William J. “Bill” Early, age 84, a resident of The Villages, FL., formerly of Naperville, IL. passed away on May 15, 2026, at his home. He was born March 6, 1942, in Marinette, WI.

Bill was a graphic designer and manager at Official Airline Guides and was later in sales at Fry Communications. He loved art and created it with many mediums, most recently with watercolor paintings. In his earlier years, he created wood carvings.

Bill loved the outdoors and enjoyed camping, cycling,swimming, hiking, photography, and traveling the world. He was an Eagle Scout and a scoutmaster for Troop 504 in Naperville, IL.

Despite living in Illinois most of his life, Bill was passionate about his Green Bay Packers. He was extremely proud to be an Irishman, visiting Ireland multiple times in his travels.

Prior to his moving to Florida, he was very active at St. Margaret Mary Church in Naperville, IL., where he taught CCD and was an usher for many years.

Bill Early is preceded in death by his first wife Donna J. Early, sharing 46 wonderful years of marriage and 4 children before her passing in 2011. He was also preceded in death by his parents, William and Ruth Early, his brother Jack Early, his sister Patricia Vanden Avond, his son Kevin, and his daughter-in-law, Lynn Early.

He was blessed to find love again and is survived by his beloved wife of 12 years Karen Burkley-Kovacik Early, her children Honey Burkley, Kenneth (Beth) Burks, Rebecca Kovacik and her grandchildren Lyric, Maren, Christian, Weston, Nathaniel, and Georgia. Also survived by his sister Maureen (Bruce) Ruzika, brother-in-law Andy Vanden Avond, his sons Patrick Early, Sean (Dawn) Early, and daughter Meghan (Jim) Swint, and his grandchildren Bailey and Nicholas Early, Jake and Shae Swint, and Angela Wenberg.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Kevin T. Early Memorial Scholarship, a scholarship given each year to recognize and encourage a talented freshman poet. The award, established by William and Donna Early, honors the memory of their son, the late Kevin T. Early, who was himself a talented, dedicated and award-winning young poet. The purpose of the scholarship is to encourage talented young poetry writers to continue pursuing their craft. To donate to this scholarship fund, checks should be made out to: University of Illinois Foundation, c/o Kevin T. Early Memorial Scholarship. Please mail to: University of Illinois Foundation, 1305 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801.