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BORN
1939
DIED
2021
William Renken Obituary
Fort Myers, FL—Mr. William "Bill" Renken, aged 81, of Fort Myers (formerly of Pleasant Plains, IL) went to be with his Lord and Savior, Tuesday, May 11, 2021. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Lennora Renken. He is survived by his loving wife, Sheryl; children, Linnea Howard (husband Jack), Troy Renken (wife Angela), and Tracy Renken (partner Mariana); his grandchildren, Cailey Renken, Jillian Renken, Maureen Renken, and Alex Renken. He is also survived by his sister, Shirley Goodyer (husband Jim) of Madison, WI.
Bill was a corporate pilot and Aviation Safety Inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration in South Bend, IN. He was very involved with Crown of Life Lutheran Church serving as Congregation President and helping with the Crown of Life Christian Academy school. In addition, he was a huge sports fan and booster club member of FGCU basketball. He was a very loving and giving person and will be missed by many.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 11:00am at Crown of Life Lutheran Church, Fort Myers, Florida with Pastor Martin Luchterhand officiating and a luncheon to follow. Memorial contributions may be made to Crown of Life Lutheran Church or Crown of Life Christian Academy.
Crown of Life Lutheran Church, 5820 Daniels Parkway, Fort Myers, FL
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Memories and Condolences
for William Renken
5 Entries
Brad and Georgene Kinsman
May 6, 2025
We think of Bill often and the wonderful legacy he left as he served the congregation at Cown of Life in so many ways. May his soul rest with the Lord until that glorious day when we meet again in heaven.
Brad and Georgene
Dennis Hartsell
June 25, 2021
I will always remember Bill as a thorough but kind aviation professional. He gave me several check rides and was always wise in his judgments.
Ruth Ann {Kruse} Sampson
May 17, 2021
May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.
Joan & Janey Trout
May 15, 2021
Bro Bill, Sis Sheri, Troy and Tracy are family to us. We’ve known them since 1979 as great neighbors and friends. We’ve had lots of great times watching Troy and Tracy grow up, hanging out at the lake cottage, antiquing, garage sales, ball games, hearing about their RV adventures as they traveled the US, and then retiring in Florida. What a great life Bill had and a great partner to share it with! He was a wonderful man, smart, articulate, caring, and so much fun! It is hard to believe he has been taken by this AWFUL disease! He will be missed terribly and we are thinking of Sis Sheri and the family. Love you all.
Frank Sanker
May 13, 2021
Bill and I started our wonderful friendship early in 1971. I was his copilot for many years at Central Soya. I like to think I was a good student because I had the BEST teacher. Bill was the best, by far, pilot I ever flew with. He had the expert ability to head off a minor problem before any situation got out of control. Not only in aviation but he carried this with him everywhere he went. I was blessed to know him and to be his friend. In the recent years he and I would speak about the many times we flew together and I was always so glad to come away from our talks knowing I had an opportunity to thank him for all he gave to me. My sincere condolences to Sheryl and his family.
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