William "Bill" Mccormick

William “Bill” Bernard McCormick, age 72 (February 18, 1945-December 18, 2017), of Savanna, Illinois, passed away peacefully at FHN Memorial Hospital while embraced by his three children. His loss creates a huge void in the lives of his family and friends, but they are thankful that he is at peace.

Truly one of a kind, Bill grew up on the south side of Chicago where he probably acquired many of the entertaining “one-liners” that he continued to use to great dramatic effect throughout his lifetime. He was the youngest of six children. A self-deprecating character who was so much fun to be around, he provided family and friends with countless stories, creative nicknames, sage advice, and side splitting laughs. His family grew to love the fact he was so comfortable in his own skin that he was unencumbered by many social norms. He graduated from Chicago’s Leo High School in 1963. After high school, he was sent to the Vietnam War where he proudly served his country in the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division. Following his service to our nation, he earned Bachelor and Master’s degrees from Northern Illinois University. While at NIU, he especially enjoyed his time as a member of the Vets club. Bill married Juliene (Meineka) in 1971. In 1973 they moved west to Savanna (IL) where Bill accepted a high school principal position with the Savanna public schools. Later in life, he often fondly reminisced about the many lessons he learned serving in a principal role. In the final years of his professional career he enjoyed serving area counties while working for the Regional Office of Education.

Having grown up in the city of Chicago, Bill was awed by the beauty of Savanna’s river bluffs and surrounding area. He became an active boater and fisherman, and he loved walking in the Mississippi Palisades State Park. He was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, the VFW and the American Legion. He served the youth of Savanna in a variety of ways including spending many years coaching Little League for his children’s baseball teams. He loved eating sweets and was quite fond of asking for a “taste” of food off the plates of his dining companions. Believe it or not he was quite skilled in the culinary arts, and he let neither the scarcity of food in his house nor his makeshift utensils prevent him from cooking up a variety of concoctions for himself and his family.

Bill was incredibly dedicated to his family and loved spending quality time with them. He used his time, talent, and treasure to bless and enrich the lives of his children and grandchildren in innumerable ways. He possessed the rare capacity to recognize and deliver the unique kinds of guidance and resources needed by friends and family in any situation. The most enduring gift he gave his children and grandkids may be that he always lavished them with praise and affirmation, instilling their belief in themselves through the words of encouragement he offered them. In that spirit, we invite you to give an extra hug, word of reassurance, or note of appreciation to your loved ones during this holiday season.

Bill will be dearly missed by his children Brian (Carrie) McCormick of Sycamore, Megan (Jeremy) Nolte of Savanna, and Joseph (Hillary) McCormick of Lemont; grandchildren Caitlin and Mckenzie Nolte and Aaliyah, Carter, and Grace McCormick; his sister Florence (James) Wilkins, his brother John (late Victoria) McCormick, and nieces and nephews Kelly (Timothy) O’Gara, Colleen McCormick, Kevin McCormick, Melvin Eldridge, Lisa Eldridge, Judy McCormick, Janice Wilkins, Kathy (Mike) Lipuma, Jim (Jessica) Wilkins, and Mary Ellen (Tom) Heim. He was preceded in death by his parents Bernard and Florence McCormick, brother Bernard (late Barbara) McCormick, brother Daniel (Maureen) McCormick, brother James (late Barbara) McCormick, nephew Brian Eldridge, and nephew Daniel McCormick.

A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 am, Saturday, December 23, 2017 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Savanna. Burial will take place in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, Savanna. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 22, 2017 at Law-Jones Funeral Home in Savanna. In lieu of flowers memorials may be given to the Arthritis Foundation and the Savanna Veterans Memorial.