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William "Bill" Maher, 79, of Sunnyland died at 8:05 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007, at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria after saying, "Please accept this final decision that I am making I pray that you will understand."
Born Oct. 29, 1927, in Chicago, Ill., to Clarence L. and Mabel Look Maher, he married the love of his life, Shirley Ann Collins, on Sept. 18, 1948, at Sacred Heart Church in Peoria and, on March 23, 2007, his heart broke when she died.
He is survived by his six children, Cindy (Bill) Schmidt of Kansas City, Mo., Susan (Paul) Antinozzi of Woodbridge, Conn., Mary Ann (Jack) VonAchen of Lansing, Mich., Tim (Sara) Maher of Springfield, Ill., Christopher Maher of Chicago, Ill., and Maureen (Jay) Keigher of Melvin, Ill.; 19 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and one brother, Clarence L. Lefty (Jane) Maher of Chickasha, Okla.
He was preceded in death by one brother and one sister who died in childhood.
Bill served in the Merchant Marines.
Bill was a 1945 graduate of Woodruff High School in Peoria. He attended Bradley University and graduated from Butler University College of Pharmacy in August 1952.
He worked as a pharmacist for two different independents and in 1960 purchased a small store in Sunnyland which became known as Bill Maher Drugs, which he sold in 1992. As the owner/operator of a community pharmacy, Bill was asked to and was glad to participate in any endeavor that would benefit the community.
He was a past president and also secretary of the Central Illinois Pharmacists Association, a recipient of the Bowl of Hygeia Award for Illinois in 1995, awarded the Pharmacist of the Year in 1972 and was a recipient of the Hall of Fame award in 1993.
In his community, Bill served in many capacities. He was an incorporating member of the Board of Directors of Sunnyland Bank and incorporating member and past president of the Sunnyland Business Association. He served as a board member and officer of the East Peoria Chamber of Commerce, was an incorporating member of the Board of Directors of Pine Lakes Golf Club and incorporating member and past president of the Sunnyland Lions Club. He was a member of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, served on the Board of Director of the Northern Tazewell Public Water District, formed a steering committee to annex part of Sunnyland into the city of East Peoria and served as an auditor of Washington Township.
He was also active in area schools and churches. He was a member of the Father Sweeney School Board in Peoria. He was a member of the building committee for St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington, where he also served as a volunteer school bus driver from 1962 to 1972. He was a member of the St. Monica Catholic Church in East Peoria for many years, serving on their Parish Advisory Council and also as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and a Sacristan. He also served on several committees to pass referendums for local grade and high schools. He was a member of the St. Brendan's Society and was currently a member of Sacred Heart Church in Peoria, where he was an active volunteer in their food pantry.
Throughout the years, Bill also was proud to sponsor teams in baseball, little league football, golf and bowling. He worked on and participated in fundraisers for the Northern Tazewell Recreation Association. Bill was awarded the Volunteer of the Year by Heartland Community Clinic in 1996, along with various other awards such as the City Award for Landscaping and Beautification.
Over the years, he was recognized by organizations such as Kiwanis, the Northern Tazewell Rescue Squad, the Phoenix Action Group (AA), the Washington Helps Its People (WHIP) food pantry, the East Peoria Festival of Lights Commission and the American Legion.
In the words of Bill's wise father, "Bill, if you want to be a big frog, find a small enough pond." Sunnyland was Bill's pond. Bill's comment was, "The little pond in which we've spent the last 42 years has been very good to us and we, in our turn, have attempted to reciprocate."
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church in Peoria, Ill., at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 6, 2007. Father Bert Heise, OFM, will celebrate the Mass. Visitation will be 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007, at Deiters Funeral Home in Washington, with recitation of the Rosary at 5:45 p.m. Additional visitation will be from 9 to 10 a.m.
Monday at the church. Bill will be laid to rest at Springdale Cemetery in Peoria next to his beloved, Shirley.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the William Maher Memorial Fund at the Washington Area Community Center.
To send condolences online, please visit www.deitersfuneralhome.com. Bill's video tribute will be posted on the Web site after the service Monday.
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