William "Bill" E. Haney, 73, of Cottage Hills, IL, passed away at 9:31 a.m. Mon. June 26, 2023 in Normal, IL.

He was born July 2, 1949 in Carrollton, IL to the late William B. & Lois (Grigsby) Haney.  He grew up in Moorpark, CA where he became an avid music and movie buff.  He was an Elvis impersonator through High School and once performed for an all-female prison.  (I hear they are still talking about it to this day).

Shortly after high school, Bill was married to Christine Davison, the mother of their 3 boys.  Bill enlisted in the US Army in 1969 and had basic training in Ft. Leonard.  Soon after was sent to Ft. Gordon, GA for specialist training as Avionic Flight Control Equipment Repairman.  From there he went to Ft. Riley, KS along with a newborn son (Vance) and new bride.  He was deployed to Pleiku, Vietnam in August 1970.  Their son Todd was born January, 1971.  Bill returned to Fort Hood, TX in Aug. of 1971.  He earned the rank of SP5 as well as; Nation Defense Service medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 1 Bronze Service Star, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Aircraft Crewman badge, Army Commendation Medal, Air medal, Expert Rifle and Grenade.  Following his service, Bill became a lifetime member of both the VFW and the American Legion.

After the war he joined the IBEW, local 193 out of Springfield, IL and was an electrician until his retirement. There he earned the honor of being selected as a FLE member, Federation of Lineman and Electricians.  Bill was part of a very tight knit community in the brotherhood and had friends all over the USA.

Bill was also quite the Trivia buff, often dazzling his friends with the number of questions he would get correct while watching jeopardy. He also put this knowledge to use when completing crossword puzzles, often in just a few minutes. Even the Sunday crossword in The NY Times was no match for his wit.

Bill was quite the storyteller and could spin a good yarn.  It was said that he never let the truth get in the way of a good story.  He was a generous man, amazing friend, and a man that his kids can look up to.  He set the example and will be dearly missed.

Bill is survived by 3 sons: Vance W. (Mylanda) Haney of Springfield, MO, Todd E. Haney of VA, and Anthony W. (Rebecca) Haney of Bloomington, IL; 7 grandchildren: Lillie, Ashden, Holden, Todd, Madison, Shane and Christian; 2 sisters: Regina (Ronald) Krepel of Moor Park, CA and Robin (Ronald) Davis of Ft. Dodge, IA; and Christine (Davison) Haney of Middletown, IL.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother: Robert Haney.

Services are private.

Arrangements with online information and guestbook through Wojstrom Funeral Home & Crematory may be found at www.wojstrom.com.