William J. Cummings, 93, of Delavan, passed away on Jan. 8, 2015, at the Burlington Rehab and Care Center in Burlington.
He was born in Darien Township, where he was raised, to William and Hildegard Cummings. William entered the U.S. Army in September 1942 and proudly served in France, Austria, and England until being discharged in Vienna, Austria, in April 1946 as a staff sergeant. He accepted employment with the U.S. War Department as a personnel manager of the Vienna Ordnance Center, which did repairs on military vehicles.
William married Paula Kramarsch, a Viennese citizen, in 1947 and returned to the United States in December 1947. He was employed as a deputy sheriff in January 1948 and worked as a patrolman, process server and sergeant of the day shift. He then started work as a juvenile officer for Walworth County and remained in that field until 1965. William was promoted to chief deputy of the department, eventually becoming the sheriff of Walworth County for 12 years until his retirement in January 1981. He was then appointed to the Walworth County Board of Supervisors in May 1981 and served as chairman of the sheriff’s committee and vice chairman of the Human Service Board until retirement in 1993.
William is survived by his wife, Paula; two sons, Michael (Joyce) Cummings and Matthew (Roberta “Bert”) Cummings; two grandsons, Matthew and Brent Cummings; two granddaughters, Michelle Bender and Jennifer Kubesheski; and four great-grandchildren. They will forever cherish the memories with him and his love of the outdoors.
A funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, 714 E. Walworth Ave. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service Wednesday at the church. Burial will take place at Spring Grove Cemetery in Delavan.
Monroe Funeral Home is assisting the family.
