William M. Attiyeh

William Matthew Attiyeh (“Bill”) passed away on Monday, August 31st, 2026. Despite a successful kidney transplant on August 1st, he contracted West Nile Virus from a stupid mosquito bite and his immune system was too depleted to fight it. He always hated how much those bugs loved to bite him. His family, wife, Maggie (Rooney); and children, Rosie (Jeff Kraemer), Grace (Erik Lokaitis), and Hank (Sydney Martin) were so excited for his newfound freedom after transplant. The loss of a longer life filled with family milestones, travel, and new experiences is heartbreaking.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Carrie (Schat) Attiyeh. He was the youngest of four siblings: Richard, Alice (Stanley) Krawczyk, and Marty (Yanni) Attiyeh. Because he was the youngest sibling, he was very close with his many nieces and nephews and was known as “Uncle Billy” to Steven (Molly) Krawczyk, Kari (Bryan) Bailey, Madeleine (Kirk) O’Rourke, Christy (Daniel) True, Cindy Brandes, and Carol (Shawn) Murphy. Bill was the brother-in-law and dear friend to Ann (Mark) Abad and Dan (Denise) Rooney, and uncle to Andrew Abad, Nate (Autumn) Abad, and Sara Rooney.

To know Bill was to love him. He enjoyed his work as a systems architect at Grainger, where he retired from in 2023. He loved figuring out how to make Maggie’s, Rosie’s, and Grace’s ideas for Special Days Camps (a summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings) come to life, including creating an eight foot tall volcano, twenty-four giant wooden spoons, a TARDIS, and a catapult. He made a model church for Hank’s Dungeons & Dragons campaign. He always helped with school projects, did the laundry, and was very particular about how he loaded the dish washer.

He visited many National Parks with his friends and family, including Yosemite with his son, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons with his family, Glacier with his nephew and brother, and Acadia with his best friend. Bill and his family traveled to the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan, where they stayed with dear friends, the Hansens, for summer vacation for many years. He and Maggie dreamed of retiring there after the cancer treatments, dialysis, and kidney transplant were behind them.

All of the little moments spent with Bill were what really made him special. He had a witty joke, callback song, or movie quote for any conversation. He spent his days watching his favorite movies, finding great recipes for themed holiday meals, and getting coffee or lunch with his friends. He was always willing to help his children with practical issues, a neighbor with a house project, or a friend with life advice. Bill was a proud member of the Annunciation Building and Grounds Crew. He possessed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of World War II, Liverpool F.C., and the Chicago Bears. He introduced his children to Green Day, Talking Heads, The Ramones, The Who, and other favorite bands. He and Maggie laughed every day. Bill’s life was full of service, love, and joy. We will miss him so much.

A memorial service will be held on October 16 at Marsh Funeral Home in Gurnee, Illinois. Visitation will be at 10:00 with a service at 11:00. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Special Days Camps in Bill’s memory.

https://specialdays.org/how-to-help/donations/