William C. "Bill" Neuleib

William C. “Bill” Neuleib, 93, of Geneseo, passed away on Monday, March 14, 2022 at Allure of Geneseo. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at Grace United Methodist Church, Geneseo. Prior to the memorial service, a visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Vandemore Funeral Homes & Crematory – Geneseo Chapel. Memorials may be directed to the William C. Neuleib Memorial Fund which will be distributed among several organizations. Per his wishes, cremation rites have been accorded.

Bill was born June 2, 1928, to Roy F. and Jeannette (Glawe) Neuleib. He attended Geneseo schools and graduated from Geneseo Township High School in 1946. Bill married the former Phyllis Obrecht on June 25, 1950. She passed away June 25, 2018. After graduating from Bradley University, he joined his father at Neuleib Insurance & Real Estate Agency and continued with the firm for 41 years. He was a past president of Henry County Independent Insurance Agents Association and was a licensed real estate broker for 50 years.  Bill and Phyllis were members of Grace church.

Bill was a lifetime member of the Moose Lodge, joining in 1949. He was a member of the Geneseo Rotary Club for over 55 years where he served as president in 1973. Bill was named “Rotarian of the Year” and was a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow. He was the first chairman of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Bill was co-founder of the Geneseo Music Festival, served as president of the Geneseo High School Alumni Association, logged 1,000 hours as a Hammond-Henry Hospital volunteer, and served as a Commissioner on the Geneseo Community Park District Board for eight years.

A longtime Geneseo sports fan, he was a past president of Geneseo Youth Football and was a timer at Geneseo High School track meets for 55 years. In 2017 he was inducted into the Geneseo High School “Athletic Hall of Fame” for his success in track in high school and later as a member of the Bradley University track team. It was Bill who suggested to a local reporter the name “Green Machine” for the Geneseo football team in 1966.

Bill was involved in the drum and bugle corps activity from 1941 to 1985, first as a performer, later as an instructor, music arranger, business manager, and finally as director of the Knights Drum and Bugle Corps. He was named to the “Knights Hall of Fame” in 1988.   He was also named “Director of the Year” by Drum Corps Midwest in 1983 and served as vice-president of that organization. He was inducted into the “World Drum Corps Hall of Fame” in 2001 and the “Heartland Drum Corps Hall of Fame” in 2012. 

Bill loved lake vacations with his family and winters in Gulf Shores, Alabama with Phyllis and friends. He also enjoyed reading, flower gardening, and playing his trumpet in the early years.

Those left to cherish his memory include children, Gregg (Carol) Neuleib, Geneseo, Kari (John) Zimny, Folsom, CA, Molly (Mike) Hamer, Northbrook, IL, Jane (Steve) Scherer, Geneseo; grandchildren, Peter (Sadie Hahn) Neuleib, Arthur (Rachele) Neuleib, Jonathan (Lauryn) Zimny, Jeanette (Austin) Gaesser, Billy (Jessica Andruzzi) Hamer, Tess (Billy) McGivern, Sally Hamer, Allison (Bronson) Good, Jack (Cortney Backes) Scherer, and Diana Scherer; great-grandchildren, Carter, Tristan, and Rylan Neuleib, Finn and Shae McGivern, Adler and Rowan Good; and brother-in-law, Ron (Bonnie) Obrecht, Geneseo.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Roy F. and Jeannette (Glawe) Neuleib; his loving wife, Phyllis; and great-granddaughter Everly Good.