William Bill C. Praeger

Contributions, if desired as an alternative to flowers, can be made to the St. Charles Optimist Club. Our father, “Bill”, as he was known to family and friends, passed away around 5:00 AM this morning…Sunday, November 20. It has been almost 24 hours, as I write this, and it has not fully sunk in yet. As my sisters, Jennie, Pam and I grapple with this reality, we realize what a complex and distinctive man our father was. Born in Baltimore, MD in July, 1922, son of Clifford and Grace Praeger, he took everything he did very seriously. Early on, he proved his scholastic ability and graduated with honors from a college prep high school near Baltimore. From there, he attended Clarkson Memorial College of Technology in Potsdam, NY, where he met the “love of his life”, Verena, who was attending Potsdam State Teachers College. They married June 21, 1947, four months before he graduated with high honors, with a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering. We are proud of his academic accomplishments but just as proud that he served in the US Army as an officer in combat and communications in the Pacific Theatre in WWII, and as a valued instructor/trainer on-base in Aberdeen, MD during the Korean Conflict. Our father received numerous medals for bravery, one of which was for excellence and courage while serving on a torpedoed ship near the Philippines during WWII. Our dad began his career with General Electric, moved to Westinghouse in Baltimore, then RCA in NJ and Ohio, ending up at McDonnell-Douglas Corporation in St. Louis (now Boeing) in 1965. He spent over twenty years at McDonnell, first as a support engineer, helping to design parts for F-14 fighter jets, and later as a technical writer, editing government proposals. In the ‘90’s, “Bill” became actively involved in the St. Charles Optimist Club and was elected President. He also served as Governor of Optimist International Eastern MO District from October 1, 1995 through September 30, 1996. His First Lady, his beloved wife, Verena, passed away during his time of governorship, in April 1996. Even though he was grieving deeply, he completed his term as governor with as much integrity as he began it. Since 1965, “Bill” has been an active member of St. Charles First United Methodist Church, singing in the choir, serving in Methodist Men, and helping to teach an adult Sunday school class, until ill health forced him to curtail his involvement. “Bill” and Verena enjoyed life together for almost fifty years. During their marriage, they kept a tradition of Friday night dates, regularly savoring the finest ethnic and American food in the St. Louis area, as well as enjoying the St. Louis Symphony, theater, and several jazz venues. Their special pastime was sailing. “Bill” had sailed, as a boy, on the Chesapeake Bay in MD. Later, “Bill” and Verena sailed in the British Virgin Islands several times. After the third trip, they decided to buy a sailboat of their own and anchor it on Alton Lake on the Mississippi River. Our dad was a collector of frogs…any size or shape, from stuffed to wind chimes to fiberlight frogs that lit up in the bathroom. He also collected beautifully crafted duck decoys and enjoyed owning a few vintage rifles and pistols. He lived with his collections and his beloved cat, Puff in St. Charles until several hospitalizations made it necessary for him to move to Mt. Carmel Nursing Home in 2005. Our dad leaves behind three daughters and three grandchildren who love him. We are grieving his loss but are also celebrating his release from misery and his joyful reunion with the love of his life, Verena, who passed away nine years ago. The day before he left us, he told one of us “She’s coming to get me!” The next morning, very early, he closed his eyes peacefully, his heart stopped beating and he took her hand in his. We know he was tellling the truth. “Bill” is survived by his oldest daughter, Deborah Coombs and her daughter, Brianne Coombs…his middle daughter, Jennie Boschert and her husband, Don Boschert and son, Greg…his youngest daughter Pam Winkelmeier and her husband, John Winkelmeier and daughter, Morgan.