WILLIAM J. TOERPE Jr.

William J. Toerpe Jr., age 86, a longtime resident of Wheaton/ Winfield, IL, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 13, 2018, at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. He was born May 18, 1931 in Berwyn to William and Lavine Toerpe. Bill was a graduate of York High School. He was awarded two bronze stars while serving in the U.S. Army with the 973rd Field Battalion in Korea, during the Korean Conflict. In 1954, after returning from Korea, he met Joyce West. They were married on April 1, 1955. They raised a family in Addison and Wheaton. He was a Republican Precinct Committeeman, a DuPage County Board Member and a member of the DuPage Forest Commission. From 1974 until 1999 he served on the DuPage County Election Commission and was Chairman for the last 5 years. He has been an active member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in West Chicago where he served on the Church Council. After working for many years in safety sales, he retired as a Sales Manager for Textron-North Safety. He was an active person who was involved with service organizations such as: AF&AM 941 Elmhurst, IL, Chapter 242 Apollo Commandery, Knights Templar, Shriner Medinah Temple, VFW Post 2164, Elmhurst Elks Lodge 1531 and DuPage Senior Citizens Council. He loved hunting, fishing and travel. He was a people person who always had a story to tell and valued friends and family. He is survived by three children, William III (Saundra) Toerpe of Cincinnati, OH, Tara (Brian) Shannon of Batavia and Tracy (Grant) Clark of Bristol, WI, seven grandchildren, William IV, Thomas (Kim), Marybeth, Carleigh, Callum, Madeline, and Morgan and two great-grandchildren, Davis Paul and Dennison Jo Toerpe. He is also survived by one sister, Jean Robinson of Venice, Florida. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce, his parents, and sister, Dorothy. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 from 4 to 8 p.m at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, January 18, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 155 N. Prince Crossing Rd., West Chicago, IL 60185. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to St. Andrew Lutheran Church. Family and friends may sign a guest book at hultgrenfh.com. For more information, please call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027.