William W. "Bill" Benton, Jr. Obituary (1940

William W. "Bill" Benton Jr. 78, of Mt. Zion, IL passed away at 11:45 a.m., Monday, January 14, 2019, in St. Mary's Hospital. A service to celebrate Bill's life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, January 17, 2019, at Dawson & Wikoff Funeral Home, Mt. Zion. The family will receive friends for visitation from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday evening at the funeral home. Burial will be in Point Pleasant Cemetery, Long Creek with military honors provided by the Macon County Honor Guard. Memorials may be made in Bill's memory to the ALS Foundation. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at www.dawson-wikoff.com. Bill was born July 22, 1940, in Decatur, IL the son of William W. and Lilly (Howell) Benton Sr. Bill served his country in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War and went on to later serve in the US Navy reserves as a Seabee, obtaining the rank of Chief Petty Officer and was a Gulf War veteran. He retired from Caterpillar as an electrician. Bill was a member of the UAW #751. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Mt. Zion having served as a deacon in the church. He married Sharon Lynn Scott on November 23, 1963. Bill enjoyed traveling, having been to all fifty states as well as Ireland and Israel. Bill had a passion for gardening. Surviving are his wife: Sharon of Mt. Zion; children: Bill (Sharon Kay) Benton of Mt. Zion, Jeremy (Mandy) Benton of Sturgeon Bay, WI, and Amy Benton of Mt. Zion; brothers: Richard Benton (Gloria) of Cape Girardeau, MO and Don Benton (Brenda) of Centralia, IL; sisters: Betty Powers (Jim) of Garner, NC, Ann Wiley (Gary) of Decatur, and Kathy Benton of Decatur; grandchildren: Laura, Trevan, Jemma, Stephanie, Alex, Trystan, and Kaylynn; special friends: Mary and Carol Mulvany and Joan and Bob Butler. Bill was preceded in death by his parents and his brother: Jack.