Willis Dean Williams

Born March 5, 1925 in Pinckneyville to Ernie and Mary (Johnson) Williams, he married Jessie Jean Pugh on October 25, 1946 in Pinckneyville. She died June 9, 2006 in Mapleton. He also was preceded in death by his parents and four brothers.

Surviving are three daughters, Lana (James) Shawver of Pekin, Diana (Jerry) Green of Mapleton and Sheri (Gary) Frank of Princeton; six grandchildren, Kelli Green of Peoria, Holli Green of Mapleton, Andrew (Wendy) Shawver of Murfreesboro, TN, Timothy (Lindsay) Shawver of Pekin, Jessica (Nicholas) Schone of Washington and Emily Canterbury of Peoria; six great-grandchildren, Rachel Shawver, Brody Shawver, both of Murfreesboro, Rio Schone, Chapel Schone, Sunny Schone, all of Washington and Levi Lie Kamping of Mapleton; one brother, William (Marilyn) Williams of St. Charles, MO and a sister-in-law, Ernestine Ahlers of DuQuoin.

Dean was a United States Marine Corps veteran of World War II and attained the rank of Corporal.

He was a pipefitter for Caterpillar, Inc. and retired in 1982.

Fishing was his biggest passion and he also enjoyed carving ducks, working puzzles, feeding his birds and hunting.

Spending time with his family was important to Dean.

He was a member of Emmanuel Community Church in Pekin, where he was a member of the Survivors Sunday school class.

His memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 11, 2014 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. The Rev. Gary Sinclair will officiate. The family will receive friends one hour before the service at the funeral home. Inurnment will follow the service at Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin, with military rites accorded by the United States Marine Corps.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Midwest Affiliate, 4722 North Sheridan Road, Peoria, IL 61614.

To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com