William W. Wickline

William W. Wickline, 68, passed away suddenly on September 21, 2026, with his husband by his side. He was born July 17, 1958, in Columbus, Ohio.

Bill was an incredibly creative person with an amazing eye for beauty, style, and elegance. He had an appreciation of the traditional style in fashion and living. He was a relaxed conversationalist, making anyone feel at ease.  
 


Bill met Raúl Rebak in 1993, and they were together ever since. They lived throughout the United States: including Columbus, Ohio; Kokomo, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Livermore, California; and finally, Schenectady, New York. Bill and Raul were married in 2011 by Mayor Gary McCarthy at the Schenectady City Hall. They had a series of lovely homes in Schenectady, a cabin in Charlotte Valley, NY, and a home in Misiones, Argentina.

Bill worked in Columbus as a graphic artist for the agency Conrad Phillips Vutech and then as a freelancer designing storyboards by hand. With the advent of computers and software in the advertising world, he lost patience and interest in the business. While living in California, he worked briefly at Williams Sonoma stores.

He enrolled at Las Positas College (where a credit hour cost $47 for the generous California school system) to study art, but never graduated since he refused to take algebra and PhysEd. Bill blossomed at Las Positas, where he met many artists, and where he learned the science and techniques of all types of expression, especially oil and charcoal. With these new techniques, combined with his natural talent, Bill produced outstanding pieces admired by many friends — he was an accomplished artist. In Schenectady, though, he decided to no longer paint. His last piece was produced by commission in 2016.

After moving to Schenectady, Bill liked to call himself a home maker. Born under the sign of Cancer, he preferred controlled interiors rather than the outdoors, where “lighting was too harsh and sitting was uncomfortable,” as he used to say. He precisely and creatively styled his living spaces until his final days.

Bill had a succinct set of rules of living which he adhered to rigidly; unfortunately, at times...

Bill and Raúl enjoyed vintage and modern films and attended the TCM film festival in Los Angeles on numerous occasions, and several times with his sister, Brenda. Bill relished seeing in person some of his much-admired stars, like Alex Trebek, Eva Marie Saint, Tippi Hedren, Maureen O’Hara, Francis Ford Coppola, Faye Dunaway, Gina Lollobrigida and many others. One of Bill’s wishes was to live long enough to see the 100th Academy Awards telecast. He loved to watch the same movie more than once, and had seen Doctor Zhivago, Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz and The Accidental Tourist more than a hundred times. He also had specific times of the year for each movie, never missing a single Easter showing of The Ten Commandments on ABC.

Bill and Raúl also enjoyed traveling in Europe. Bill loved fine hotels and classic restaurants. Every time Bill visited Hollywood, he dined at the Musso and Frank restaurant, where he could be sitting next to a long-forgotten child actor from Hollywood’s golden era. Bill also stayed at the Beverly Hilton, having admired its architecture after seeing it many times on TV at the Golden Globe Awards. One of Bill’s happy memories was staying at the Waldorf Hotel in London and walking across the street for dinner at Simpson’s restaurant near the Savoy Hotel (featured in his favorite TV show, “Downton Abbey”). While in London, Bill adored shopping at Harrods, Liberty, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason. His last trip to London was in May 2023 for the Coronation of Charles III. Another trip he cherished was to Scotland, including Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Balmoral Castle. In Edinburgh, he was thrilled, standing outside the Caledonian Hotel, to smoke and talk to other super-friendly Scots. He loved his first-class travels by train, seeing the Scottish countryside. Another of his favorite trips was a week in Florence, Italy, visiting the usual sites or just walking the cobblestone streets where Dante walked or just going to regular stores to purchase one-euro wine.  

Bill will be remembered by many close friends and chosen family who will never forget his wit, dry humor, and many kindnesses. He relished very much the annual celebrations of Thanksgiving and Christmas with his adopted family, the heirs of the Gallo and Barkowski families. Throughout the year he was looking forward to those celebrations, where spirited conversations never ceased.  

Bill loved cooking and was fond of family recipes and traditions that were carried on; and he was a champion of Julia Child and her recipes. An easy-going entertainer, he once made a cake with so much butter it caused the possible demise of a family matriarch. Also, Bill was a generous gift giver; choosing gifts so thoughtfully, beautifully curated, and always the best quality. 

Bill is survived by his loving husband, Raúl; his sisters, Debbie (Glen) George of Green Castle, Ohio, and Judy Reyes of Columbus, Ohio; his brothers-in-law, Ron Pollard of Columbus, Ohio and Federico Rebak of Argentina; his sisters-in-law, Nina and Rosa Rebak of Misiones, Argentina; his niece, Jamie (Kyle) Reyes; his aunts, Rowena Wickline, Edna Wickline and Mary Schroer; and several cousins. He was predeceased by his mother, Jean Kaser; his sister, Brenda Wickline; his sister-in-law, Elsa Rebak, and his brother-in-law, Rodolfo Rebak.

Bill had several loving cats who were a source of joy and comfort; Jada, Borges, and Francis.

Several Celebrations of Life are planned in the coming months.

Donations in Bill’s memory can be made to WAMC, Albany, NY (www.wamc.org).