William E. Elzer, 88, of Ottawa, died on Monday night, July 31, 2017, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
Funeral Services will be at 11 a.m. on Friday at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa with the Rev. David Daniel, pastor of Zion Ev. Lutheran Church, officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park in Ottawa where full military rites will be conducted by the American Legion Post 33 Veteran’s Group Honor Guard. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until the services.
Bill was born on Dec. 27, 1928, in Ottawa to Henry and Anna (Rossman) Elzer. He was a Navy Veteran of the Korean War. He was employed at Caterpillar in Joliet, L.O.F. and retired from Snap-On in Ottawa in 1992. He married Elaine Benvenuti Jefferson on Dec. 20, 1989 at Epworth United Methodist Church in Ottawa. He was a member of Zion Ev. Lutheran church, American Legion Post 33, and a member of the Veteran’s Group Honor Guard.
He is survived by his wife, of Ottawa, a son David Elzer, of Streator, 2 step sons Gerald (Sandra) Jefferson, of Elburn and Brian (Anna) Jefferson, of Utica, 4 grandchildren, Sarah Elzer, and Graham, Peter, and Anthony Jefferson, a brother Robert (Melva) Elzer, of Wood Dale, and a sister Jean Sawicki, of Ottawa.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, an infant son, Jeffery, 4 brothers, Norman, Henry, Joseph, and Arnold, and a sister Marion Tylk.
Memorials may be directed to the American Legion Post 33 Honor Guard.
Bill has been laid to rest in the Garden of the Ten Commandments.