William Bill Sam Urbauer

William Sam Urbauer (age 83)

Beloved husband of Betty Mazzone- Urbauer nee: Uidl and the late Eleanor nee:Sichelski

Loving father of Debbie (Larry) Paha, Michele (Albert) Kiela, Gary Mazzone and Cliff (Kathleen) Mazzone.

Cherished grandfather of Dana, Brian, Stacey, Lisa, Alex, Aaron, Ryan and Nick.

Dearest brother of John (the late Caroline) and Joseph (Carmen) Urbauer.

Fond uncle of many nieces and nephews and a friend to all.

Proud member of The Pilgrims Social Club.

Visitation : 3 p.m.- 9 p.m. Thursday Jan. 20, 2011 at Chapel Hill Gardens South Funeral Home

11333 S. Central Ave. Oak Lawn, Il 60453

Funeral: Friday Lying in State from 10:30 a.m. until time of service at 11:30 at Peace Memorial Church

10300 W. 131st. St. Palos Park, Il. 60464

Interment: Private

In lieu of flowers donations to Peace Memorial Church would be appreciated

Please celebrate Bill’s life at www.chapelhillgardenssouth.com

708-636-1200

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WILLIAM S. URBAUER

............." BILL"..................

When William Sam Urbauer walked into the room, those in his company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Bill was and how he impacted those around him. Bill was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Bill wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Bill was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.

Bill was born on April 17, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois at home with a mid-wife. He was the youngest son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Krauss) Urbauer. Bill was raised in Chicago, Illinois. Always at the ready with a good joke, he grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Bill might describe him as an idealist, his friends and family understood well that Bill was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to him.

Bill was raised with two siblings. He had two older brothers John and Joseph. Bill was very accepting and supportive of his family. He was perceived as the central person in his family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Bill was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Bill well in his adult life and his wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew him.

As a young boy, Bill was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew him into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Bill was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with his peers. He was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Bill took part in playing all neighborhood sports and especially loved playing baseball. In his spare time he liked fishing at Sherman Park. Bill had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity he and the many childhood friends he shared might discover.

During his high school years, Bill responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. He graduated from Lindbloom High School in 1945. Bill was a very good student and generally did well in his courses. Bill absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using his imagination to master his assignments. For Bill, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to his ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Bill a good listener and knew that when necessary they could go to him to discuss just about anything.

Bill had a talent for making acquaintances easily, which in turn brought him an endless stream of friends. Bill was very sociable and could blend, without effort, into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Bill was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made many friends. While growing up, his best friend was his brother Joe, John was still living in Austria. Later in life, he became friends with all his buddies at Peace Memorial Church and The Pilgrims Social Group. He had so many friends it is to hard to name them all because all you had to do was meet Bill once and you knew you had a friend. He was that kind of guy.

In 1988 Bill married Elizabeth "Betty" (Uidl) Mazzone at Peace Memorial Church in Palos Park, Illinois. Bill's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in his ability to make his new family happy. He was quite sensitive towards Betty's needs, showing his constant concern and fondness. Bill was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served him well in helping to nurture his family.

Bill was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide his family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Bill, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of his life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Urbauer home. Bill's skill at understanding his children's feelings, his sensitivity to their needs, and his gift for gentle persuasion enabled him to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Bill was blessed with two beautiful daughters, Debbie and Michele, from his loving wife Eleanor who passed away in 1982. After marrying Betty, his number of children grew adding two step- sons, Gary and Cliff. He was also blessed with eight grandchildren: Dana, Brian, Stacey, Lisa, Alex, Aaron, Ryan, and Nick.

Bill was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made him an exceptional worker. His primary occupation was as a truck driver. He was employed for American Can Company for over thirty years. Bill was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize him. Bill had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of his gift for insight. Bill's fellow workers saw him as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Bill loved to have a broad variety of activities in his life, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. His favorite pursuits were bowling, fishing, cars, and most of all GOLF. Bill had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of his favorite pastimes. However, Bill's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Bill derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. His charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying many sporting activities. Bill was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. On the top of his list were all the Chicago teams, especially "His" CHICAGO CUBS.

Throughout his life, Bill was actively involved in professional and community organizations. He was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, Bill seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with Bill usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with him, it was as entertaining as anything you could imagine. Throughout his later years, Bill was an active member of the Pilgrims Social Group.

Bill was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a lifetime member of Peace Memorial Church. During that time, he was on various committees. He was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and he used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for his beliefs.

Though he never did anything solely for individual recognition, Bill's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness earned him accolades for his many lifelong efforts. Some of his most prestigious awards included being "Man of the Year" by the Pilgrim Group but the award he held most dear was being considered #1 Dad and Grandpa.

Bill's love of improvising in his daily life was a perfect fit for his enjoyment of traveling. His favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit his personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Bill took his vacations seriously, well, as seriously as he possibly could. Favorite vacations included his many trips up to the Farm on Bass Lake in Indiana, going to Hawaii, trips to Europe and his Alaskan Cruise.

Bill was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. He loved dogs. His favorite was Ringo, a German Shepherd . His family was rounded out by his by his many Grand-dogs. Kiera, Madison, Sadie, and Jessie.

Bill's retirement finally came in 1989, at the age of 62. Bill handled it the way he usually handled things, he adapted and made it satisfying. Because he was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Bill to master. His new life involved relocating to Tinley Park, Illinois. In retirement, he found new pleasure in doing puzzles, boating, tinkering with odds and ends, working on his daughter's cars for them, helping out at church with the landscapers and enjoying the freedom that comes with being retired. Even in retirement, Bill continued to stay in touch with his old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Bill Urbauer passed away on January 17, 2011; surrounded by his loving family at Palos Community Hospital, in Palos Heights, Illinois. Bill fought a brave battle against complications that set in after a sudden accident. He is survived by his loving wife Betty, his cherished children Debbie (Larry) Paha, Michele (Albert) Kiela, Gary Mazzone and Cliff (Kathleen) Mazzone, his treasured grandchildren Dana, Brian, Stacey, Lisa, Alex, Aaron, Ryan and Nick, his dear brothers John (late Caroline) and Joseph (Carmen) Urbauer, many nieces and nephews and a friend to all. Services were held at Peace Memorial Church. Bill was laid to rest in a private service in Peace Memorial Columbarium, Palos Park, Illinois.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Bill. He was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Bill Urbauer for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Bill was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his loved ones.