Maurice H Weishaar
(June 25, 1925 – November 29, 2011)
Funeral services will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 3, 2011 in Howe and Yockey Funeral Home in Shelbyville. Visitation from 4:30-8:00 p.m. Friday. Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday in Graceland Cemetery, Decatur, IL with military rites by the Shelby County Honor Guard. Memorials may be given to the Shelby Humane Society.
Mr. Weishaar was born on June 25, 1925 in Jasper County, IL, the son of Philip and Elsie Anna Brummer Weishaar. Maury was a renaissance man of sorts – he was a cowboy, WW II veteran, railroad worker, commercial pilot, successful businessman, backyard engineer and salmon fishing guide, just to name a few of his various ventures. Maury served in the U. S. Army during the occupation of Japan in WW II. He married Rita Hanfland in 1948. Maury and his father-in-law, Otto Hanfland, co-owned Hanfland Sand and Gravel in Shelbyville. Maury later became the sole owner and contracted for all the materials needed to build Lake Shelbyville and the Shelbyville Dam. He served as the President of the Greater Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce multiple times and was a lifetime member of VFW Post #4829 of Shelbyville. He retired from the gravel business in 1981. Maury earned his pilot’s license in the 1970’s and following his retirement, began providing charters for salmon fishing on Lake Michigan. He would fly his charter customers to Washington Island, Wisconsin and offer complete “guaranteed” charter packages – no fish, no pay. He was the Director of Maintenance Operations for the Decatur Airport during the 1980’s. Maury also used his pilot’s license to fly ill patients to the Mayo Clinic for no charge.
He is survived by his longtime companion, Shirley Bell of Oakley; son, Tony Weishaar and wife Debi of Shelbyville; daughters, Laura Weiskamp and husband Edward of Urbana and Kristi Weishaar of Shelbyville; former wife, Rita Watson of Mattoon; grandchildren, Aaron Weishaar and wife Amber of Carmel, IN, Wade Weishaar of Chicago, Viola Weiskamp of Urbana, Gerald Weiskamp of Santa Barbara, CA and Danny Weiskamp of Urbana; and great granddaughter, (Aaron and Amber’s daughter) Meghan Weishaar of Carmel, IN.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Lawrence “Larry” Weishaar.
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