Trace L Waters

Born February 6, 1978 in Peoria to Barry and Beverly (Johnson) Waters, he married Maria May on August 13, 2011 in Portland, Maine. She survives.

Also surviving are his parents of Pekin; his maternal grandparents, Paul (Mary) Johnson of South Holland; three daughters, Kaitlyn Waters of Forest City, Leah Waters of Pekin and Gwenyth Waters of Mackinaw; two sons, Lane Waters of Pekin and Boyce Waters of Mackinaw; one sister, Kayla Waters of East Moline; and two brothers, Kyle Waters of San Francisco, California and Kellen (Lindsay) Waters of Deer Creek.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Faye and William Waters.

Trace had attended Harvest Baptist Temple in Mackinaw.

He had worked as a certified flight instructor and a commercial pilot for American Eagle Airlines.

Trace was a musician and loved to share his talents with area nursing home residents. He played regularly for the residents at Lutheran Hillside Village as well as other area nursing homes.

He had a thirst for knowledge and was always learning and expanding his mind.

He was a master gardener, most recently experimenting with hydroponics and enjoyed sharing his knowledge through videos that he posted on social media to help others benefit from what he had learned.

He was also an inventor and an amateur astronomer. He liked to build a variety of things and would read text books to help him develop his inventions, which included building motors and light cannons, just to name a few.

He was an avid hunter and had also been a competitive power lifter.

Above all else, Trace was passionate about his love for God and for his family.

His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church in Pekin. Pastor Brad Martin will officiate. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Burial will be in Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.

Memorial contributions may be given to an education fund for his children in c/o Cefcu in Pekin.