Billie B. Wintjen of East Alton, Illinois | 1928 - 2018 | Obituary
Billie B. Wintjen
December 6, 1928 - January 19, 2018
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Billie Burnell Wintjen, 89, of East Alton, IL departed this life to go to a better one on January 19, 2018.
He was born December 6, 1928 in Calhoun County, IL to Gilbert and Helen Gladys Wineland Wintjen and was the next to the youngest of eleven children. He was the last survivor of his siblings.
Bill had three sisters, Kathleen (Rex) Dinsmore of Pittsfield, Neima (Leeroy) Galloway of Kansas City and Pauline (Joe) Wilkins of Texas and five brothers, James of Alton, Gilbert, Jr. of Oklahoma, Wilford of Hamburg, Norman Gene of Florida and Noel of Calhoun County. Two siblings died in infancy.
Bill married Patsy Marlene Howdeshell in 1949. Patsy died October 6, 2017. They had three children, Victoria Dawn of Ridgecrest, California who died of cancer in 2006, Rebecca Lynn (Kevin) Rench of Nashville, IL and Mark Joseph (Becky) Wintjen of Yukon, OK, formerly of Calhoun County, IL, six grandchildren, Jeremy Wintjen (deceased), Ryan (Bridgett) Wintjen of Yukon, OK, Elyse Rench of O’Fallon, IL, Rebeca (Phil) Belding of Corpus Christie, TX, Della Tellez of New Mexico and William Tellez (deceased), seven great grandchildren, Nathaniel “Nate” Wintjen, Darrien Tellez Belding, Adrien Tellez, Odin Tellez, Aylssa Tellez and Victoria and Alex Belding.
Bill was an Army veteran of WW II, having joined the service during his senior year in high school. He was seriously injured and spent many months in the hospital being transferred from Germany to Michigan before getting an honorable discharge.
Bill worked on construction and was instrumental in the construction of the “Chain of Rocks” bridge. He later worked for Illinois Power Company (Ameren) until he retired after 25 years to care for his wife.
Bill was a 50 year member of the Hardin Masonic Lodge and a life- long union member. He loved to hunt and fish and was a faithful member of the East Alton United Methodist Church for over 50 years. He enjoyed ringing the church bells and collecting money for the Salvation Army. He donated his time for many years helping with all church projects. He loved to travel, especially out West, and never met a stranger. Even in the worst stages of Alzheimers, Bill was kind, polite and a gentleman. He will be greatly missed by friends, family, nieces, nephews and everyone who knew him. He was a man of integrity who remained honorable and kind through the devastating disease called Alzheimers.
Funeral services will be held Thursday (1-25-18) at 2:00 p.m. at the Lummis Funeral Home in Pleasant Hill conducted by Pastor JoAnn Ruff. Burial, with military honors, will follow at Crescent Heights Cemetery in Pleasant Hill. Visitation will be held Thursday from 12 noon until time of services at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to the Alzheimers Foundation of America or to Crescent Heights Cemetery.
Lummis Funeral Home in Pleasant Hill is handling the arrangements.
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