William “Bill” Kirchmeier III

William Kirchmeier III of Jackson, MI passed away on July 9th at the age of 60 years. He is survived by Cheryl Kirchmeier (Wife of 31 years), Kyle, Josh, Cassie and Chloe Kirchmeier (Children), Ann Kirchmeier (Mother), Greg (Patty) Kirchmeier (Brother), Lisa Kirchmeier (Sister), cherished in-laws Don, Craig (Deb), and Dave (Lisa) Rhodes, his beloved nieces and nephews Wendy (Abhinav) Thompson, Ellen, Paul and Maggie Kirchmeier, Kevin (Michaela) Rhodes, Katy (Ben) Montalvo, Olivia and Avery Rhodes, and lifelong friend James Koffeman.

He was preceded in death by his father William Kirchmeier Jr. and mother-in-law Helen Rhodes.

Bill was born on October 1st, 1965 in Sandusky, Ohio. Growing up, he spent most summer weekends at Duck Lake with his family, sailing Hobie Cats and causing trouble with his best friend and brother Greg (some things never change). In high school, Bill joined the Jacktown Packers program where he discovered a true passion for travel and met lifelong friends. Bill continued on to college, graduating with masters degrees in both industrial and mechanical engineering from GMI (Kettering University). He often spoke of his iconic ‘around the world’ trip he embarked on at age 28 where he explored countries all across the globe- from bungee jumping in New Zealand to trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Shortly after his return to the states, he met his beloved wife Cheryl and started a beautiful family whom he deeply loved, protected, and devoted his life to caring for.

Bill was an avid fisherman, pilot, sailor, mediocre golfer (according to his sons), piano player, world traveler, adventurer, music lover, fireworks director (self-proclaimed), handyman, chef, deal-finder, film enthusiast, engineer, and inventor. It is safe to say that he was the man who knew it all and could do it all, but most importantly, Bill was a wonderful father, husband, son, brother, uncle and friend.

Bill Kirchmeier truly was a one of a kind person. With unbeatable sarcasm and wit, his laugh could light up any room. He left far too soon and will forever be missed. His spirit will live on through his family.

According to his wishes, cremation has taken place. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2026 at Queen of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church at 11:00 AM with Father Timothy MacDonald officiating.

The family will receive friends at the Church on Saturday from 10:00 to 11:00 AM.