William H. "Bill" Protz, 73, of Sullivan, died Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, due to an auto accident near Hillsboro.
Visitation will be held Friday, Nov. 22, from 3 to 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Vandalia.
An additional visitation will be held Saturday, Nov. 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., prior to the service at the church. Miller Funeral Home in Vandalia is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Protz was born Sept. 20, 1946, in Mattoon, the son of John William and Loretta (Stuckey) Protz. He married Jackolyn Cherryl Banks on June 6, 1965, in Sullivan.
A journeyman for CIPS/Ameren, he was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Sullivan, and was a faithful member of the morning coffee club.
He had drag racing in his blood from a young age, and became a National Hot Rod Association certified tech inspector. He was the team captain for Coles County Dragway for the Division 3 finals, and was inducted into the Coles County Dragway Hall of Fame. He was honored with the NHRA Division 3 Don "Pinky" Cobbs Memorial Award. He preferred Chevy over anything else and lived for drag racing season. He passed along his drag racing love to his wife, son and granddaughters.
Mr. Protz loved sports and was an IHSA football referee for many years. He followed every sport his son, Randy, participated in at Sullivan and at MacMurray College.
He has been a fan of the Vandalia Vandals since 1994 when his son began coaching and teaching. He and his wife have been fixtures at Vandalia sports events, following their granddaughters' teams since the very beginning.
He is survived by his son, Randy (Janel) Protz of Vandalia; granddaughter, Michelle Protz of Vandalia; sister, Alice (Jim) Johnson of Allenville; brothers, Jerry (Jan) Protz of Mattoon, and Fred (Carol) Protz of Lerna; and sister, Virginia Kastl of Lerna.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Jackolyn and granddaughter, Jenna Protz; and sisters, Dorothy and Mary.
Memorials may be made to Racers for Christ.
Online condolences may be left at www.millerfh.net.
