The Honorable William J Reardon

He was born July 15, 1922 at the Pekin Public Hospital to William J., Sr. and Marie E. (Albertsen) Reardon. His parents preceded him in death. He also was preceded in death by one brother, Daniel Reardon; one sister, Mary Anne VonDerHeide and one nephew, Peter Reardon Simpson.

Surviving are three nieces, Barbara Elizabeth (Steven) Sampson, of Mound, Minnesota, Jane Turner of St. Paul, Minnesota and Anne Marie Turner of San Francisco, California and two nephews, Vincent William (Beverly) Turner of Ivanhoe, Minnesota and Michael Carrington Simpson of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

He was an Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War, serving overseas in both wars and attaining the rank of Captain.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a Juris Doctor Degree from the College of Law, both at the University of Illinois.

He was a lawyer in Pekin for seventeen years. In April of 1965 he was appointed an Associate Judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit and served in that capacity for twenty-eight years, retiring July 1, 1993. He was recalled to the bench as an Associate Circuit Judge for parts of 1994 and 1995. In 2000 he was recalled as the Resident Circuit Judge of Tazewell County, serving in that capacity for five months.

He was a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Tazewell County Bar Association, the Peoria Bar Association and the American Judicature Society. He also was a faithful member of Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Pekin and the Pekin Country Club.

His memorial Mass will be at noon Tuesday, November 27, 2007at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Pekin. Father Timothy Nolan will officiate. There will be no visitation. Private burial will be in the Reardon family plot at Lakeside Cemetery in Pekin.

A luncheon will be held immediately following the memorial Mass at the Pekin Country Club.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Preston-Hanley Funeral Home, Pekin Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Saint Joseph Catholic Church, 303 South 7th Street, Pekin, IL 61554 to the Pekin Public Library, 301 South 4th Street, Pekin, IL 61554, where he was a member of the Library Board for several years or to a charity of the donor's choice.