Bill Shannon, affectionately known as 'Mr. Elk Grove,' dies at 91
When Elk Grove Village celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1996, its leaders organized the first Hometown Parade and tapped William "Bill" Shannon to be the grand marshal.
Fondly known as "Mr. Elk Grove" to local residents, Shannon had a hand in shaping the village's footprint - and the next generation of leaders.
Shannon died peacefully on Monday. He was 91.
"Everyone knew him because he helped in so many areas of the village," said Elk Grove Mayor Craig Johnson. "He cared about the community. You always knew his heart was in Elk Grove."
Shannon and his wife, Joan, moved to Elk Grove in 1961, and, like others of his generation, he looked for ways to contribute. In 1968, he was appointed to the plan commission at a time when the village was growing exponentially. Shannon would ultimately serve 12 years on the commission, including as chairman from 1971 to 1974.
"During the years of 1968, 1969 and 1970, Centex was closing on 30 homes a day," Johnson said. "The population was booming, and the plan commission was involved in all of it, developing new subdivisions and shopping centers."
In a 1990 Daily Herald interview, Shannon pointed to the development between Route 53 and Devon Avenue as the most contentious while he served as chairman, citing all the people who showed up to protest at their meetings.
"The crowds of people we drew to the hearings was unbelievable," Shannon said. "Nothing that the village has undertaken before or since then can compare to the magnitude or completeness of that report which we rendered."
The same year Shannon joined the plan commission, he also stepped up to organize a youth ministry program for high school students at his church, Queen of the Rosary. He called it Christians in Action.
Taking a suggestion from Bishop George Rassas, the associate pastor at the time, Shannon developed a program to keep young teens involved in their faith after graduating from grade school. Shannon remained the director of the group for the next 35 years.
In it, teens were divided into small groups, and an adult would serve as their "moderator," not as their teacher.
Shannon's four children participated in the program. His daughter Laurie Tichvon described it as not about teaching the tenets of the Catholic faith, but about modeling how to live a good, Christian life.
"It offered an open, safe space for kids to explore their faith, without judgment," Tichvon says. "There was discussion and encouragement and kids felt comfortable asking questions."
Phil Chung of Chicago participated in Christians in Action from 1996 to 1998, during his junior and senior years at Elk Grove High School, and he returned later to serve as a moderator for 10 years. He now works with the "God Squad" at his Chicago parish, St. Clement.
"Bill ended up each meeting with a prayer," Chung said. "He encouraged us to go out and be instruments of peace. He prayed for that and he modeled that, and to this day, I end each of my emails with 'in peace.'"
Shannon was preceded in death by his wife, Joan, and a son, Tim. Besides Tichvon, he is survived by another daughter, Sheila Starr, and son Steven Shannon, as well as seven grandchildren.
Visitation will take place from 2 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Grove Memorial Chapel, 1199 S. Arlington Heights Road in Elk Grove. A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Queen of the Rosary Church, 750 W. Elk Grove Blvd. in Elk Grove.