Robert "Bob" F. Beenders, Jr., 79, of Washington, passed away at 7:00am at his home, surrounded by his family.

He was born June 18, 1944 in Washington to the late Dorothy (Slonneger) and Robert F. Beenders, Sr. He married Nancy Churchill on October 20, 1962 in East Peoria.

Surviving is his wife, Nancy; their children, Sheri (Mark) Reatherford of Peoria Heights, Carol (Jim) Hamilton of Washington, and Dr. Brent Beenders (Dr. Tana Repella) of Lexington, KY; grandchildren, Jason (Nicole) Reatherford, Christopher (Samantha) Reatherford, Matthew Reatherford, Sara (Marisol) Hamilton, and Natalie (Jason) Keane; seven great-grandchildren; sisters, Barb Gresham and Sally Wolf; and his nieces

and nephews, including Debbie (Tom) Reeder.

He was also preceded in death by his brothers-in-law, Steve Gresham and Frank Wolf.

Bob worked for Caterpillar, retiring in 2000 from the tech center. In his retirement, he worked part time at Tri-C in Eureka, a job that he enjoyed. He was a fisherman; he took many fishing trips to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Canada, and southern lakes. Bob was a skilled woodworker. He enjoyed spending time in his wood shop working on his craft. He also had the gift of hospitality, he liked to host a great fish fry and cookouts for his family, friends and neighbors and was known for his world famous Tom & Jerry's at Christmastime.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00pm Saturday, December 16, 2023 at Deiters Funeral Home and Crematory in Washington. Visitation will be from 1:30pm until the time of the service at the funeral home. Inurnment will be at Glendale Cemetery in Washington.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or the American Diabetes Association.