A Town Stops to Love and Remember Will Templeton
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[An Avenue of Flags lines the four-mile funeral route from Pinckneyville south along Rt. 13-127 to the Galum Cemetery to pay tribute to 22-year-old Army Specialist William Templeton in advance of tonight's visitation and Tuesday's funeral at the Pinckneyville Presbyterian Church.
A town is stopping and spending two days to say how much it loved an outstanding young man who gave up collegiate scholarships and his passion for the Great Outdoors to serve his country.
Will died in hospice care on Monday, March 7 in Fort Carson, Colo. from injuries sustained in a combat event in Iraq several weeks ago. The details will come later, but for now it is time to celebrate a life well-lived and an unprecedented commitment to family and country.
A full active military honor guard will accompany and stay with Will Templeton from the time the hearse leaves the Pyatt Funeral Home for the Presbyterian Church, throughout visitation and again on Tuesday during the service itself.
Visitors will face a parking problem at the church on both days. Once the parking lot is full, officers from the Pinckneyville Police Department and the Perry County Sheriff's Department will assist with traffic.
It is what you would expect for a young man who made everyone extremely proud.
The body of Will Templeton arrived at Lambert Field in St. Louis shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday and arrived in Pinckneyville at 5:20 p.m. The Pyatt Funeral Home hearse was under escort by the sheriff's department, Pinckneyville Fire Department, a Patriot Guard motorcycle unit and several cars that met the motorcade north of Pinckneyville.
Firemen from the Pinckneyville Fire Department stood at attention as the casket was taken from the hearse to into the funeral home. Red, white and blue bunting lines the porch of the funeral home--everything first class and respectful.
Funeral services will be held at the First United Presbyterian Church, Pinckneyville, Ill. on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Charles Walden officiating. Interment will be in Galum Presbyterian Cemetery, Pinckneyville, Ill.
Friends may call at the First United Presbyterian Church, Pinckneyville, Ill. tonight from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and on Tuesday at the church from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
Memorial donations may be made to Galum Cemetery Association or Pikes Peak Hospice.
Will is the third casualty from Perry County during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two others--Wyatt Eisenhauer and Drew Uhles--were also killed in these conflicts, whose casualties now number 4,439 in Iraq and an even 1,500 in Afghanistan (January 2011 statistics).
William David "Will" Templeton, age 22, of Pinckneyville, Ill., passed away on Monday, March 7, 2011 at 10:40 p.m. in Pikes Peak Hospice, Colorado Springs, Colo. as a result of injuries sustained while serving in Iraq.
Will was born on Sept. 28, 1988 in Du Quoin, Ill., a son to David C. and Lea Anne (Ferrero) Templeton. He graduated from Pinckneyville Community High School in 2007. After graduation, he immediately joined the United States Army Infantry where he served as a specialist in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was a member of the First United Presbyterian Church, Pinckneyville, Ill. and always enjoyed hunting, fishing and hanging with his friends and family.
Survivors include his parents, Dave and Lea Anne Templeton of Pinckneyville, Ill.; a brother, John C. Templeton of Coulterville, Ill.; a sister, Mackenzie L. Templeton of Pinckneyville, Ill.; paternal grandmother, Wilma Templeton of Pinckneyville, Ill.; maternal grandparents, Dutch and Letha Ferrero of Pinckneyville, Ill.; his loving girlfriend, Keri McDaniel of Pinckneyville, Ill. and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Robert "Bob" Templeton.