PAW PAW - William “Will” Louis Ruppert, 81, of Paw Paw passed away Nov. 14, 2017 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

A graveside service and Celebration of Life will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 23 at Wyoming Township Cemetery in Paw Paw.

Will was born June 24, 1936 in Chicago to William J. and Josephine (Kuhnke) Ruppert. He married Ardella Bodie. She preceded him in death. He later married Patricia Murphy.

Survivors include his wife, Patricia; his children, Jay Ruppert of North Kansas City, Mo., Ray (Rosemary) Ruppert of Roeland Parks, Kan., Connie Schlesinger of Paw Paw, Don (Marianne) Ruppert of Hopkins, Minn., Ken Ruppert of Portland, Ore. and Rhonda Ruppert of Mesquite, Texas; four grandchildren, Diane, Scott, Chris and Philip; two great-grandchildren, Connor and Ava; and two brothers, Larry (Barbara) Ruppert of McDonough, Ga. and Ray F. (Barbara) Ruppert of Naperville.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Ardella and one son-in-law, Ron Schlesinger.

Will retired after 40 years as an electrician and member of I.B.E.W. Local 701. He served with the U.S. Army in the late 1950s. He enjoyed working in his shop, fishing, boating and was a devoted fan of the Cubs and Bears. His love of trains began with his job as a lineman for the Milwaukee Railroad.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Will’s memory may be directed to OSF Hospice or Immanuel Lutheran Church of Compton. Please visit www.TormanFuneralHome.com to sign the online guest book.