William David “Bill” Hetland, 79, a longtime resident of Kenosha, WI died peacefully of natural causes in the care of The Bay at Sheridan, on January 29, 2024, after fighting several health issues. Bill was born on May 15,1944 to Clair and Laurette Hetland. He is survived by his partner, Phillip Anderson and his brother, Richard B. Hetland. Bill was creative and compassionate with a strong work ethic. In his job he served in many capacities at Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, a not-for-profit addiction prevention and treatment agency between 1990-2024. Bill was a prolific writer and after receiving his Bachelor’s Degree from Northern Illinois University, served as editor, managing editor and editor of multiple departments at numerous newspapers including the Belvidere Daily Republican in Belvidere, Illinois. Bill was known and loved by many people around the Midwest and beyond. His family, friends, coworkers and more, know Bill was loyal and enthusiastic but above all, had a great sense of humor. Bill was proud of his military service in the US Army as a Vietnam veteran (1968-1970) where one of his duties was writing for High Awards, highlighting other veterans service, as Specialist Five, U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, Vietnam. April 1, 1981. This special date cannot go without mention, as it was a day Bill was most proud of. April Fools Day; the day he became sober. He was a wonderful presenter, writer, and spokesperson for Nicasa and advocate for recovery. His job included acting as Community Development Coordinator and as Court Liaison. He dedicated his life to assisting people in addiction recovery, working in Nicasa’s Waukegan facility, returning home every night to care for Phil, who was a quadriplegic injured years earlier in an automobile accident. Bill was by all accounts an excellent motivational speaker, award-winning writer and editor, showing consistent solid leadership. According to Bill’s resume, he was particularly proud to have “spearheaded a drive to form Mesabi Family YMCA in northern Minnesota, writing a newspaper column calling for formation of YMCA, where he organized community meetings and chaired the steering committee.” He was also praised by “United Way of Lake County for presentations to employees of three companies which resulted in outstanding increases (56%, 51% and 28%) in contributions to the annual campaign.” A Celebration of Life has been planned for Bill on Thursday, February 29th, 2024, from 5pm-6:30pm at Nicasa's Waukegan Greenwood location. A second Celebration of Life is in planning at the Belvidere VFW Post 1461. Bill has been cremated per his wishes. Donations may be made in care of Proko Funeral Home and Crematory, 5111 60th St., Kenosha, WI 53144 to help with funeral expenses.Proko Funeral Home & Crematory5111-60th StreetKenosha, WI 53144Phone: (262) 654-3533Visit & Sign Bill’s Online Memorial Book at:www.prokofuneralhome.com