FAIRBURY, IL — Brian Thomas Bounds, a lifelong resident of Fairbury and a fifth-generation farmer, passed away Saturday evening, May 31, 2025, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. He was 60 years old.
The Bounds family will hold a private gathering at Duffy-Pils Memorial Home in Fairbury on Saturday, June 7. A public Celebration of Life is scheduled for Sunday, June 8, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Emancipation Brewing Company, located at 13113 North 2500 East Road in Fairbury. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages memorial donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the American Cancer Society.
Born on April 14, 1965, in Fairbury, Bounds was the son of Thomas L. and Jane Rieger Bounds. He married Rebecca Weber on August 3, 1991. She survives him, along with their children: Trent (Kylie) Bounds of Fairbury, Addison (Chloe) Bounds of Denver, Colorado, and Maddie Bounds of Nashville, Tennessee. He is also survived by four grandchildren — Trip, Vivienne, Beau, and Callahan Bounds — as well as his parents, his brother Clint (Tanya) Bounds of Bloomington, and his sister Jennifer (David) Komor of St. Louis.
A 1983 graduate of Forrest-Strawn-Wing High School, Bounds went on to earn a degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois in 1987. His professional journey began with Agrigold Seed in 1991 as a District Sales Manager while simultaneously working part-time on the family farm. By 1996, he had transitioned to farming full-time alongside his father, continuing a proud family tradition.
Outside of agriculture, Bounds was known for his love of fishing, particularly his cherished trips to Canada with close friends and his sons. He also enjoyed relaxing by the pool with his family, ideally while floating with a Hefeweizen in hand.
Friends, neighbors, and the broader Fairbury community remember Brian Bounds as a dedicated family man, a skilled farmer, and a loyal friend whose legacy will live on through the lives he touched.