ESSEX, Ill. — Mr. Donald F. "Ski" Watchinski, 82, of Essex, Ill., passed away peacefully while surrounded by his family Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012, at his home.

Funeral services will be at the R.W. Patterson Funeral Homes, Ltd., Braidwood Chapel, 401 E. Main St., at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13. Interment with military honors will follow in North Cemetery in Essex. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at the funeral home.

Born Oct. 2, 1930, in Bloomington, Ill., he was a son of the late Walter and Bessie (Dornemann) Watchinski.