William R Buchanan, Sr.

Born May 9, 1937 in Brookfield to Arthur Lee and Ruth Sydney (Myers) Buchanan, he married Janet Hohimer. He later married M. Sue Dodd on September 1, 1972 in Decatur. She died January 11, 2013 in Pekin. He was also preceded in death by his parents; step-son, Frankie Dale Turner; one grandson; one great-granddaughter; one brother, Arthur Buchanan; and two sisters, Clara Condo and Bernadine Shepherd.

Surviving are seven children, Debbie Schwarzentruber of Bloomington, Jackie (Mike) Soberalski of LaSalle, Sherry Wirtz and Kathi Byrne, both of Bloomington, William Buchanan, Jr. of Green Valley, Linda McGuire of Salem, and Tami (Mike) Fryman of Pekin; twenty-four grandchildren; twenty-two great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; one sister, Micky Lewallen of Champaign; and his beloved dog, Mickey.

Bill worked at the Pantagraph in Bloomington for over 40 years, retiring in 2002. He started in the mail room and retired as the lead pressman. He was a former president of the Pressman Union.

An avid camper, he was a member of the Jayco Heart of Illinois Jaytrackers, Bloomington-Normal Motorcycle Club, and Vagabonds Car Club in Bloomington. He also enjoyed fishing, working in his yard, and watching NASCAR. He was a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan.

His funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, October 29, 2015 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Sand Prairie Cemetery in rural Green Valley.

Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com