Obituary: William “Bill” Kobe, Jr.

Obituary was published and funeral arrangements were entrusted to the care and direction of the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home and Crematory.

William “Bill” Kobe, Jr.

William Kobe, Jr.—also known as Bill, Will, Willie, or simply “Kobe”—passed peacefully June 20, 2025 at home, just as he insisted, with his wife Charlene and family gathered close. He was 92.

Born at home in Crest Hill, Illinois, to William and Anna Kobe, he later married Charlene —also know as Char, Charlie, and Chuck- spending more than 71 years with her. Bill and Char raised The Kobe Girls: Jeanne Warsaw (partner of Patrick Welsh), Mary (Cheree) Lewis (married to Larry Lewis), Cindy Welsh, and Robyn Coyne.

Bill was a corn and soybeans farmer, truck driver, welder, and mechanic who built his life with grit and an unshakable refusal to stay down—even after being flattened by a horse, zapped by jerry-rigged tools, dragged behind a boat, run over by a tractor, and brushed by cancer more than once. Still, he kept getting back up—to protect Charlene, watch over his girls, and keep on truckin’.

Bill wasn’t one for red tape—just a handshake and a solid day’s work. His maroon-and-gold trucks bore his name in custom script, complete with Kobe-branded grill ornaments he welded himself. A big metal bell he pulled from a ditch inspired a sculpted display of welded bells at his farm, later expanded with antique hay-rake wheels and statues of the Virgin Mary.

Bill was loyal to his International Harvester and to his morning coffee at Tri-County Stockdale, when it sat just down the road from his farm. He hauled gravel, fertilizer, soil, and water—and helped his grandkids launch summer farmstands by loading up trailers with watermelons, often saying, “You can have anything you want; you just need to work for it.” Still, he was generous. He’d end phone calls with, “Let me know if you need anything”—and he meant it, so long as you understood the difference. If it was a need, he showed up. If it was a want? Earn it. As he’d say: “Nobody’s going to give you anything. If you want it, go get it yourself” and “If you can’t pay cash for it, you can’t afford it.”

Toughness, dry humor, and a well-timed “bite your nose”—Bill passed them all down to his grandkids. He taught them ticklishness was weakness and “if I can do it, you can do it.” So he taught them to drive tractors, play euchre, and handle a .357 in a combine without “blowin’ a hole in the windshield.” They learned to use a pinky at the slots, scratch just the barcode on lottery tickets, and keep a few twenties tucked away—just in case trouble found you. If Bill told you he was proud of you, you carried it for life. The Kobe Girls and grandkids know how to work hard, stick it out, and show up for each other with his essentials: a hat, a toothpick, a raised brow, and an opinion.

Among those Bill worked beside, none stood closer than the Welsh brothers, Dennis (DL), Dave and Patrick (CJ)—trusted, loyal, and as close as family gets.

Those honorary family members laugh recalling the familiar scene: walking into the shop to find Bill under a truck, parts scattered everywhere. “You okay, boss?” they’d ask. An hour later, the pieces would be back in place and the truck running like new. He was an extraordinary mechanic and a talented welder.

Bill served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, stationed in Fort Bliss (El Paso, TX). He rarely spoke of the details of this time as an MP until later in life, when he shared just enough to know it mattered deeply—and had been carried out under strict secrecy. Back home, Bill served as a deputy with the Will County Sheriff’s Department in Illinois.

After returning from Korea, Bill shared a quiet, meaningful dance with Charlene to Eddy Arnold’s “Make the World Go Away.” Fittingly, it was the one his daughters played as he left this world.

Bill was a card player through and through—especially euchre and solitaire—and a fierce button pusher at the slot machines. He loved going to the boats with Charlene. The Kobe family lovingly dubbed him the King of Hearts, with Charlene as his Queen—their titles proudly printed on t-shirts and sweatshirts for family events, including those family outings to the casinos.

Bill hunted deer, duck, and geese with a crossbow or shotgun—and he loved his bloodhound, Aggie.

Bill’s Croatian and Slovenian roots showed up at the table—especially in his love of cheese potica, a Kobe family tradition. He was also loyal to his mom’s potato salad, Easter sausage, and homemade bread—all recipes she passed down to The Kobe Girls.

Cedar Lake—“The Cabin”—was the backdrop of countless summers with Bill, Charlene, The Kobe Girls, and their growing families. There were always repairs to be done, but also tubing wipeouts, water skiing, golf, and hanging out at the pier. The dining table doubled as the place for card games and big breakfasts, and no trip was complete without turtle sundaes. It’s where memories were made and stories retold. With one bathroom among dozens (an upgrade from just the outhouse), they learned to make space for each other long before they realized how much that would matter. The night before Bill passed, Charlene looked out to find her daughters and grandkids sleeping all around him—in every chair, corner, and couch - just like they’d do at The Cabin.

Bill was stubborn, tender, and sharp. For most of his life, if you said “I love you,” he’d answer, “I told you ten years ago. If something changes, I’ll let you know” or just “Get the hell out of here.” But in his final years, he softened. The “I love yous” came more freely—but long before that, he’d already taught his family how to say it without words.

Bill Kobe left a legacy of unspoken love: Walking hand-in-hand into the casino. Arthritis Hot hoarded in the sewing room. Snuff tin outlines worn into jean pockets. Bowling nights and euchre games. Kobe-branded shirts. Letting your little one puke on the car mat to shake the nerves. Calls you make—for legal advice, for medical wisdom—because you raised specialists, not slackers. Bells that ring, and in the way you slow down—gladly—behind a tractor on a busy road.

Bill’s work is done; his legacy is not.

Bill was the proud grandfather of Mandy Murtoff (Steve), Dawn Irwin, Nicole Obman (Mike), Erik Lewis (Carol), Shelley Warsaw (Matt Youngblood), Master Chief Ryan Warsaw (Andrea), Max Welsh (Jessica), Jessica Welsh, Anna Welsh, and Shane Coyne (Carissa); and great-grandfather to Isabella and Ethan Murtoff, Danny and Abby Anderson, Chad and Connor Lewis, Wesley Youngblood, RJ and Shelby Warsaw, Milo Kobe Welsh, and Gracie and Mallory Coyne.

He is survived by his niece Lynn Sealy; siblings-in-law Eleanore Beutel, Janet Alsbury, James and Joann Beutel, and Gordon and Nancy Beutel; and other nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister Lillian Papesh and her husband Michael; her friend Ed Myslivecek; niece Tina Bozick; grandchildren Clara, Nora, Lelia Welsh, and Chad Lewis; and great-grandson Logan Youngblood. He also outlived siblings-in-law Robert, Helen, George, and Joan Beutel, and John Alsbury.

Funeral Services for William “Bill” Kobe, Jr. will be held at 9:00 a.m., on Monday, June 30, 2025, from the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Rd., Joliet, IL, to St. Joseph Catholic Church, 416 N. Chicago St., Joliet, where a mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Interment to follow at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, IL. Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Sunday, June 29, 2025, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

For more information, please call (815) 741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com where you can share a favorite memory or leave a condolence.

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