C. William ("Bill") Pollard, Jr., 87, passed away of natural causes on June 6, 2025 in Carol Stream, IL. We, his family, are deeply grieved by this great loss but not as those who are without hope in the resurrection that will reunite us with our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Bill was born on June 1, 1938 in Chicago, IL to Charlie and Ruth Pollard. He graduated from Wheaton Academy, Wheaton College with a BA in business, and from Northwestern Law School with a J.D. He also received honorary doctorates from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Wheaton College.

After law school, Bill practiced law at Wilson and McIlvanie in Chicago before starting his own firm in Wheaton. In 1972, Bill joined Wheaton College as Chief Business and Advancement Officer. Ken Hanson and Ken Wessner served on the Wheaton College board and were senior executives at ServiceMaster. In 1977, they invited Bill to join the leadership team of ServiceMaster.

He became the CEO in 1983 and served in that role for a decade before stepping aside and becoming Chairman in 1993. During his time as CEO, Fortune magazine named ServiceMaster the number one service company in the US.  ServiceMaster was also known for its first corporate objective, "To honor God in all we do."  Bill was a passionate advocate for the proper role for faith in business. He returned as CEO for two years from 1999-2001 and then retired from the board of ServiceMaster in 2003.

For the next twenty years, he partnered with his son, Brian, in the family's real estate development business, Fairwyn Investment, and spoke about the role of faith and business in many different venues. He also wrote four books, The Soul of the Firm, Serving Two Masters?, The Heart of the Business Ethic, and The Tides of Life.

Bill also served on many profit and non-profit boards, including the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, Wheaton College, Wheaton Academy, Herman Miller, Central DuPage Hospital, California Institute of Advanced Management, MLA Foundation, and the Drucker Institute. He was particularly honored to serve Billy Graham and Peter Drucker as a friend and confidant. He had a special love for Lake Geneva Youth Camp, an evangelistic Bible camp which was founded seventy-five years ago by his father and four other men and which has now served five generations of his family.

Bill met Judy at Wheaton Academy where he was on the football and basketball team and she was a cheerleader. They were married on June 8, 1959 and enjoyed 66 years of faithful love and commitment to one another. They were partners in all areas of life, including family, business, and volunteering, but primarily served others through the church. They have been active participants in two churches, Bethany Chapel and the College Church in Wheaton, for their entire adult lives. They ran youth groups, taught Sunday school, offered hospitality, and encouraged missionaries and the church leadership. He was also a winsome evangelist, sparking conversations about Christ's redeeming love with a business associate or the person next to him in the plane. They never left one another without affirming their love for each other even up to the night before Bill passed away.

They have four children, Julie Grant, Chip Pollard, Brian Pollard, and Amy Burdett, all of whom are married. Dad set a faithful example of following Jesus for his children, and he was always active in their lives with advice, encouragement and generous support. Bill has 15 grandchildren, and 25 (almost 26) great-grandchildren. Bill is known as Papa to the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren, and he was loved by them for his "Bob and Mary" stories, his funny faces, his Santa Claus appearances, his faithful attendance at ballgames and birthdays, and his Sunday morning "home church" messages. He will be deeply missed by his family.

Bill loved Lake Geneva and lived there during the summer as a young boy. He and Judy bought a cottage in Williams Bay in 1970 and a larger home in Lake Geneva in 1986. The "big house" became the extended family's summer gathering place for the last 40 years. Bill loved to sail, boat, and walk at the lake and was known for his annual swim across the bay.  He also loved an ice cream cone at the end of a summer day. He and the family have a lifetime of fond memories at Lake Geneva.

Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Judy, his four children and their spouses (Julie and Chris Grant, Chip and Carey Pollard, Brian and Becky Pollard, and Amy and Mark Burdett), 14 of his grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters, Virginia Carley and JoAnn Soderquist, and his grandson, Benjamin Pollard.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, June 30, at 11:00 am at the College Church in Wheaton, 332 E. Seminary Ave, Wheaton, IL., preceded by a visitation from 9:30-11:00 am at the church. The service will be livestreamed beginning at 11:00 am central time through this link: Funeral Service for Bill Pollard .  A private, family graveside service will be held at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lake Geneva, WI.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to Lake Geneva Youth Camp ( https://www.lgyc.org/give ).