William "Bill" Weirich

William Joseph "Bill" Weirich, 85, died unexpectedly at 6:04 p.m., Wednesday, December 2, 2020, at St. Louis University Hospital.He was born in Alton, Illinois on July 8, 1935, and was one of five children born to the late Joseph L. and Laverna (Karns) Weirich.Bill was raised in the Alton area, and graduated from Marquette Catholic High School in Alton. He soon began a lifetime career with Owens-Illinois Glass on Broadway Street in Alton, where he remained for many years.  After the plant closure in 1983, Bill was fortunate to be transferred to their Oakland, California facility.  He and his wife, Lela relocated to California where they resided until Bill retired in 1990 as a Supervisor.  He was a very loyal and dedicated employee, and was extremely proud of his time spent with the company, and the many friendships that were acquired through the years.After his retirement, he and Lela returned to the area.  He was active in his Catholic faith, and was currently a member of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Jerseyville.He married the former Lela Mae Scoggins on Jan. 26, 1974 in Jerseyville, and together they shared 41 years of marriage before her death on July 26, 2015. He then married the former Linda (Ozee) Roth on March 19, 2017 in Cave In Rock, Illinois, and although their time was all too brief, they were able to shared much happiness together.Surviving are his wife, Linda Weirich of Jerseyville; four children and their spouses, William and AndreaWeirich of Godfrey, Cindy Eggebrecht of Alton, Debbie and Jack Farris of Godfrey, and Jeffrey Weirich of Godfrey; four stepchildren, Melody Manning of Jerseyville, Monty and Stacey Manning of Fieldon, Barry Manning of Jerseyville, and Jenny Mae Miller of Seattle, Wa.; 22 Grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren, including a very special great grandchild, Dylan Matthew Miller, who Bill thought the world of and was instrumental in his care, of the death of Dylan's mother, Robin; two brothers and a sister in-law, Robert Weirich of Alton and Ralph and Claire Weirich of Worcester, Ma.In addition to his parents and his wife, Lela, he was preceded in death by a son in-law, RichardEggebrecht; a granddaughter, Robin Miller; a brother, Patrick Kevin Weirich; and sister and brother in-law, Nancy and Frank Hudanick; and a sister in-law, Mary Weirich.Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until 12 noon on Tuesday at the Crawford Funeral Home.  Due to theCovid-19 pandemic, all CDC guidelines will be followed.Private funeral services will be held and burial will take place in Fieldon Cemetery.Memorials may be given to Eastland Baptist School or St. Francis/Holy Ghost Catholic Schools, both in Jerseyville.Memories may be shared at crawfordfunerals.com.

Obit Provided By:
Crawford Funeral Home