SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — William (Bill) Morgan Vann, 89, the father of Bishop Kevin Vann, died at St. John’s Hospice at midnight on Nov. 13 surrounded by his family.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated for Mr. Vann on Nov. 15 at Blessed Sacrament Church with Bishop Vann as principal celebrant. He was buried with military honors at Calvary Cemetery.
A special memorial mass is planned….
Mr. Vann was born in 1925 in Dallas and raised in Kansas City, Mo. He served in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II and worked for General Mills in Kansas City after the war. He was later transferred to Springfield, where he met and married Theresa Anne Jones in 1950 at Blessed Sacrament Church. Theresa Vann died in 2012.
Mr. Vann worked for the United States Postal Service until his retirement in 1980 and held memberships in the Knights of Columbus and the Disabled American Veterans.
He is survived by his six children: Bishop Vann, Dennis of St. Paul, Les of Indianapolis, Gerry of Boston, Mary Therese of Springfield and Dave of San Francisco, as well as four grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
Condolences may be sent to the Vann family in care of Bishop Vann at the Diocese of Orange Pastoral Center, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove, CA 92840. Memorial contributions may be made to the Theresa Vann Memorial Scholarship Fund in care of Friends of St. John’s Hospital, 800 E. Carpenter St., Springfield, IL, 62769.