William "Bill" Oscar Johnson, age 76, a 44-year resident of Wheaton, passed away on November 17, 2023.  He was born November 11, 1947 in Chicago, IL to Grace and Oscar Johnson.

Bill grew up in Chicago with his seven siblings: Thomas (Susan- deceased), Nancy (Spence), Peter, Christopher, Mary Ellen (Ali), Daniel and James (Gael). He attended Little Flower High School where he was class president. As a teen, he worked as a caddy at the Beverly Golf Club. He earned his bachelor's degree at Northern Illinois University, where he met the love of his life, Eva, at their cafeteria job. After college, he enlisted in the Army Reserves, where he served on the home front as a mechanic in the motor pool.

Bill and Eva were married in 1971 and just recently celebrated their 52nd anniversary. He worked as an insurance underwriter for almost 40 years, getting involved with high-profile projects such as reconstruction of the Statue of Liberty and Golden Gate Bridge (both still standing). Bill and Eva had two sons, Perry (Kimberly) and Paul (Rebecca), with whom he was quite involved among their scouting and sports activities.

One of his favorite hobbies was training for and running in ultramarathons, completing 26 races over the years from 50-100 miles each.  He attempted the most difficult of all trail races, the Barkley Marathons, over 5 years with Eva and his sister, Nancy, as his crew; though like most runners, the races ended stuck in the thickets and brambles of Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee.

In retirement, he and Eva enjoyed traveling to national parks and Europe, but their favorite winter getaway was their condo in Fort Meyers Beach, Florida. They enjoyed dancing to the various bands at many of the local restaurants. As a retiree, Bill always looked forward to Friday nights. He remained a loyal fan of the high school football program his sons were part of, and gracefully switched sides when his grandchildren started going to the rival school on the North side of town.

Bill always had a fondness for his grandchildren Caitlin, Nick, Vivian and Mitchell.  He relished watching them in whatever sport, recital, ceremony, concert or parade that they were in.

In 2018, he was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and dementia.  He took the disease in stride and was able to live well with Eva at home until his passing.
He is survived by many nephews and nieces, in addition to his family mentioned above.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Grace and Oscar, and brother Peter.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, November 25, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral mass at 10:00 a.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church, 310 S. Wheaton Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to support the Northwestern Medicine Mesulam Center through the PPA Research and Education Fund in honor of Bill or your favorite charity.

Family and friends may sign a guest book at hultgrenfh.com. For more information, please call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027.