Charles William "Bill" Schuler

Charles William "Bill" Schuler, Naples, FL, owner and operator of the former Holiday Inn at 1100 Ninth Street North on the Trail in Naples from 1967 to 1973 died at Vitas Hospice on April 26, 2019. He was 96 years old and a recent resident of the Edgewater Beach Hotel. Born in Dixon, Illinois on July 3, 1922, Bill attended local public schools until his junior year in High School, when he transferred to St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin. In addition to his studies, Bill was on the wrestling team and played ice hockey competitively. He graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence with a degree in business and economics. His college years were interrupted by World War II, and he served for three years in the Infantry, mustering out as a First Lieutenant. He saw action in Germany, with his tour of duty culminating as a security officer in and around Regensburg where floods of refugees were on the move. Returning to the States, Bill finished his degree and enrolled in a Masters program in Creative Writing and English Literature under the GI Bill. He is the author of a novel, The Little Men, as well as many poems, thoughtful essays and short stories. A first marriage ended in divorce, and in 1948 he and his present wife, Nancy, were married. While writing his novel, which reflected his military adventures, he labored as a farmer, raising Hereford cattle with his father, in northern Illinois. An opportunity to sell the farm in 1966 resulted in a move to Naples, Florida, where the Holiday Inn was available for purchase. Bill took early retirement from the business and soon became devoted to a life on boats and fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. His other passion was cameras and photography. He set up darkrooms wherever he was living and processed his own art. Late in life, he made an easy transition to digital cameras and equipment. Whatever he did, it was with attention and focus. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Goldie Schuler, and is survived by his sister, Bonnie, of Dixon, Illinois; his wife, Nancy; his children, William Eliot (Flo), Michael Anthony (Trina), and Catherine Ann; as well as five grandsons, Kyle, Stephen, Mark, John and Daniel Schuler; and eight great-grandchildren. Graveside services with Military Honors will be held on Saturday June 29, 2019 at 2:30 PM at Oakwood Cemetery in Dixon.

Charles William "Bill" Schuler

July 3, 1922 - April 26, 2019