Leonard A Vail

Funeral services will be held at 8:00 p.m. Friday, March 8, 2019 in Howe and Yockey Funeral Home, 415 N. Broadway, Shelbyville, IL. Visitation will be from 4:00-8:00 p.m. Friday in the funeral home. Graveside services will be held at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, March 9, 2019 in Robinson Creek Cemetery, near Shelbyville, IL with military rites by the Shelby County Honor Guard. Memorials may be given to the Shelby County Honor Guard.

Butch was born on January 9, 1944 in Gary, IN the son of Leo Clifford and Alice Pearl (Eads) Vail. He attended Taylorville High School and was a U.S. Navy veteran. He was a member of the Roy Vanderpool American Legion Post #81 and AMVETS #128 both of Shelbyville, IL. Butch was a truck driver for Bill Hampton for over 30 years. He was active in the Shelbyville Boys Little League Baseball program and coached for 15 years or more. Butch loved coon hunting and was a lifetime member of Shelbyville Sportsman’s Club. He was an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs.

He is survived by his son, Kenneth Vail of Shelbyville, IL; special friend, Linda Gottfriedt of Shelbyville, IL; brothers, Ted Vail (Carrie) of Ramsey, IL, Tom Vail of Pima, AZ and Larry Soat (Bunny) of Haverhill, MA; sisters, Joyce Galla (Chuck) of Findlay, IL and Jayne Lee of Casey, IL; and lots of nieces and nephews.

Over the last several years the Lonnie and Robin Nichols family came into Butch’s life. They adopted him and he adopted them. The Nichols children are Tyler and his special friend Mikayla (their son, Easton), Braden and Rylee. They called him Grandpa and he loved it. He truly loved their family.

He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Kevin Vail; brother, Merlyn Vail; and sisters, Judy Coleman, Virginia Goodwin, Sue Magnus and Mary Culver.

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