William Leroy Wilson, age 88, of Stronghurst, Illinois passed away Saturday, June 1, 2024 at his home. He was born August 2, 1935 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of Roy and Minnie Gertrude (Cooper) Wilson.
During high school in Amo, Indiana, Bill participated in basketball and cross country running, and wrote and published the weekly sports column for the school paper, as well as writing weekly columns for both the Coatesville, Indiana “Herald” and the Danville, Indiana “Gazette”.
In May of 1953, Bill graduated from Amo High School and in April of 1957, he was drafted into the United States Army. He served in Fort Riley, Kansas in the protocol section of the Chief Of Staff’s office.
Bill returned to a career in insurance, and in 1976 was transferred to Illinois and worked for Millers National Insurance Company and Celina Insurance Group. During his employment with Celina, he met and married Denise Ercegovich on October 6, 1981.
Bill purchased the C.W. Johnson Insurance Agency in Stronghurst in 1984 and in the spring of 1994, he and his friend, Harvey Ellis, founded the Greater Midstates Insurance Agency, an insurance cluster, of which he served as president until 2019.
Bill is survived by his wife, one son: Christopher Wilson (Katie) , and two granddaughters: Zoey and Anna, as well as several nieces and nephews. Zoey and Anna were such bright spots in his life.
The family complied with Bill’s wishes to forego any sort of visitation or funeral service. Cremation has been accorded and a memorial service will be held at a later date. Anyone wishing to engage in a remembrance should make a donation to the Stronghurst Christian Church. Banks & Beals Funeral Home of Stronghurst is assisting the family. Please visit Bill’s obituary at banksandbeals.com to leave a condolence.
