William M. Liou, 75, died Friday, November 17, 2006, at Ballard Healthcare in Des Plaines, Illinois. He passed away peacefully to be with Jesus after valiantly fighting for three months to survive injuries and quadriplegia resulting from a fall in his home in Kissimmee, Florida. He was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on July 7, 1931, graduated from Wheaton College in 1956, and resided for decades in Wheaton, Illinois. He enjoyed athletics, won numerous awards and scholarships for swimming, and played on the Wheaton College men's soccer team. He was fluent in six languages and became a naturalized U.S. citizen, which enabled his service as an intelligence operative with the CIA and, later, the FBI. Under two Illinois governors, he proudly represented his adopted home state in business development in Asia as the State of Illinois Representative to the Far East. After decades of pursuing his passions of politics and international business, he retired to Florida in 1993. While in Florida, he volunteered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida and as a board member of the YMCA.


He is survived by his children, Timothy (Say) Liou, who is an attorney residing in Chicago, and Lisa (Steven) Shebar, who is an attorney residing in Wheaton, and two minor grandchildren, Kayla and Benjamin Shebar. He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Mary Liu, and his oldest child, Peter. He was a devoted and loving father and grandfather who will be greatly missed. His family rejoices that he is now in heaven where he is no longer paralyzed and has been joyfully reunited with his beloved son Peter. Services and interment will be private.


In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wheaton Christian Grammar School, 530 E. Harrison St., Wheaton, IL 60187, 630-668-1385. Family and friends may sign a guest book at hultgrenfh.com. For more information, please call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027.