Gil Winger

25 September 1964 - 26 January 2023

Gil Winger, 58 of Bloomington, passed away at 8:59 pm Thursday January 26, 2023, at Richard L. Owen Hospice Home, Peoria. Gil was born September 25, 1964, in Watseka, Illinois, the son of Gordon & Aldine Pearl (Young) Winger. He married the love of his life Anita Marie Geno on August 8, 1987, in Decatur, Illinois. She survives. Also surviving is his mother; two children: Christian Winger and Anna Winger; one brother: Guy (Sarah) Winger; and one sister: Abby (Bud) Petry. He was preceded in death by his father. His memorial service was held at noon Saturday February 4th, 2023, at Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington. Visitation was from 10:00 – noon on Saturday at the funeral home. Rev. Mark Streitmatter and Brad Metz officiated. Gil's best friends, Al Bettuzzi, college roommate, and Jeff Klepec, BPD colleague, gave heartwarming eulogies. A luncheon was provided to the family and close friends following the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorials were made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Richard L. Owens Hospice Home, Peoria, Illinois. Gil served with honor, integrity, and great pride as a police officer for 27 years, but his greatest love was his family and his wife Anita. He was a faithful husband and loving dad, whose family enjoyed Florida vacations, yard games, bonfires and family time. Gil had a passion for yard work: mowing the lawn, gardening amazing flowers and vegetables, and canning his home-grown tomatoes. An avid Illini fan, he always worked at staying strong and healthy with regular weightlifting and enjoyed running half marathons. Gil retired in 2015 at age 50. At age 53, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In his battle against Alzheimer’s, he was still brave, fought hard, but lost this final battle. He leaves a legacy of honesty, character, and courage. Those are what will live on forever. (Revised Obituary)

About Gil Winger

birthLocation:Iroquois Hospital, Watseka, Illinois

deathLocation:OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home, Peoria, Illinois

memorialLocation:Calvert-Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington, Illinois

hometown:Bloomington, Illinois

parents:Gordon (deceased) and Aldine Winger

siblings:Guy (Sarah) Winger, Abby (Bud) Petry

spouse:Anita (Geno) Winger

children:Christian Winger, Anna Winger

bestFriend:Albert Bettuzzi (college roommate)

education:BS in Criminal Justice and Sociology

occupation:SOS Police Investigator (4/1/1987-4/3/1988); BPD Police Officer (4/4/1988-5/3/2015)

religion:Christian

favouriteColour:Black

favouriteAnimal:Cat

favouriteFlower:Zinnia

favouritePlant:Tomato

favouriteSportsTeams:Illini

favouriteHolidayDestination:Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Gil Winger's Memorial Stories

Eulogy by Jeff Klepec 2-4-2023

When Anita asked me to say a few words at today’s service, I was very honored but did question my strength and composure so please bear w...

Gil's Life: Birth -High School

Will add stories about Gil's early years from family members and information from baby book and school scrap books. Homes he lived in, mi...

Gil's Life: College Years

Anita: How we met…the all-guys dorm, Fell Hall, ate in the same dining hall as Atkin/Colby/Hamilton/Whitten, the all-girls halls. I guess...