William Dean “Bill” Schwenker (73) of Cowden
Published on August 11 2018 5:22 am
William Dean “Bill” Schwenker, 73, of Cowden, IL, passed away at 3:49 p.m. Thursday, August 9, 2018 in HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital, Shelbyville, IL.
Funeral services will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 12, 2018 in Howe and Yockey Funeral Home, Shelbyville, IL with Rev. Kathy Lewis officiating. Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. on Sunday in the funeral home. Casual attire is requested. Burial will be in Red Bank Cemetery, Lakewood, IL with military rites by the Shelby County Honor Guard. Memorials may be given to the Shelby County Honor Guard or the Wounded Warrior Project.
Bill was born on August 12, 1944 in Shelbyville, IL the son of William Henry and Inez Lavone (Thompson) Schwenker. He attended Shelbyville Schools and in August of 1961 entered the U.S. Army. Bill’s military career spanned 21 years, serving in Korea and Germany and was a Green Beret in the Vietnam War. He retired with the rank of Sergeant First Class E-7 from the U.S. Army in August of 1982.
Bill returned to the Lakewood area and served as the Road Commissioner of Lakewood Township from 1982-2017. He also owned and operated Bill Schwenker Service Company from 1985-present, where he was an independent contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Shelbyville. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, reading, wood working, talking and above all, spending time with his family.
Bill was a member of the Illinois Township Officials Association and was an avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bears and the Fighting Illini.
Bill married Patricia A. Williams on December 26, 1964 in Lakewood, IL. He is survived by his wife, Pat of Cowden, IL; son, John Schwenker (Tracy) of Mode, IL; daughter, Jackie Campbell (Shawn) of Shelbyville, IL; daughter-in-law, Valerie Schwenker of Shelbyville, IL; sisters, Donna Martin (special friend, Alan Pruemer) of Shelbyville, IL and Linda Pietrzak (Jeff) of Mahomet, IL; grandchildren, Jessica Reed (Kris) of Shelbyville, IL, Casey Wasson of Cowden, IL, Cody Cole of Shelbyville, IL, Jude Schwenker of Effingham, IL, Desiree Tull of Shelbyville, IL and Hunter Campbell of Shelbyville, IL; and great grandchildren, Rayleigh, Kaylynn, Tess, Adleigh, Hemi and Alice.
He was preceded in death by his parents, son, James Schwenker in 2015; daughter, Ellen Poolo in 2014; and step-father, Donald Compton.
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