Bill Nielsen, 87, departed this life on May 19, 2015 in Wichita, Kansas. He was born September 1, 1927 in Parsons, Kansas. He was the last of three sons born to Florence (Hammond) Crane. Bill grew up in Parsons, Kansas, where his natural artistic ability first flourished and he developed a life-long passion for hunting, fishing and the outdoors. He volunteered to serve his country in WWII and was deployed with the Navy to the Philippines and Japan until the war's end. He married his high school sweetheart, Ramona (Brown) Nielsen on January 1, 1947 and enjoyed over 61 years of marriage until her passing in 2008. Bill and Ramona lived in Wichita most of their adult lives, where Bill worked as an illustrator at Boeing. Throughout his life, Bill painted, sculpted and woodworked. His paintings frequently received the "People's Choice" award at the Kansas State Fair and can be found in many public and private collections. Bill is survived by his son Derrick Nielsen, daughter-in-law Alicia Darnell, and loving grandchildren, Amanda, Madison, Zachary and Nathan, all of Andover, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, the family has established a memorial in his honor with the Arthritis Foundation, Kansas Chapter, 1999 N. Amidon, Suite 105, Wichita, KS, 67203. The family would like to extend an invitation to a Celebration of Life Memorial Service at First Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 2:00 P.M.