Obituary of William Seibel

Bill Seibel, 74, of Zion, IL, passed away on Friday, March 20, 2020, after an extended illness. Bill was a prior resident of Chicago, IL, where he attended Schurz High School. Bill was a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan, despite growing up on the North Side. Bill went to many games with his father and brother at Comiskey, thanks to his dad's connections as a truck driver. In 1966, Bill married Deanne in Chicago (and it was a mixed marriage as Deanne is a Cubs fan) and they moved to Zion in 1971. In addition to baseball, Bill enjoyed watching football (Bears), hockey (Blackhawks and Wolves) and drag racing. In his younger years, Bill enjoyed hunting and fishing, often taking his children with him. Bill was an early adopter of "the dad joke"; he loved a good pun -- or even a bad pun -- and instilled that humor in his children and grandchildren. Bill enjoyed cooking and watched all the cooking shows on PBS, long before the Food Network was in existence, and his children all share his love of cooking. Bill was an avid reader of science fiction, mysteries and the daily newspaper, and enjoyed crossword puzzles and word searches; he and Deanne instilled that love in most of their children. Bill was a master storyteller and enjoyed sharing stories of his childhood with extended family and of his life experiences. When his family heard the stories to no end, Bill found a new audience in his children's friends. Bill was immensely proud of his children and grandchildren and shared joy in hearing of their various achievements. Bill worked as a Paramedic for Zion Fire and Rescue for 10 years from 1976 to 1986 (spending many a Thanksgiving on shift and celebrating the holiday with his immediate and work families together) and worked in Security at the Zion Nuclear Plant for approximately 20 years. Bill is survived by his wife of 53 years, Deanne; children, William Seibel Jr., Edward (Teanna) Seibel, Lynessa (James) Rissell, Christina (Michael) Jucius, and Steven Seibel Sr; grandchildren, Jessica, Catherine, Andrew, Meghan, Amber, Brandon, Breanah, Robby, and Steven Jr.; great-grandchildren, Jennifer and Andrew Jr.; brother, Robert; nieces, Carolyn and Suzie and their families; several cousins; and his former daughter-in-law, Jessie Timm. He was preceded in death by his parents, Christ and Catherine Seibel. Services will be private for the family.