William R, Thurman

William "Bill" Thurman, formerly of Beckemeyer, Died Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at the Villas of St. James in Breese at the age of 81 years. Bill was born in Wade Township/Clinton County, Illinois on August 2, 1932 the son of Hans and Dolly Thurman. He married Barbara Potts on November 25, 1965 in Carlyle, and she preceded him in death on June 24, 2012.

Bill is survived by his sons: William Thurman and wife Barbara, Dennis Thurman and wife Rhonda, both of Carlyle, Rev. Bruce Thurman and wife Pat of Van Buren, Arkansas, Jim & Jan Butler of Hoffman, and Jesse Butler of Carlyle; daughters: Lisa Knapp and special friend Mike Tate fo Beckemeyer and Nancy Hill and husband Melvin of Hoffman; 20 grandchildren; and 14 great grandchildren.

Mr. Thurman worked 30 years at Scott Air Force Base, retiring as a Maintenance and Repair Estimator Foreman and Deputy Housing Project Manager. He had also served at the Highway Commissioner for Wade Township for 10 years. He was a licensed plumber/electrician and a union musician playing drums for several bands in the Belleville, Centralia and Carlyle area from 1955 through 1980.

Bill served in the United States Army for 3 years. He was in the Korean War from 1950 to 1951, first with the 29th Regimental Combat Team Attachment of the 24th Infantry Division under the command of Carlyle native General William F. Dean and with the Task Force Operation that was annihilated at Hadong Korea in August 1950 where he received the Purple Heart. After returning from the hospital in Japan, he was reassigned to the 25th Infantry Division in Korea and the 101st Airborne in the United States receiving the Korean Service Medal with a Silver Leaf Cluster, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal and Occupational Service Medal.

Bill was a member of the Goldsmith-Terry Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #3523 of Carlyle, the Holthaus-Kampwerth American Legion Post #1227 of Beckemeyer, a Life Member of the Korean War Veterans Association, and a Life Member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Funeral services will be held Friday, June 6, 2014 at 10:00 A.M. at the Frerker Funeral Home in Carlyle with Rev. Mark Goldman officiating. The interment will follow at Carlyle Cemetery with military honors.
Friends may visit with the family at the Frerker Funeral Home in Carlyle on Thursday from 6 to 8:00 P.M. and on Friday from 8:00 A.M. until the time of services.

For those wishing to honor Bill with a memorial, the family suggests memorials to the Wounded Warriors or to the charity of the donor’s choice and those will be received at the Frerker Funeral Home which is serving the family.