William B. Shelander

William Bryan Shelander, age 83, of Washington, Illinois passed away peacefully January 25th, 2025. He was born August 14th, 1941 in Peoria, IL to Thomas Jones and Mary Helen Rinkenberger. He married Ila Cheryl Schwenk on January 12th 1963, and together they had three children Keith, Beth, and William.
Bill is survived by his wife Cheryl, daughter Beth (late husband, Ian) Howley, son William (Lisa) Shelander; grandchildren Miles Howley, Tess Howley, Grace Howley, Andrew Davis; siblings Kathy (Trisha) Shelander, Linda (Robert) Killian, Vickie (Joseph) Howard, Rebecca (Joseph) Knott, Ellen (Kevin) Abrams, Thomas (late wife, Patrice) Jones, Bryan (Tina) Jones, Robert (Patricia) Jones; numerous nieces, nephews, great-grandchildren, and a much loved extended family of in-laws.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, son Keith, step-father Carl Shelander, brother George Shelander, sister-in-law Nancy Shelander, and son-in-law Ian Howley.
Bill spent a good deal of his childhood in Minnesota, where he attended school and assisted in running the family owned Wausota Resort in Squaw Lake, Minnesota. During high school he returned to Washington, IL graduating from Washington Community High School and attending Bradley University. In 1961, Bill was also among the original founding members of the Washington Rescue Squad. He began his career as a police officer in 1973.
After 25 years of service, Bill retired from the Tazewell County Sheriff's Department in 1999 as a captain. In retirement, Bill along with his wife Cheryl embraced the joy of traveling in their Airstream, making memories as they attended rallies and caravans that led to unforgettable adventures on the road. He also enjoyed spending time on the golf course, tinkering with his ham radio, Sunday movie nights with family, and any reason to gather together with loved ones.
A memorial service to honor the life of William B. Shelander will be held at Mason-White Funeral Home in Washington, Ilinois on February 8, 2025, at 11:00 am The family will receive friends just prior to the service from 10 am to 11 am. A graveside interment service will be held on a later date at Glendale Cemetery in Washington. Memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer's Association by visiting www.alz.org.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of William B. Shelander, please visit our floral store.