John William (Bill) Schikora, 82, a resident of The Villages, Florida, passed away peacefully on January 30, 2022 after a long illness. He was born in Chicago in 1939. After marrying in October, 1962 he and his wife, Carole, moved to Portage, MI where they worked and raised their family and resided for 43 years. In 2013 they purchased a home in the Villages. Bill was an open, friendly, and principled man. At 6’8″, he was an extraordinary presence in any situation not just for his size, but for his generosity of spirit, his fun approach, his willingness to help however he could, and his genuine liking for nearly everyone he met. While living in Portage, one of his life’s passions was representing Court Appointed Special Advocates for the Governor’s task force on child abuse and neglect. He enjoyed spending summers at Sandy Pines with family and friends. After moving to The Villages, Bill became a vocal advocate for residents. He served as the Chair of the District 2 Community Development District and was a long time board member of the Property Owners Association. His neighbors all recall him being “the new neighbor greeter”. Those he loved most, his family, were the true center of his universe. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 46 years, Carole (Caulfield) Schikora in 2008, his sister Candy O’Connor and his brother Fred Schikora. Bill is survived by brother-in-law Dr. Joseph Caulfield (Kathy) and sister-in-law Sister Joyce Caulfield, and by his loving fiancé of 7 years, Marguerite (Peg) Tackett of the Villages and by his dearly loved children Beth Elliston (Michael) of Kalamazoo, MI; Bill Schikora (Amy) of Ann Arbor, MI; Jean Schikora of FL; his grandchildren Ashley Elliston-Cowher (Dan); Bradley Elliston (Lauren); Audrey and Nicholas Schikora and by numerous nieces and nephews. He is also survived by Peg’s family, who he lovingly embraced the past 7 years: Jeffrey H. Doran (Kelly) of Deep River, CT; their children Jeffrey H. Doran, Jr. (Samantha) of Barco, NC; Jeremy M. Doran (Leyna) of Middletown, CT; Brittany Michaud (Samual) of Groton, CT; and Julia Doran (Michaela Burke) of Groton, CT.
In memoriam, Bill’s family, friends, and colleagues are welcome to attend a Celebration of Life gathering on March 5, 2022 from 3-6 p.m. at his home in the Villages. Please visit http://www.nationalcremation.com where you can sign Bill’s guest book, share a memory, or make a donation to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) or Public Broadcasting Service (www.pbs.org), two organizations that were important to Bill.