William Charles Loftus, 78, of Granite City, Illinois passed away at 8:32 a.m. on Friday, December 31, 2021, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO after a short illness.
He was born September 2, 1943, in Granite City, IL to the late Thomas Joseph & Anna Mae (Mushill) Loftus of Madison, IL.
Bill married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Mejaski on October 16, 1965, at St. Mary’s Church in Madison, IL and she survives.
Bill entered the United States Air Force after his graduation from Madison High School and served from 1961 – 1965. After serving in the Air Force, Bill worked for various companies before landing at May Company, specifically their Venture Stores Division. When Venture Stores went out of business, Bill was fortunate to move back to May Company where he eventually retired after years of dedicated service.
In addition to the love of his life, Bill is survived by 4 children, Helen (Greg) Wood of Collinsville, IL, Michael (Tina) Loftus of Marshfield, MO, Alice Loftus of Granite City, IL and Charles (Melanie) Loftus of Granite City, IL. Bill is also survived by 4 grandchildren who will miss him very much, Chelsea Marie Loftus, Rebecca Emily Loftus, Bradley Michael Loftus & Wyatt Charles Loftus.
He was preceded in death by his parents and all of his siblings, Thomas Loftus, Raymond Loftus, Paula Rae (Loftus) Borg & Patricia (Loftus) Fultz. He is survived by two sisters-in-law, Lois Loftus of Lake Jackson, TX, Marie Loftus of Granite City, IL, and one brother-in-law, David Borg of Licking, MO. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Bill was an active member of St. Elizabeth Parish in Granite City. He was a past member of the St. Elizabeth Finance Council and a long-time Money Room volunteer for the Picnic Committee. He coached the St. Elizabeth boy’s basketball team for many years. Bill was one of the first two Lay Eucharist Ministers of the parish. He was a member and past Grand Knight for the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus Council 1098 in Granite City, IL.
Bill spent his free time feeding the birds (or squirrels…sore subject) in his backyard. He loved spending time outdoors under his tent in his recliner. The perfect afternoon for Bill would be having all his kids and grandkids over for an outdoor barbeque while laughing, telling stories & just being together. He also spent his free time putting together 1000-piece puzzles. His kids enjoyed trying to find challenging ones to keep him busy.
In celebration of his life, visitation will be at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, 2300 Pontoon Road in Granite City on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. until the time of a Funeral Mass at 12:00 noon with Father Alfred Tumwesigye as celebrant. You may watch the service live stream on the Facebook page of St. Elizabeth Church. Burial with military honors will follow at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Edwardsville.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Elizabeth Parish or to the Foundation for Barnes Jewish Hospital – Heart & Vascular.
The family is requesting anyone attending to please wear a mask.
Services entrusted to Irwin Chapel of Granite City. www.irwinchapel.com
