Obituary of Leo E. Winkel
Leo E. Winkel, age 87, of Morris, died of pulmonary hypertension at Morris Hospital on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, just one day before his 88th birthday.
He was born and raised on a farm in rural Minooka, the son of Ralph J. and Mary Edna Winkel. They moved to Morris during his junior year of high school. He graduated Morris Community High School with the Class of 1957.
After graduation, he enlisted in the Army, where he served two years in Germany. Upon his return, he worked for six years as a mechanic at Wilson Chevrolet in Morris. He joined Laborer’s Union #75 in Joliet as a construction laborer, where he worked for over 30 years. In addition, he owned and operated Winkel Tree Services for more than 60 years. His trucks were a familiar sight in Morris and surrounding areas, serving nearly three generations. He took particular pride in his daughter, Caira (the son he didn’t have) working with him 60 feet up in the bucket truck, operating a chain saw. He will forever be grateful for the dedicated assistance of Rich Feehan.
On January 15, 1966, he married Judith A. Matthews. They had one daughter, Caira A. Andrjeski of Morris. He is also survived by two grandsons, Connor I. and Carter J. Andrjeski of Morris; one brother, Duane P. Winkel, and numerous nieces and nephews out of town.
Leo was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Bernard of Centralia, IL and George Winkel of Morris, and two sisters, Florence Gollick of Crest Hill and Theresa Craig of Lonsdale, AR.
All his life, he was an avid racing fan. He started out with a red 1933 Plymouth Coupe with “The Stompping Six” with a six cylinder GMC truck engine in it. It was a customized car. The body was chopped and channeled and there was a carburetor for each of the cylinders. First of all, it was a show car in the Gashoppers Car Club, in Joliet, showing it as far away as Navy Pier in Chicago. Then he decided to drag race at tracks in Oswego, IL, Cordova, IL and Union Grove, WI. He did open dragging and ET brackets (estimated time) after setting new speed records. In one drag race, he reached a speed of 130 MPH plus in a quarter mile, requiring a parachute to stop it. He loved stock car racing! He participated with his brother-in-law, Jeff Matthews, in a “claimer” stock car #20 for three years before moving up to the late model division, where he held the track record for a time. He raced at Grundy County and Fairbury Speedway. Just about every week he could be found watching NASCAR races, which he enjoyed immensely. He also watched WWE wrestling nightly with his beloved dog, Luna on his lap. He was raised a farm boy and always had sheep and chickens.
Visitation for Leo E. Winkel will be held on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, from 4:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. at Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 1201 W. Route 6 at Deerpath Drive in Morris. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the funeral home chapel. Interment will follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Morris with Army Honors.
For information, please call (815) 942-5040 or visit his Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com, where you can share a favorite memory of leave a condolence.
