W. Neil Hornickel, 85 of Fairbury, died at 5:45am, Saturday, June 8, 2019 at Riverside Medical Center, Kankakee.

Funeral service will be held at 11:00am, Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Chatsworth with Pastor Mauricio Vieira officiating. Burial will take place in Chatsworth Cemetery.  Memorials may be made to St. Paul Lutheran Church, Chatsworth or SELCAS (Southeast Livingston County Ambulance Service).

Visitation will be 4:00-8:00pm, Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chatsworth.  A second visitation will be held from 10:00-10:45am, Wednesday, prior to the funeral.

Neil was born May 22, 1934 at the family farm in Germanville Twp., IL, a son of Augustus and Mae Smith Hornickel.  He married Patricia Ferguson on September 19, 1954 in Pontiac.  She survives in Fairbury.

Other survivors include his five children, Cindy (Keith) Henrichs of Dix, Vicki (Darrell) Haag of Kankakee, Lori Shafer of Chatsworth, Rich (Colleen) Hornickel of Fairbury, and Tami (Don) Pitzer of Danville; fifteen grandchildren, Melinda (Ethan) Hayward, Janelle (Josh) Martin, Garrett (Jessica) Henrichs, Ryan (Shannon) Haag, Renee (Justin) Sadowski, Aaron (Christina) Haag, Zach (Jess) Shafer, Gabe Shafer, Alyx (Spencer Hurley) Shafer, Rendi (Cory) Cottrell, Josh Netherton, Jordan Hornickel, Justin Hornickel, Hannah Pitzer and Noah Pitzer; 19 great-grandchildren; one sister, Maxine Zorn of Fairbury; and one brother, Dale Hornickel of River Grove.

He is preceded in death by his parents, one brother, Harold Hornickel, and one grandson, Conrad Shafer.

Neil was a member of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chatsworth.  He was a life-long farmer.  He served as the Chatsworth Township Road Commissioner for 32 years and was a member of the Livingston County Road Commissioners Association, volunteered for many years on the Chatsworth Fire Dept., and served on the Chatsworth School Board.  He was an avid race fan of the Fairbury American Legion Speedway (FALS), attending for 73 loyal years.  Above all, his family meant the world to him and he cherished spending time with them. He is loved and will be missed dearly.