William Solt

William Richard Solt, age 83, of Sycamore, IL, passed away at his home folded within the love and care of his daughter and followed the path laid out before him by his loving wife Irene. BORN / EARLY YEARSHe was born December 4, 1923 in Chicago, IL, the son of William and Evelyn (Gross) Solt. EDUCATIONBill grew up in Chicago and attended local schools. He graduated from Lane Tech High School on the north side of Chicago in 1941 leaving behind a grammar school legacy, "The Bee’s Baseball Team", made up of a bunch of friends whose friendship would last a life time. In later years, "The Bee’s" and their growing families would come back together and compete not on the ball field, but through countless games of cards .MILITARY:On July 13, 1943 he entered the Navy where he served his country in the signal corps in the Philippines and Salomon Islands and received top sharp shooting honors during his time overseas. Bill could receive and read Morse code at top rates, as fast as they could be sent by ships as far as twenty-five miles away. In the Navy, he also trained carrier pigeons to carry messages to and from surveillance dirigibles that flew security and weather missions up and down the California coast.This experience lead to his love of racing pigeon’s in later life.MARRIAGE & FAMILYOn September 3, 1949 he was united in marriage to Irene Gertrude Cichon. Although they had known each other since grammar school, they did not begin dating until Bill returned from the Navy. A year and a half later, they were wed and made their home in Morton Grove where Bill would later build them two beautiful brick homes. OCCUPATION / WORK HISTORY Bill was a brick layer by trade and could lay as many as 1,000 bricks a day. He worked primarily for the Frank Miller construction company and proudly helped build a number of high rise buildings on Chicago’s lake front. LIFE NOTES Bill raced birds for distances of up to five hundred miles with the North Shore Concourse club, where a good bird can fly that far in a single day. When he wasn’t racing his birds or playing cards with "The Bee’s", he also enjoyed bowling. SURVIVORS He now leaves four children:Cathy Mason of Wheaton, IL,Eve (Rick) Demao of Wheaton, IL, Laurie (John) Wilson of Lake Zurich, IL andPatty (Chris) Larsen of Sycamore, IL; Ten grandchildren:Audra (Bret) Bonnet,Allison(Paul) Mason,John (Jenny) Estabrook, Christi (Dan) Novak Brandi(Dan) Estabrook Lance Estabrook Brittany Estabrook Ryan Wilson Courtney Wilson Clayton Wilson Five great-grandchildren:Taylor & Jake Estabrook Olivia & Jack Novak Gavin EstabrookOne sister, Darlene (Chuck) Schurecht of FloridaOne nephew, Charles Schurecht .Many nieces and nephews, a family of friends and Bill’s beloved little Chihuahua, "Red".PRECEDED He now joins his parents, wife, Irene and son-in-law, Paul Mason who preceded him in death.

MEMORIAL A memorial has been established in William’s to benefit his favorite charities. Memorials checks may be made to the William Solt Memorial and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, IL 60119. Tributes and memories may also be forwarded to the family at the same address or through his obituary at www.conleycare.com.

VISITATION / FUNERAL Friends may call from 10-11 a.m., Saturday, May 5th, at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL. A funeral to celebrate his life will be held at 11 a.m., following the visitation. Interment will follow at Assumption Cemetery.