To Bill Strong Jr., his father was his hero. And many in the Ottawa community share that sentiment.

Bill Strong Sr. died Sunday at St. Margaret's Hospital in Spring Valley at age 86. Although he was born in Sandwich and grew up in Earlville, Ottawa became Strong's adopted hometown.

He moved to Ottawa a few years after his service in World War II and started a farm supply store in a bakery in the building that once stood behind the Roxy theater. Over the years he sold a wide assortment of merchandise, including appliances.

"He was a good dad, and always supportive and encouraging to us," Strong Jr. recalled.

Strong Jr. said his father had close ties to Galesburg's Knox College, where he received his bachelor's degree, and was pleased to be able to journey back there recently for a visit to his old fraternity house.

"Dad loved to travel and he visited five continents. His favorite places were the Parthenon in Greece and Sedona, Ariz. And, you know, while he loved to travel, he could never wait to get back home to Ottawa."

Visitation for Strong will be 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Columba Church.

Ottawa Mayor Bob Eschbach referred to Strong as "outgoing" and "caring."

"I know he said it, but his actions showed it," Eschbach said. "He really loved the community."

Eschbach praised Strong's generosity, specifically in establishing the endowment fund for the city's riverwalk. Through Strong's substantial donation and the help of others, the fund now totals around $40,000.

Strong also was very good at helping people feel comfortable in the community and with each other.

"He was always connecting people. If someone was new, he would introduce them to 20 people, always with the idea that some good for Ottawa or the community would come out of it, that they could help each other. That was always his intention," Eschbach said. "A lot of good friendships came from it."

Others also noted Strong's personal interest in the community, volunteering countless hours to various organizations.

Among them was the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce, where he worked with current Executive Director Boyd Palmer from 1961 to present.

"Bill was one of the first people I met when I came to Ottawa. And why wouldn't he be? That was the way Bill Strong operated," said Palmer. "Everyone who came to the community, he made to feel welcome. He greeted them ... He would take people under his wing and make sure they felt comfortable in Ottawa."

Palmer said Strong was not only generous with his time, he also was a giving person financially.

"Bill was so charitable. I can't tell you the number of organizations and different entities that he donated money to to keep them going," he said. "He was a generous, great person."

Palmer said in his heyday, Strong was the life of the party, often coming dressed in a colorful outfit meant to garner laughs.

"He loved it," he said. "Bill was tall and lanky and it was fun to watch him dance. He'd dance with every woman in the room and it was fun. Just talking about it now puts a smile on my face."

"Optimism was his mantra," he added. "If anyone was an eternal optimist, he was. He was good for Ottawa."

Attorney Jim Keely of Ottawa knew Strong through an assortment of activities throughout the years.

"He was very gregarious and had a very good sense of humor. He always had an interest in learning something new. He had a way with people and he loved being around people."

Both were members of the Ottawa Noon Rotary.

"He was a loyal and devoted Rotary member," Keely said. "His presence there was very crucial in bringing in new members. He was always reaching out to new people in the community and inviting them to the meetings, especially those of the tender gender. But he proposed a lot of people. He probably brought in over half the members over the years."

In Rotary, Keely said, there is an attendance requirement for weekly meetings that figure into club ratings.

"If you don't make your local club meeting, you have the ability to make up at another club. So Bill decided he would show how easy it was to make up at the various clubs in the area and he went to, I think it was, 13 Rotary meetings in either a week or two. But I think it was a week. It was amazing. I think that record still stands.

"He was a fine gentleman and we're going to miss him."

Strong also was active at Illinois Valley Community College, where was elected to the board of trustees in 1970 and served for six years. He was one of the trustees to break ground on IVCC's $20 million permanent campus in 1972.

In 1978, he joined the IVCC Foundation and served 31 years until he stepped down for health reasons in July. He created five endowed scholarships by donating more than $45,000 and encouraged others to give and create scholarships. He was one of the first 25 people inducted into the IVCC-LPO Hall of Fame in 2008.

"Bill devoted his life to being an ambassador and diplomat who brought people together — an evangelist for the causes and institutions he believed in so strongly," said Fran Brolley, IVCC's director of community relations and development. "Fortunately, our college was one of those institutions. He was a true leader who had a profound impact on our Foundation."

"Personally, Bill had a gift for making everyone comfortable," Brolley added. "He'd wear a green sport coat, derby and even green boots to our Irish Night celebrations. He was the joyous spirit of the party. You were never a stranger when he was in the room."

IVCC President Jerry Corcoran agreed, though his affiliation with Strong was not through IVCC alone.

"I'm a lucky guy because I had the good fortune of knowing Bill Strong for most of my life since he and his family always provided outstanding agricultural service to my family and the entire farming community in the Illinois Valley," he said.

"In my 19 years at IVCC, I also had the good fortune to witness his tremendous support for higher education, specifically his passion for IVCC and the impact our fine college has had on tens of thousands of students and the business community for 85 years. I will always remember Bill because of his smiling face and tremendous public service to the IVCC Board of Trustees, IVCC Foundation Board of Directors and city of Ottawa. My life has been enriched because of his friendship."