- Date Of Birth: August 23, 1930
- Date Of Death: December 17, 2019
- State: Illinois
William E. “Bill” Garver, Sr, 89, of Virginia, died Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, at Walker Nursing Home in Virginia.
He was born Aug. 23, 1930, in Decatur, the son of Earl and Clara Young Garver. He married Betty Hantle on Sept. 17, 1949, in Decatur and she survives.
He is also survived by nine children, Debby (Richard) Krohe, Kathy (Ed) Snow, Chris (Michael) Yost, Diane (James) Dambacher, Beth (Ricky) Cox, Bill (Jackie) Garver, Jr., David (Aura) Garver, Patrick (Anita) Garver, and Tim Garver; twenty-nine grandchildren; and forty-three great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother; one sister; two infant siblings; and two grandchildren, Micah and Autumn.
Mr. Garver spent his life working in the meat packing industry. His biggest love was horse riding and roping. He announced the Western Quarter horse show at the Illinois State Fair for over 45 years and was honored as Mr. Illinois for a Day in 2012. He was inducted into the Illinois Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame in 2008. He served on the Virginia Park Board and was President when the Jenny Marr Dunaway Park was created. Bill was active in Little League as a coach and umpire and was also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan. He announced Virginia Football games for many years and served as MC of the Virginia Bar-B-Q for over 40 years. He also served as Virginia Township Supervisor for 14 years. In his retirement, Bill was a Pre-K bus driver for Virginia Schools for many years. He was also a member of St. Luke Catholic Church.
