William 'Bill' Henry Fredericks

Danville William "Bill" Henry Fredericks, 95, of Danville passed away at 1:28 AM on January 15, 2022 at his home in Danville, IL.

Bill was born on August 16, 1926 the son of Harry C. and Selma May (Miller) Fredericks in Danville, IL. He married Betty Carroll on June 17, 1950 in Paris, IL. They were married 49 years until she preceded him in death on November 28, 1998.

Survivors include his children, Jay (Kim) Fredericks, Dave (Roberta) Fredericks, Steve (Karen) Fredericks, Sue (Jerry) Shoufler and Larry Fredericks and Mark (Jean) Fredericks, 18 grandchildren, Ian, Taylor, Erica, Rachel, Eric, Brandon, Nicole, Andy, Nate, Aaron, Liz, Jen, Jared, Justin, Jake, Matt, Will and Jessica, as well as 20 great grandchildren.

Bill is preceded in death by his parents, wife, two brothers, Harry Fredericks, who was killed in WWII, and Arnold Fredericks, as well as two sisters, Delores Duke and Lillian Fredericks Cooley.

Bill graduated from Trinity Lutheran Grade School and Henning High School. While in grade school and high school he excelled in baseball, basketball and track. After graduation, Bill tried out for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team in Peoria and was assigned to the Zanesville, OH Dodgers. Due to World War II, Bill left baseball and joined the Unites States Navy. While serving in the Navy, he traveled around the world and was Honorably Discharged from the Navy in 1947 after 2 years of service to his country.

Bill was a salesman for Stella Baking Co and Borden Milk before joining the Danville Fire Department in 1956. In his 32 years of service, he went through the ranks at the department and retired in 1988 as a Captain. Bill developed the training program for the fire department as a Training Officer and worked Fire Prevention and Inspection details for many years.

Bill was a family man and enjoyed playing basketball, golfing, tennis, fishing and euchre with his family. He coached family teams and many of the teams his kids played on. In all activities he was a fierce competitor. His golfing achievements include 3 hole-in-ones and 2 double eagles. Other activities he enjoyed were wintering in Florida with his wife, vacationing with his whole family and following St Louis Cardinals baseball. Bill was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church where he was the oldest member of the church. He previously served as a school board member for Immanuel and even drove the school bus. He always had a favorite name for his friends including Saucerhead, Alonzo and Heathcoat.

The family would like to thank the VA HBPC, OSF Hospice, Always Caring, Physical Therapist and caring friends of Immanuel. A special Thank you to Bills son Larry for opening his home to care for him.

Visitation will be held on Friday, January 21, 2022 from 5:00-7:00 PM at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Danville, Illinois, 3940 N Vermilion St. Danville, Illinois 61834 with Danville Fire Department Honor Guard in attendance. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 2:00 PM at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1930 N Bowman Ave Danville, IL, 61834. Pastor James Yonkers will officiate. Burial will be in Lutheran Cemetery with Military Rites accorded by American Legion Post 210.

It is kindly requested that those in attendance wear a mask and practice social distancing.

In lieu of flowers memorials are requested in Bills memory to Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Please join Bills family in sharing memories, photos and videos on his tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com .