HOMER — William L. Steffey Jr. sailed on his final voyage from his home on Sunday (Oct. 7, 2018) surrounded by his family.
He was born Dec. 25, 1930, in rural Homer, a son of William and Dorothy (Bumgart) Steffey Sr. He grew up in the rural Homer/Ogden area and was a graduate of Ogden High School.
He is survived by his wife, Laura; three daughters, Yolanda (Tom) of Chattanooga, Tenn., Lisa (Jeff) of Mahomet and Sheree (Barry) of Normal; stepson, Keith (Sandy) of Carlinville; eight grandchildren, Stephanie (Neil) of Malden, Mass., Autumn (Jeremy) of Normal, Tiffany (Josh) of Glendale, Ariz., Janelle (Greg) of Downs, Brad (Denise) of Worden, Michelle (Shaun) of Rantoul, Steve of Champaign and Michael (Stephanie) of Mahomet; 10 great-grandchildren, Emma, Bradyn, Tristan, Caleb, Kylie, Lauren, Trey, Jacob, Saoirse and Ciaran; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Billy Steffey; sister, Dea Allison; brother, Charles Steffey; and stepson, Darrel Mears.
Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., with the Kevin Little officiating. Burial will be in GAR Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Bill served in the Navy during the Korean conflict on board the USS Dashiell DD659. He spent the majority of his life in the rural Homer area, other than 11 years in Wisconsin farming. He worked at Humko in the boiler room and then Mercy Hospital, also in the boiler room, from which he retired in 1985.
He loved to travel and see the country. He and Laura visited all 48 continental United States plus Alaska, and he would stop and visit his shipmates, friends and family.
In 1982, he organized the first USS Dashiell reunion at his farm in Homer. This past June, he attended the 37th annual reunion in Harrisburg, Pa., and he was the only sailor to attend all 37 reunions held in 23 different states. Besides the love of his family, Bill felt starting the reunion was his greatest achievement. He loved spending time with his Navy buddies and reminiscing.
Bill attended the Bowman Avenue United Methodist Church for many years. He was a member of the Korean War Veterans Association and served on the Ritual Team/Color Guard for many years. At different times, he owned a pool hall and hobby shop in Homer.
He was a past member of the Homer Historical Society. Bill had a keen interest in genealogy and traced the Steffey family back to the 1600s. Bill was a jack-of-all-trades, including electrician, mechanic and logger. You name it. He could fix it.
The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to members of the Carle Hospice Team and Tiffany of ResCare for their excellent care to Bill.
Memorials may be made to GAR Cemetery.
Champaign News-Gazette 10/10/2018
No comments:
Post a Comment