William H. Sell was born on November 4, 1938 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was raised
in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. He enrolled in the "minor seminary" program at St.
Francis De Sales Catholic Seminary, located in St. Francis, Wisconsin, in 1952. Sell
continued at St. Francis De Sales, gaining his high school and undergraduate degree.
Between 1959 and 1971, William Sell obtained 2 master's degrees from Catholic
University of America in Washington, DC., first in Philosophy and then Religious
Education. On May 28th, 1966 Sell was ordained as a priest in the Catholic Church at
St. John's Cathedral in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and performed his first mass on May
29th, 1966 at St. Mary's Parish in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. William Sell served as
an Associate Pastor at St. Catherine's Parish from 1966 until 1969 when he was
discharged from the parish. Sell founded the Center for International Life, which
operated from 1969-1971. In 1970, William Sell met Sue Sartori, and on August 9,
1970, the two were married in a public ceremony in Washington Park on the west side
of Milwaukee. In 1972 Sell founded his business, The Last Word, which was a
secretarial service that included the preparation of documents for copying, editing
services and transcription services. Sell moved to the Bay View neighborhood in the
late 1980's, becoming involved with the creation of the Bay View Neighborhood
Association. He remained a Bay View resident until his passing in 2022.
