William John Hancock was born on November 20, 1961 in St. Paul, Minnesota the son of Richard and Julie Ann (Swanson) Hancock. Bill learned to love the outdoors as a young man. At the age of 9 he was raising his own pheasants. He attended school graduating from Amery High School in 1980. During his high school years he did some farm work and continued doing so for a while after graduating. He drove truck for a sanitation company for a period of time as well. Bill was an avid hunter, especially bear and raccoon. In the early 1980's Bill would guide hunters in bear hunts. Just this fall his daughter Callie harvested her first bear. Over the past 25 years he has been employed at Amtec in Amery, where he will be missed. Bill raised chickens and they followed him around or came running when he arrived home each day. Bill died at his home in rural Cumberland on Sunday, October 12, 2014 at the age of 52 years.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Ann Carberry and an infant brother Richard Hancock. Surviving family members include his daughter Callie Hancock and her mother Angie Will; sister Nancy Harshman; step-mother Ilse Hancock; step-sisters: Susanne Swanson and Lee Borst as well as other relatives and friends.
Memorial services will be held on Friday, October 17, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Amery. There will be a visitation for the hour prior to the service at the church.