William "Bill" Neal

William “Bill” Neal, 82, of Manteno had an extraordinary life. It is with great sadness that his family announces his passing on Thursday, July 13, 2023, at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee surrounded by loved ones. He was born on June 5, 1941, in Bloomington, Illinois, the son of Edward and Dorothy (Demlow) Neal. He celebrated 62 wonderful years of marriage to the love of his life Anne (Whalen) and cherished his children Douglas (Elayne) Neal of Lake St. Louis, MO, Greg (Chris) Neal of Aroma Park, IL, Kelli (Jackie) Neal of Madison, WI, Todd (Katie) Neal of Lake St. Louis; MO, and grandchildren Brandi, Christopher (Heather), Alexander, Ethan, Tony, Ashley (Darin), Katie (Jeff) and Josh, Mark (Shyla), Jon, Justin (Brittany); as well as several great grandchildren. Bill was a railroad conductor for Illinois Central Railroad and Metra from which he retired in 2002 after 42 years of service. An avid hobbyist, he enjoyed piloting his Cessna 172, scuba diving around the world, logging extensive miles on his bicycle, snow skiing out west, roller blading along Lake Michigan and ice skating. Bill loved his many family vacations spent fishing, kayaking, and water skiing. In his younger years, he wrestled and ran track at Eastern Illinois University and later coached youth wrestling. In his retirement, he served as a volunteer scuba diver at the Shedd Aquarium and Haigh Quarry and enjoyed reading historical novels and golfing with friends. In addition to his wife and children, he is survived by sisters; Nancy Scott and Sandra (Fred) Bruner; and a brother, Edward (Teri) Neal. Bill is preceded in death by his parents; sister, Sally Bettenhausen; and brothers-in-law, Calvin Scott and Tom Bettenhausen. A funeral mass will be held Saturday, July 22, 2023, at 10am at St. George Catholic Church, 5272 E 5000N Rd, Bourbonnais. Father Dan Belanger will officiate. Burial will be at St. George Cemetery. Brown-Jensen Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. George Catholic Church.