William C. Krebs, 96, a former longtime resident of Oak Park, died on April 9, 2017 at Sun View Health and Rehabilitation Center in Youngtown, Arizona. Born in Chicago on July 10, 1920 to the late Charles and Clara Krebs (nee Johnson), he graduated from the University of Chicago. During WWII while getting a medical evaluation for the Army, it was discovered that he had tuberculosis. Bed-ridden for two years and “cured by faith,” he survived. In the mid-1940s, he began working for the R.R. Donnelly Company and retired in 1985 after 40 years as a time estimator.
In 1959 he met Sibyl Fleming, and they were married on Nov. 14, 1964. The couple moved to Oak Park and, in 1992, to Sun City West, Arizona. He was the published author of four books and his most recent, published in 2015, was titled, Dream World, Tales of American Life in the 20th Century. His loves were his wife of 53 years, roses (an award- winning gardener), writing novels, Broadway musicals (he wrote his own musical for their 40th wedding anniversary), travel, and caring for his uncle, Charlie, and Sibyl’s mother, Rebecca Ramsey Fleming. He was a lifelong Episcopalian.
A visitation and service were held on April 17 at Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home with the Rev. Peter Campbell from Christ Episcopal Church in River Forest officiating, followed by interment at Oak Hill Cemetery.
The family appreciates memorials to the Trinity School for Ministry at www.tsm.edu.
