William Daniel Semlak

William D. "Bill" Semlak, 77 of Mackinaw passed away at 5:55 PM Monday December 4, 2023, at Carle Methodist Medical Center in Peoria.
There will be a private memorial service at Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home in Bloomington with a public service to follow in early January.
Bill was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 17, 1946, to Daniel and Mary Ann Landgraf Semlak. He married Elizabeth "Betty" Winter in 1968. She died in 2003. He is survived by his partner of seventeen years, Joan Moore-Semlak, his three children, John (Nina Zmanovskaya) Semlak of New York City, Julie Semlak of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Joseph Semlak of St. Paul, Minnesota, his stepsons Joel (Susan) Moore of O'Fallon, Missouri, and Daniel Moore of Portland, Oregon, and his special "son" Gary Caldwell of Chicago. Also surviving are three grandchildren, Alexander and Andrew Kennedy and Anne Anastasia Semlak, and two step grandchildren, Morgan Moore, and Layla Caldwell, and two sisters, Susan (Bob) Bethke of Austin, Texas, and Sally (Dan Herr) Sholl of Eagle River, Wisconsin. He was preceded in death by one daughter Anne Marie Semlak.
He attended Pius Grade and High Schools in Milwaukee and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Marquette University and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.
Bill and his wife Betty moved to Normal in 1974 when he took a position as a professor of Communication and Director of Forensics at Illinois State University. In his many years at ISU, he wore many hats, including the Chair of the Communication Department , acting Chair of the Foreign Languages Department and the director of the Honors Program. Bill also lived and taught in France and Austria for the Study Abroad Program. He retired from ISU in 2001 as Director of International Studies. Bill also served on the Unit 5 Board of Education from 1980-1992 and he served as the board president in 1990. While on the board, he served on the Illinois School Board Association Board of Directors.
Bill had a passion for education and public service, which is reflected in his many activities. He was an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington-Normal for almost fifty years where he was head coffee maker and drinker and Chief Turkey Chef. In more recent years he became a member of Bethel Lutheran Church in Morton. Other organizations Bill supported were the Normal Rotary Club, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Bloomington-Normal Ski and Social Club and the Vladimir-Canterbury Sister City Association.
In his later years, Bill and Joan spent winters in Arizona and Texas where they would frequently travel into Mexico. They also traveled widely in the US and abroad to visit both family and far-flung regions. They played bridge and liked to attend symphony concerts and plays in Illinois and New York.
In his free time Bill loved fishing and canoeing and spent many summers camping with his friends on Antoine Lake in the Quetico making his Guide Association Approved Fish Tacos. The Red Pheasant appeared on Illinois Outdoors radio programs and published articles and pictures in Boundary Waters Journal. Bill also loved running, skiing, swimming, and boating. He was well known for his many quirky sayings like telling others to be a "can do make it happen person". But whether you knew him as Billy, Dad, The Red Pheasant, Papa Doc, or Grandpa, Bill was perhaps best known for his favorite catchphrase, "GO FOR IT".
Memorial contributions may be made to the Anne Semlak Memorial Scholarship Foundation at Illinois State University.