William W. Lannin

"Bill"

Hammond

William W. "Bill" Lannin, age 88, of Hammond, IN, passed away Saturday, January 29, 2011. He is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Julia "Judy" Mathews and seven children – the 7 "Cs", Carolyn "Carol" (David) Moore, Munster; Constance "Connie" Lannin, Hammond; Dr. W. Craig (Dr. Janani) Lannin, Redding, CA; Chris Lannin, Hammond; Charice (Randy) Salach, St. John; Cary (Christine) Lannin, Griffith; Cathleen "Cathy" (Douglas) Main, Fayetteville, GA. 16 Grandchildren: Jill (Greg) Mirise, Indianapolis; Doug (Samantha) Moore, Silver Spring, MD; Owen Moore, Dyer; Archana, Natasha & Michael Lannin, Redding, CA; Stacy (Jeremiah Laird) Lannin, Hammond; Shawn Lannin, Hammond; Rachel (David) Parks, Schererville; Rebecca "Becka" (Wesley) Smith, Crown Point; Renee Salach, St. John; Aaron & Kelly Lannin, Griffith; Natalie, Wil & Ryan Main, Fayetteville, GA.
9 Great-Grandchildren: Cameron Salach-Haryasz; Ashlyn & Gabrielle Mirise; Hailey Lannin; Arianna & Dominic Soco; Liam Moore; Molly Moore; and Parker Smith. Sisters-in-law Dorothy Lannin, Mary Rita,Jenny (late Ted), Rose (late Denis) and Barbara Mathews, brother-in-law Rich (Betsy) Mathews: many nieces & nephews.

He was preceded in Death by his parents, Jeremiah & Margaret (Cochrane) Lannin;
1 sister, Margaret (Everet) Perdew; 3 brothers, Robert (Leona), George, and Jerry (Jeanne) Lannin; and his honorary son, Daniel "Dago Dan" Pariso.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday February 4,2011 DIRECTLY at Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Catholic Church 7132 Arizona Street, Hammond with Mass of Christian Burial at 10am. With Father Celebrant. Burial will follow at Calumet Park Cemetery, Merrillville, IN.
Friends are invited to meet with the family at Bocken Funeral Home 7042 Kennedy Avenue, Hammond (Hessville) on Thursday February 3,2011 from 4-8pm and on Friday at Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Catholic Church from 9am until the time of the Mass.

Bill was born on February 28, 1922 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. When he was small, his parents moved to Hessville, where he attended Warren G. Harding Elementary School. He entered Hammond Tech in 1936, joined the Band and learned to play clarinet. As one of 70 band members, he played for football games, concerts and special events, even traveling to Indianapolis to see Tech win the 1940 state basketball championship. An avid amateur photographer, he took some incredible pictures of the 50,000 fan homecoming celebration. He was inducted into the Hammond Tech Hall of Fame in 2004.

Bill chose drafting from the many vocational choices available. Graduating in February 1940, he got his first job as an inspector at American Steel Foundries because he knew how to read a blueprint! A tool and die engineer, he retired from ABEX Corp-Stanray in 1983. He holds 3 fabricating process control patents. A member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, he also served as its President. He was involved with Junior Achievement for many years, and a Lake Area United Way allocations volunteer. He mentored countless people in both his professional and his civic lives.

As the unofficial "Mayor of Hessville," Bill was active in the community. He was a scout leader, and Little League coach. He was President of the Morton High School PTA. He served on the Hammond Historic Preservation Commission for 8 years and on the board of Hessville's Little Red Schoolhouse for several terms. He is a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, where he has been a lector, server, usher, and member of the collections crew and Holy Name Society. He was the emcee and a cast member in the
popular OLPH Cabaret. He also served as emcee for countless retirement dinners and other celebrations. A man who truly cared about people, Bill always had a smile and a story to tell.

A lifelong Cubs fan, Bill also cheered for the Blackhawks, the Bears and Indiana University. He continued his interest in photography throughout his life, even returning to the dark room in his 70s. Bill loved his wife, his children, his grandchildren and his great grandchildren passionately.
Memorials to the Share Foundation PO Box 400 Rolling Prairie, IN 46371 or the Alzheimers Association www.alz.org for additional information you may call Bocken Funeral Home at (219)-844-1600.