B.F. "Chip" Backlund

For the last 40 years, he had split his time between homes in Peoria Heights, Ill., and Arizona.

Born May 31, 1924, near Stromsburg, Neb., he attended Kearney State (Neb.) and graduated from Washburn University (Kan.) in 1946 with a degree in economics. He obtained a law degree from the University of Colorado and passed the Nebraska bar in 1949. During World War II, Chip went into the V-12 program for college students and eventually became the supply officer on what would become the second most decorated ship in the Navy, the USS San Diego. The warship served the entire Pacific Theater, and was the first to enter Tokyo Bay after Japan surrendered. On July 3, 1947, he married Jean Lou Edwards of Kearney, Neb.

Chip was preceded in death by wife, Jean; sister, Jeanne Peterson; and brothers, Edgar and Merle Backlund.

Survivors include his three children: John Backlund of Denver, CO; Camy (Craig) McLaren of Chillicothe, IL; and Steve (Tomi) Backlund of Peoria, IL; grandchildren: Matt (Chau) Backlund of Denver, CO; Tera Backlund (Scott Frank) of Morton, IL; and Eric Backlund of Ft. Collins, CO; great-grandchildren: Conner and Bryce Frank of Morton, IL.

Chip was legal counsel and Senior Bank Examiner for the Banking Department of Nebraska before he got involved in 1957 with the Dunlap State Bank. He eventually added seven more Central Illinois banks to the group and five of these have been combined to form Better Banks, based in Peoria, Ill.

Chip was past president of the Illinois Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers Association of America. He was one of the founders of the Community Bankers Association of Illinois. Chip served as a director on the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago from 1986 to 1992. He was appointed to and was chairman of the White House Conference on Small Business for President Reagan, where he was commissioner for the controversial issue of "The Future of the Small Business Administration." Chip personally presented President Reagan with the final report at a nationally televised news event at the White House. He was an invited panelist every year on the Conference on World Affairs from 1988 until 1993. He was a faculty member for the Assemblies for Bank Directors sponsored by Southern Methodist University from 1989 until 1992 and was council member of the National Federation of Independent Businesses from 1989 until 1999.

With his tremendous passion for local communities and businesses, Chip testified on behalf of community banking and small businesses at numerous hearings held by U.S. Senate Banking Committee, U.S. House Banking Committee and various sub-committees, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the White House Office of Consumer Affairs. He was an invited panelist/speaker at conferences, meetings for the Italian-American Society, Bank Administration Institute, National Association of Accountants, National Association of Internal Auditors, Small Business Administration, National Milk Producers, MacNeil/Lehrer Report (PBS), Financial News Network and numerous State Banking Associations.

Known as “Hookey” to his grandkids, his love of classical music and his unforgettable tenor voice will always be remembered by his family and friends. Chip enjoyed passing the time by having lively and pointed discussions on world affairs, politics and economics. He loved sports and was competitive his whole life, being an avid golfer and tennis player. One of his favorite sayings was, "Golf isn't a sport, it's an addiction." This was so true as over the course of his life, he was a member of the Boulder (Colo.) Country Club, Riverside Country Club (Grand Island, Neb.), Mount Hawley Country Club (Peoria, Ill.), Country Club of Peoria (Ill.), Quincy (Ill.) Country Club, Bob O'Link Golf Club (Highland Park, Ill.), Crow Valley Golf Club (Bettendorf, Iowa), and Desert Forest Golf Club and The Boulders, both in Carefree, Ariz.

With the passing of both Chip and Jean, we will be having a combined visitation from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, June 12, 2015, at Bethany Baptist Church, 7422 N. Heinz Lane, Edwards, Ill. Services for Chip will be at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 13, 2015, at Bethany Baptist Church. An honor guard ceremony will be at Swan Lake Memory Gardens at approximately 4 p.m. Also, a combined celebration of life reception will be after the ceremony from 5 to 7 p.m., location to be announced at both the visitation and service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Backlund Charitable Trust, 10225 N. Knoxville Ave., Peoria, IL 61615, which is to educate and to create awareness mainly of environmental issues; or Wildlife Prairie Park, 3826 N. Taylor Road, Hanna City, IL 61536.

The family extends a special thanks to Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix, Advanced Clinical Associates, Cypress HomeCare Solutions and Alisa Millette of Lafayette, Colo., for their wonderful help and support in the last months of Chip's life.