William Joseph “Fatz” Hooker, 79, indomitable patriarch, of Dwight, Illinois, died on Wednesday, August 12th, 2026, after a lengthy illness.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at Hager Memorial Home, 201 W. Mazon Ave., Dwight, Il. 60420. A private family service will take place the following day, with a private burial. A Celebration of Life in Bill’s honor will be held on Sunday, August 30, 2026, from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Dwight Country Club, which will include Fatz’s favorite activities of telling stories, sharing food and enjoying a cold drink of your choice.

Born on October 24, 1946, in St. Elmo, Illinois, Bill – affectionately known as Fatz – was the son of Wyman and Monda Hooker. The family soon moved to Dwight to pursue a better life. As a teenager, he won a local contest and attended President Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961. After graduating from Dwight Township High School in 1964, he married and had two sons, Billy and Brian.

Bill worked in the insurance industry for over 55 years. Alongside his partner Barbara Kramer, he built and grew his own agency, which included locations in Dwight, Odell, Braidwood, and Bloomington. Within the Dwight community, he served in roles across the Sports Boosters, Rotary Club, Economic Commission, Football Board, and Baseball Board. He coached at numerous levels of baseball and worked as an official for high school football as well as high school and college baseball. He also was a member of the Dwight Country Club and enjoyed spending his time playing golf and socializing with the staff and membership.

Bill was proud to be an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Army and the Illinois National Guard.

Family and friends were important to Bill. He is survived by his sister Rita Schultz of Morris, IL; sons Billy (Heidi) Hooker of Dwight, IL and Brian Hooker of Dwight, IL; their mother Rita (George) Hooker Kodat of Dwight, IL; grandsons Matthew (Abigail Somera) Hooker of Pasadena, CA and Brian James “BJ” Hooker of Dwight, IL; sister-in-law Therese Trainor; nieces Jennifer Schultz, Jill (Jeff) Lee and Sara Hooker Peters; great-niece Emerson Peters and great-nephews Coe and Caleb Peters and Bryce and Baylen Lee; the Stadel family; and his best buddy Bob Condon.

He was preceded in death by his parents Wyman and Monda; stepfather Willard Mattix; brother James “Jimmy” Hooker; partner Barbara Kramer; sister-in-law Martha Hooker; brothers-in-law Bill “Harv” Schultz, Joe Warner, Clarence Stadel, Robert Stadel, Leo Stadel and David Stadel; other departed members of the Stadel family; and countless friends.

A devoted lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox, in good times and in bad, Bill proudly attended multiple games during their championship run in 2005, including Game 2 of the World Series. As the Sox took a triumphant lead in one of the games, his son Billy turned to see his father arm in arm with a stranger, dancing in ecstasy in the aisle like long-lost friends. Baseball was not merely a pastime for him; it was a part of life itself, something to share with others, especially his boys.

Mr. Hooker, William, Bill, Billy Joe, Fatz, Hooks, Dad, Big Papa, Uncle Bill. He was known by many names, for many people knew him. His way of experiencing the world was by talking to it. He was a storyteller, one of Dwight’s finest raconteurs, a composer of tales and an endless well of memories, brimming with names and places and events. He would talk to anyone like they were family, as if you would meet again very soon. Like a roaring river, Bill’s need to communicate with the world was unstoppable. In his final years, when speaking was no longer a simple task, he communicated with any being that would listen: whistling and singing to the birds, squirrels and rabbits, even to a robotic dog named Fred. It mattered not whether they understood him, for he understood them.

To remember Bill, go experience the joy of communicating with the world. Get to know your neighbors, take a friend to dinner, tell your family you love them once more. Tell stories. Dance with strangers. Whistle or sing to the birds and squirrels and rabbits if you must.

“Our songs will all be silenced, but what of it? Go on singing.” – Orson Welles

The family wishes to express its deepest thanks to the staff members at the following facilities, whose empathy and care allowed Bill to retain his dignity and comfort to the very end: The Villas of Holly Brook (Streator, IL), Ottawa Hospital, Lightways Hospice (Joliet, IL). Thank you to Diane Dircks and Lisa Kious for their visits and Keith and Rosie Miller for their lifelong friendship. Endless gratitude to his newest buddy Paula Williams (you’re an angel).

Please direct any memorial donations to Lightways Hospice, 250 Water Stone Circle, Joliet, Il. 60431.

Online condolences may be made to the family at calvertmemorial.com.