Anchor – Harold D. Willke, 88, of Pontiac and formerly of Saybrook and Anchor, passed away at 9:53 pm, May 22, 2026, at Goldwater Care, Pontiac.

His funeral will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Anchor. Burial will be in St. John’s Lutheran Church Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 5-7:00 pm, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Duffy-Pils Memorial Home, Colfax and 10-10:45 am on Wednesday at the church.

Memorials may be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church Cemetery, Anchor, or First Lutheran Church, Pontiac

Harold was born November 11, 1937, in Normal, the son of Elmer Paul and Esther Mae (Brucker) Willke. He married Nancy Caldwell on April 6, 1957. She died July 22, 2021.

Surviving are his children, Patricia (Richard) Stubbs of Summertown, TN, Paula (Lonnie) Warren of Pontiac, Steven (Nancy) Willke of Weldon, IA, Teresa (Mike) Sheehan of Cary, Rhonda (Dan) Horvat of Lake Bluff, Judith (Todd) Brooks of Castle Rock, CO, and Marcia (Sammy) Burns of Blountsville, AL; 20 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; brother and sister-in-law, Bill (Cindy) Caldwell of Normal and Sharon Barker of Cooksville.

He was preceded in death by his parents, son-in-law, Richard Archer, and one brother.

Harold farmed in Anchor until 1993, while also working full-time at General Electric. After selling the farm and retiring, he and Nancy built a home at Indian Springs in Saybrook and later moved to Pontiac.

He was a member of First Lutheran Church, Pontiac. Before moving to Pontiac, he was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Anchor for 50 years.

Harold and Nancy raised a family together on their farm with a strong and steadfast faith in God. His faith was demonstrated through his years of membership at St. John’s Lutheran Church, where he taught Sunday School, served on the church council, and held leadership positions with Thrivent.

Harold was very private about his own adversities in life and never let health issues, primarily Parkinson’s, alter his faith. He never stopped caring for his family and continued to teach them how to be better individuals. He emphasized the importance of giving back wherever and whenever they could.

He was a quiet man with love and patience beyond measure.