- Date Of Birth: March 16, 1933
- Date Of Death: December 17, 2021
- State: Illinois
William E. “Bill” Barrows, 88, of Springfield, IL, died Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at his home.
He was born March 16, 1933, in Jacksonville, the son of Paul and Aileen (Ebrey) Barrows.
He married Wanda Mosher on Aug. 24, 1957, in Fort Wayne, IN and she survives.
He is also survived by two daughters, Teresa (Karl) Kaiser of Springfield, and Paula (Mike) Davenport of Yorktown, VA; three grandsons, Garrett Kaiser of St. Louis, MO, Grant Kaiser of Chatham, and Nick Barrows of Yorktown, VA; one step grandson, Grey (Sarah) Davenport of Anchorage, AK; and one brother, Don (Kay) Barrows of Windsor, MO.
Mr. Barrows attended a one room school adjacent to the family farm for eight years prior to graduating from Jacksonville High School in 1951. Following two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Indiana Technical College in Fort Wayne, IN. He was employed by the Illinois Department of Transportation for 33 years, retiring in 1991. While at IDOT he received a Masters Degree from Sangamon State University (University of Illinois Springfield). After his retirement, he worked part time for Greene & Bradford for 20 years as a Field Engineer on construction projects.
Bill was a charter member of the 114th Volunteer Infantry Regiment Re-Activated (Civil War Reenactment Unit), where he was in the Color Guard for over 40 years. He was also a member of Prairie State Beekeepers, Illinois State Beekeepers, Springfield Elks Lodge #58, Illinois Association of Highway Engineers, and the Retired State Employees Association. He also volunteered at Kumler Outreach Ministries and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum for several years.
Bill enjoyed traveling with his family throughout the U.S. He especially enjoyed seeing the grandsons grow up and watching their activities.
