William Maher

SUNNYLAND – William “Bill” Maher, 79, of Sunnyland died at 8:05 am Thursday, August 2, 2007 at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, after asking, “Please accept this final decision that I am making…I pray that you will understand…” Born on October 29, 1927 in Chicago, IL to Clarence L. and Mabel Look Maher, he married the love of his life, Shirley Ann Collins on September 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, CT, Mary Ann (Jack) VonAchen of Lansing, MI, Tim (Sara) Maher of Springfield, IL, Christopher Maher of Chicago, IL, and Maureen (Jay) Keigher of Melvin, IL, 19 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, and 1 brother, Clarence L. “Lefty” (Jane) Maher of Chickasha, OK. He was preceded in death by 1 brother and 1 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 of 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 Pharmacist’s 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 Lion’s 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 1962-1972. 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 fund-raisers 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, IL on Monday, August 6, 2007 at 10:00 AM. The Fr. Bert Heise, OFM will celebrate the mass. Visitation will be 2-6 pm Sunday, August 5, 2007 at Deiters Funeral Home in Washington, with recitation of the Rosary at 5:45pm. Additional visitation will be from 9-10 am 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.

William Maher

October 29, 1927 - August 2, 2007