Mr. Henry “Hank” Dyer Jr., 80, of Morris, Ill., passed away peacefully in his home Friday Dec. 30, 2011, with his loving wife, Millie, and sons by his side.
Friends may call from 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, until the time of funeral services at 5 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church, 200 East Jackson Street, Morris, Ill., with the Rev. Dr. Roy C Backus officiating. Military honors will be conducted by the Morris Color Guard.
Private family interment will take place Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Ill.
Born Feb. 7, 1931, on his grandparents’ farm in Greenwood, Wis., Hank was the son of Henry and Susan (Schwarze) Dyer. He was raised and educated in Racine, Wis., until moving to California at the age of 15. He attended Beaumont (Calif.) High School his sophomore and junior years. The family moved back to Neillsville, Wis., for his senior year of school.
Hank married Patricia Stephen in Viroqua, Wis., in 1950. They made their home in Viroqua until Hank was drafted into the United States Army in May of 1951. He served in the Arctic Test Branch in Big Delta, Alaska, attaining the rank of sergeant. He was honorably discharged in 1953.
Hank worked in retailing for a number of years in several Midwestern states, moving to Morris from St. Louis, Mo., in 1960. In 1963 Hank changed vocations, joining and working for several newspapers in Joliet, Downers Grove, and Chicago as a sales representative and, later, as regional sales manager and associate publisher. Hank retired from Sun Newspapers in Naperville in 1995.
After staying home for a year, he worked part time for a local car dealer in Morris and joined the Grundy County custodial team at the County Administration Center in Morris.
He married his present wife (Millie Weitz) in June 1994.
Hank enjoyed all kinds of sports, especially bowling and golfing, with his many friends in Morris, as well as his daily cribbage games with his wife. Hank was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Grundy County Historical Society, American Legion, and Methodist Retired Men’s Group.
Survivors include his wife, Millie; four sons, Tom (Sue) of Cleveland, Ohio, Mike (Cordula) of Birkenfeld, Germany, Steve (Diane Ball) of Marseilles, Ill., and Tim of Palo Alto, Calif.; a daughter-in-law, Sandi Dyer-Andree (widow of Dick) of the Dallas, Texas, area; three stepchildren, Sally (Roger) Hausken of Morris, Steve (Amy) Schofield of Madison, Wis., and Lisa (Patrick) Simpson of Naperville, Ill.; 14 grandchildren, five step grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren, spread throughout the United States and Germany; two sisters, Shirley (Al-deceased) Herzog of Racine, Wis., and Jo Ann (Ray-deceased) Hall of Sturtevant, Wis.; one sister-in-law, Judy (Walt) Roll of Moline, Ill.; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, and nine former daughters-in-law. Also surviving are his dog, Molly, and his cat, Kiki.
Hank was preceded in death by his parents; two sons, Patrick, in 1964, and Richard, in 2002.
The family wishes to extend a special thank you the staff at Morris Hospital, Fresenius Dialysis Center, Grundy Community Volunteer Hospice and Pastor Roy Backus for the care given to Hank.
Preferred form of remembrance would be memorial gifts directed to the family for distribution to local charities of their choosing at a later date.
Condolences can be directed online to the family at www.ucdavisand sons.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to U.C. Davis & Sons Funeral Home in Morris. For information, call the funeral home at (815) 942-0084.