they would scuba dive and William could further feed his sense of adventure by skydiving. He was an avid runner who finished the Amway Riverbank Run many times until his hips told him it was time to hang up his running shoes.

William was a devout Catholic, family man, and community member. He served as an Alpine Township Board Trustee for over 40 years. He attended church weekly without fail and volunteered yearly for the parish's annual festival. William was a jack of all trades. He was a bargain hunter who could never settle with just one of something but would instead buy an entire bin or pallet if he found it on sale. He enjoyed going to auctions and was a frequent flyer at Menards. William was a great shooter, putting his skills to use as the farm's personal exterminator of pesky rodents and vermin.

Although William could be very stubborn and quiet at times, he had a very giving heart and would help others without question, yet still had a great sense of humor. If you needed a tree cut down, he would gladly be your lumberjack for the day.  If you doubted that William could not do something, that was a challenge to prove otherwise. Along with all these great attributes, William still found time to be a loving husband and an active part of his kids and grandchildren's lives. Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Carla; daughter, Amanda (Lance) Weersma; son, Nick (Renee) Schweitzer; grandchildren, Olivia and Lena Weersma and Xavier and Braxton Schweitzer; brother, Vincent (Marie) Schweitzer; sisters, Susan (Chuck) Schmitt and Sandy Power; sisters-in-law, Sharon Boese,  Barb Pollock, Deb Ross, and Bert (Tim) Grote; and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends. William was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Lois Vita. Visitation will take place on Friday, January 2, 2026, at Beuschel Funeral Home, 5018 Alpine Avenue NW, Comstock Park, MI 49321, from 2:00pm until 5:00pm with the funeral service at 5:00pm with Deacon Jerry Roersma officiating. William will be laid to rest at Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery in Comstock Park, MI. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given to the American Heart Association , Lori's Voice , or Holy Trinity Parish .