William “Dutch” Ligtvoet, 80, of Peoria, passed away at 12:29 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, 2010, at the Greater Peoria Specialty Hospital.
He was born in Heerlen, Netherlands on July 29, 1929, a son of Karel and Anna (Yaeger) Ligtvoet. They preceded him in death. He married Georgia “Jo” Button on January 10, 1958 in Peoria. She survives.
Dutch is also survived by his sons, Tim and Terry Ligtvoet, both of Peoria, and Bill (Donna) Fox of Dallas, TX; daughters, Julie (Denny) McCullough of Peoria and Marie Kesser of Atlanta, TX; brother, Loek (Bertie) Ligtvoet of the Netherlands; sisters, Suzan Ligtvoet and Gertrude “Teddy” Schlosser, both of the Netherlands; as well as many nieces and nephews in the Netherlands and the United States.
He is also survived by two beautiful granddaughters that he was very proud of, Codie Ligtvoet of Lowpoint and Kaylie McCullough of Peoria. He loved being a “Papa”.
Dutch came to the United States in 1950 and was a U.S. Army Korean War Veteran. He was a member and past Vice Commander of the American Legion Post 2 in Peoria and a member of AMVETS Post 64, also in Peoria.
He retired in 1991 from Caterpillar, Inc. Building SS in East Peoria, after twenty-six years of service. He was a proud member of the U.A.W.
Dutch was an avid fan of St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball and Chicago Bears’ football. He loved gardening; collecting Delft blue china and wooden shoes; and listening to accordion music, ABBA and André Rieu. Dutch also enjoyed spending his time at Steak ‘n Shake and sitting in the sun at “Dutch’s Beer Garden”.
His family is proud of him for the way he raised and provided for them and for becoming a citizen of the United States. His wife, children, granddaughters and extended family gave him his greatest enjoyment in life.
Graveside services will be at noon on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield, with Pastor Jim Poole officiating. Military Honors will provided by the Interveteran’s Burial Detail of Sangamon County. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21, 2010, at Clary Funeral Home, 428 West McClure Avenue, in Peoria.
Memorial contributions may be made in Dutch’s memory to the American Heart Association.