PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. (WMBD) -- 96-year-old Raymond "Ray" Picl still holds the record for being the longest serving mayor of Peoria Heights at nearly three decades, even in his passing.

Picl died Oct. 5 at Bueler Home in Peoria, but he lived his life in Peoria Heights. In fact, he was born there on June 15, 1929.

A proclamation issued in 2024 by then Mayor Mike Phelan said it was easy to look up to Mayor Picl, as he stood at 6 feet 3 inches tall, and he had a towering influence in the Peoria Heights.

His 28-years as mayor of the village from the mid 1960's to the mid 1990's, resulted in the construction of the community's iconic village hall and Tower Park.

Picl was a graduate of Woodruff High School and Bradley University. He was an officer in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and se

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