Mr. William J. "Bill" Alessini (88) passed away in Madera on July 7, 2023. Bill, born on October 16, 1934, was a lifelong Maderan and spent his working years promoting Downtown Madera, where he worked since the age of seven, sweeping up and doing general custodial work at the former Madera Drugs and the family’s Barsotti Bakery.
Bill graduated from Madera Union High School in 1953, where he was a cheerleader. As a teenager, he delivered furniture for Jennings Brothers Furniture, then realized he was spending most of his money on clothing and took a job at Madera’s premiere haberdashery, Duncan and Shied. He had become a partner in that store in just a few years. In the 1970s, with partner Carol Wilkins, opened William Carol Fashions Unlimitied, which at its height consisted of eleven stores throughout the valley. Bill continued to operate William Carol until his retirement a few years ago in downtown Madera.