William Lovell

William E. Lovell Jr., 84, of Bourbonnais, died Saturday (April 28, 2007) at Riverside Medical Center. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at Clancy-Gernon-Hertz Funeral Home, west Kankakee. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bradley, where he was a member.Burial will be in Mt. Calvary. Memorials may be made to the William Lovell Scholarship Fund at Kankakee Community College, or for Masses.Mr. Lovell was born Sept. 9, 1922, in Cabery, the son of William E. Sr. and Ann Jacob Lovell. He married the former Rita Pietraszewski June 20, 1942, at St. Stanislaus in Kankakee. She died Dec. 10, 1983. He first worked at Bear Brand Hosiery. He worked at David Bradley and Co., Kroehler Manufacturing and retired from A.O. Smith after 35 years.He attended the University of Western Ontario where he studied labor arbitration and was made an honorary member of the Canadian Labor Congress.Mr. Lovell was president of the Kankakee Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO for 18 years. He was first elected in 1976 and re-elected every year. In 1980, he was named the Citizen of the Year by the Federation. He was a 50-year volunteer for the Red Feather Community Chest and United Way fund drives. He was a board member of the Kankakee County Mental Health Center, served on the board for the founding of Kankakee Community College and was active in its establishment. He also served on the Kankakee Community College Foundation Board.He served in the 446th Bomber Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Force from Jan. 4, 1943 until Oct. 6, 1945. He flew 33 missions as a ball turrett gunner.He enjoyed the Bulls, the Cubs and the Bears, camping and fishing.Surviving are his wife, the former Esther R. Tomaski Hibbs, whom he married Oct. 9, 1993, at the Grace Methodist Church in Bourbonnais; one daughter, Mariann Clark of Ashkum; three stepdaughters and four step sons-in-law, Barbara and Richard Manes of Hebron, Ind., Carol and Richard David, Mary and Richard Clark, and Tim Minor, all of Momence; one stepson and step daughter-in-law, Michael and Sandra Hibbs of Jackson, Tenn.; three grandchildren, Krystal and Paul Tofari, Brandi and John Krumwiede, and Joseph Clark; three great-grandchildren, Macy and Brisa Mendez, and Rylan Krumwiede; 11 stepgrandchildren and two stepgreat-grandchildren; one sister, Della Carpenter of Tamarac, Fla.; and a special niece, Marie Buck.Deceased are one son, Stephen (at birth); one stepdaughter, Wendy Minor; his parents and one brother, James Lovell.

William Lovell

September 9, 1922 - April 28, 2007