Fred Dale Willman, 77. Illinois native and long-time Florida resident Fred Willman, was called to his heavenly home on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Summerfield, FL. He passed peacefully and comfortably with his family by his side following a valiant, year-long battle with a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Fred's family was his greatest source of pride and joy. He leaves behind a remarkable legacy, including his beloved wife of 47 years, Bonnie; his children, Luke (Jess) Willman and Brittany (Trent) Tillman; his grandchildren, Brooklyn, Taylor, Avery, Bryn Leigh, and Jace; and his siblings Deb Harford and Ted Willman. His parents, Frederick and Mary Jane Willman, preceded him in death.

Services will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Summerfield, FL. In lieu of flowers, please explore a new place or complete an act of community service in Fred's honor. No matter who you encounter along the way, he believed you will probably find we're united by our ability to connect and have much more common than could ever set us apart.

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Fred was born March 18, 1947, in Harvey, IL, to Frederick and Mary Jane (nee Cousineau) Willman. He met his wife of 47 years, Bonnie (nee Kowske), through a mutual friend and it was love at first sight. They were married on November 26, 1977, in Batavia, IL, and were inseparable for the last half-century. Fred and Bonnie raised their family in Naperville, IL. Upon retirement, Fred and Bonnie moved to Summerfield, FL, and have enjoyed nearly two decades of sunshine, softball, and stories (both the making and the telling kind).

While his time on this Earth was shorter than he would have liked, Fred lived a life full of enriching experiences that are a testament to the power of kindness and the importance of community. He learned many simple lessons along the way:

It costs nothing to be generously kind.

Try to make the people and places you encounter better than you found them.

Laughter is a universal language.

And there’s always room, and an occasion, for ice cream.

Fred was a proud Bremen Brave and Illinois State Redbird, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Illinois State University and becoming one of the original five teachers at Jefferson Junior High School in Naperville. He went on to teach social studies and geography for over 33 years and was honored by the National Geographic Society, National Council for Geographic Education, Association of American Geographers, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Geography Bee, Rand McNally and Company, Illinois Bell, and the Naperville Jaycees and was featured often in National Geographic, the Chicago Tribune, and the Naperville Sun. Naperville was named the best place to live in America… and those who knew him best like to think that is partly because of Fred and great people like him. He left behind over 30 large binders full of curricula he developed, and his family hopes to put even more of his lessons on Teachers Pay Teachers (https://www.teacherspayteache…) in the future so his work can live on in the classroom. He was called Mr. Geography and Geomissionary, titles he earned and wore with pride.

Speaking of titles… he held quite a few more. He was a devoted son, loving husband, caring father, a doting grandpa, attentive brother, funny uncle, and a true friend. Fred was a teacher, public address announcer, sports fan (especially of the Indians, White Sox, and his families’ intercollegiate teams), and avid baseball card collector, and a coach (girl's basketball, softball, and youth sports) who advocated for gender equality. He was a lefty and played baseball or softball most of his life, anchoring first base and the heart of the line-up on many winning teams (although it was always about the team, not the winning). He was a life-long learner and collector of interesting facts, which helped him be an outstanding trivia player. He was a teacher-consultant with National Geographic and traveled across the country and the globe to share his best practices and learn from fellow teachers. Fred was a college professor, Sunday School superintendent at Bethany Lutheran in Naperville, and a past president of the Illinois Geographical Society. Fred could make a game of any task or situation and often whistled while he worked. He was the author of the book Why Mascots Have Tales - The Illinois High School Mascot Manual and a published rhyming poet. He was a list-maker, tickle monster, master scavenger hunt and field trip architect, storyteller, nicknamer, and humorist with a joke or funny observation for any occasion.

• Everyone enjoys a good belly laugh, the kind that bursts out really loud,
• When everyone laughs together no matter the size of the crowd.
• It won’t solve world hunger, drought, or disease, won’t stop fires, tornados, or war.
• But laughter will help us smile and relax for a while between the challenges life has in store.
• -Fred Willman from‘The Language of Laughter’

Fred volunteered his time with the May Watts Historical Society, partnered with inner-city Chicago schools, tutored in local Florida schools, and founded and led the Rattler Rooters booster club to support interscholastic sports in Belleview, FL. He was very active in the Del Webb Spruce Creek community and made many lasting friendships in his later years while competing at trivia, coaching women's softball, emceeing clogging shows, bowling, serving as a past president and frequent contributor to the Writer’s Block writing club, and organizing legendary events for their annual Senior Games.

He loved being in nature – whether that took form by working in the yard or going camping, even if it meant close encounters with his least favorite thing… spiders. Fred caught the travel bug as a boy on family camping vacations long before gig-tripping and glamping became trendy. He poured over his library of maps to find the finest places, campgrounds, parks, novel destinations, and pull-offs (don’t miss-the vista). Fred made exploring new places a habit – if only by getting off the interstate, taking the back way, or making an unscheduled stop along a road he’d never traveled.

• No matter how much we read or hear, stories that travelers share,
• no matter how many pictures we see, there’s nothing that beats being there.
• The joys are often things we see along the way – the exploring becomes the recreation.
• Make each day of a trip (and your life) an adventure, both are journeys not destinations.
• Enjoy their entirety and remember this sacred geographic scripture:
• A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a trip’s worth a thousand pictures.
• -Fred Willman from ‘The Travel Bug’

If you would like to make a donation in Fred's honor, please consider the Save the Children education foundation (https://www.savethechildren.o…) the National Geographic Society (https://give.nationalgeograph…) or Phil’s Friends (https://philsfriends.org/) which is proving hope is even stronger than cancer will ever be. These organizations share his vision for leaving places even better than you find them. Fred certainly did. 

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