Robert William “Bill” Haman of Bloomingdale died on October 25, 2021 at the age of 89. Born in Madison, Wisc., on June 26, 1932, Bill graduated from York High School (‘50) and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for three years, where he was a member of AXP fraternity.
Following his time in college, Bill served in the US Army Reserve as a combat medic from 1954 to 1962, including two years on active duty in Baumholder, Germany.
From 1955 to 1993, Bill worked at Press Publications in Elmhurst, where he was the display advertising manager.
Jack Cruger, former publisher of Press Publications, had this to say: “Bill Haman was an extremely talented, hardworking newspaper ad manager. He had the unique ability to sell and do the design work on his own ads. Bill Haman was my mentor when I worked for him, and I will forever be grateful for his guidance.”
Bill worked with local Elmhurst merchants for more 38 years serving and managing advertising for stores such as Ruby’s, Leonard’s, Larry Roesch Auto, Honey Girl, Pfund and Clint and many others.
John Quigley came to work as a sports editor for Press Publications; it was then when he first met Bill Haman.
“Bill was a really nice guy,” Quigley recalled. “Even though I was on the editorial side and he was on the ad side, he was always very encouraging to me. I appreciated all support he could give me.”
Upon retirement, Haman was awarded the Outstanding Service Award from the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce for his retail services to the community.
Bill is remembered as a lifelong fan of the Wisconsin Badgers football team and the Chicago Cubs; he was an amateur painter and botanist, and an avid reader of mystery novels. He traveled across the country with Sheila, his wife of 51 years.
Besides his wife, Sheila (née McPherson), Bill is survived by his sister Mary Lory; his children Sheri (Nicholas) Yozzo and Susan (Robert) Johnson; and his grandson Ryan (Liya) Johnson.
