Born on January 27, 1945, in East St. Louis to Bud and Mary (Hall) Winters. Buddy married Darlene Irene Gschwend on June 1, 1974, in Pekin. She preceded him in death on November 24, 2022.
Buddy was also preceded in death by his parents; 2 sisters, Aretha; and Betty; and one son, Dohn W. Winters, II.
Survived by his children, Doug (Andrea) Winters of Waxahachie, TX, Juanita Lumpkin, Joe Loeffelmann and John Loeffelmann all of Pekin, one cousin, Ralph Green, 17 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.
Buddy proudly served his country in the United States Army for 6 years. He later transitioned into the National Guard for another four years, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was stationed in Germany and Vietnam. Buddy later worked for Caterpillar Inc. in East Peoria doing Inventory and Stock Control for 32 years. He served on the Village of South Pekin Board for several years being the Trustee over South Pekin Police and South Pekin Fire Department and later as Chairman of South Pekin E.S.D.A with a total combined 35 years of service to the Village of South Pekin.
He enjoyed fishing, gardening and most of all family cookouts.
Buddy’s visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Funeral will be at 11:00 a.m. also on Thursday at the funeral home Pastor Nathan Noyes will officiate. Burial with full military honors will follow at Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.
Memorial contributions in honor of Buddy may be directed to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 1640, Hagerstown, Maryland 21741 or the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 840692, Dallas, Texas 75284.
To express condolences online, visit www.Preston-Hanley.com
