William George Reichert Jr., age 79, a longtime resident of Wheaton, died Wednesday, June 14 at the Tabor Hills Care Center in Naperville. He was born on March 2, 1927 in New Jersey.
Bill served in the US Navy during WWII. He graduated from MIT and received his masters from Stevens Institute of Technology. Working as an electrical engineer he earned numerous patents over his career. He worked for many years at Bell Labs in Naperville and taught at Midwest College of Engineering. He was a member of the Telephone Pioneers Club. He was a longtime member of Gary Memorial United Methodist Church in Wheaton, where he was active in the church choir for 35 years. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Wheaton. He was an avid sailor and loved music.
Surviving are his wife of 56 years, Jean; three children, John William Reichert of Winfield, Ruthanne (William) Taylor of Jackson, Wyoming, and Katherine (Tim) Kearney of Homewood; and two grandchildren, Caitlin and Billy.
A visitation will be held on Friday, June 16, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St. in Wheaton. Funeral services will be held on Saturday at 10:30 a.m at Gary Memorial United Methodist Church, Main and Seminary St. in Wheaton. Interment will follow at Wheaton Cemetery.
Memorials may be directed to YMCA Family Camp Nawakwa, 13400 Camp Nawakwa Ln, Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538.