George "Bud" H. Alewelt, Sr.

George "Bud" H. Alewelt, Sr., 92, of Springfield, passed away at 10:19 a.m. on Monday, May 23, 2016 at Lewis Memorial Christian Village. George was born March 29, 1924 in Springfield, the son of Henry and Gladys Krug Alewelt. He married Bonnie Schober on September 1, 1972 in Springfield. George graduated from Lanphier High School in 1942. He proudly served in the United States Air Force during World War II. George served a total of 39 months overseas, 20 of those in North Africa and Italy as a Flight Engineer working on B17s. He was honored to participate in an Honor Flight on May 10, 2011. George worked until he was 83 years old, finally retiring from Buraski Builders in 2007 after 18 years of employment. He also retired from CIPS after 11 years, and Sangamo Electric after more than 30 years of service. He earned 9 varsity letters in 3 different sports at Lanphier High School. He was inducted into the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 as a member of One Day Cleaners baseball team, and again as an individual in 2004. George was also a member of St. Agnes Catholic Church, American Legion Post #32, Knights of Columbus Council #364, and the Blue Ridge Club. He was a lifetime member of VFW Post 755 and volunteered as a Samaritan at St. John's Hospital. George enjoyed boating, swimming, golf (he scored two holes in one), and coaching little league baseball, including coaching both his son and grandson's team. He was preceded in death by his parents; son, George H. Alewelt, Jr.; and sister, Betty. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie (Schober) Alewelt of Springfield; daughter, Barbara (Frank) Buraski of Springfield; two grandchildren, Heather (Bobby) Sobieski and Jason (Rachael) Buraski both of Springfield; four great-grandchildren, Hailey, Kaitlyn, Jacob, and Anna; and several nieces and nephews. Visitation: Family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at Kirlin-Egan & Butler Funeral Home, 900 S. 6th Street, Springfield. The visitation will begin with a prayer service. Funeral Mass: 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 27, 2016 at St. Agnes Catholic Church, 245 North Amos Avenue, Springfield, with Rev. Robert J. Jallas officiating. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to: St. Agnes Catholic Church, 245 N. Amos Avenue, Springfield, IL 62702.