O. William "Bill" Wenger

He was born May 10, 1929 in Peoria to Orlendo Joseph and Helen Mae (Sullivan) Wenger, the oldest of three brothers. He married the love of his life, Betty M. Fischer on June 10, 1951 during a weekend pass from the Army. He was then sent to Korea, where he served proudly until his honorable discharge as Technical Sergeant in Dec. 1952.

Bill and Betty raised a family of five children, Lee Wenger (Denise Adams) of Peoria, Dick (Rosie) Wenger of Schaumburg, Kitty Benson of Aurora, Ken (Susan) Wenger of Peoria, and Carol (Dan) Learned of Washington, IL. Bill is survived by his wife of 65 years, his brother Jerry of Naples, FL, his children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Walter.

He graduated from Peoria High School in 1946 and attended Bradley University. He then began his career as a buyer for Block and Kuhl (later Carson’s) where he worked for over 20 years. Bill then became a manager for Insurance North America (later Cigna) until he retired in 1991. He was a lifetime member of First Baptist Church of Peoria, where he met his wife at the high school youth group. He and Betty became part of a group of good friends from the church who met monthly for social activities. This group maintained their association for over 60 years, two of which were with him on the day that he passed.

Cremation rites have been accorded.Visitation will be held Sat. Nov. 5 at 10am at First Baptist Church of Peoria, followed by a memorial service at 11:30am. Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church. Davison-Fulton will assist the family with cremation and services.