Dorothy Darby

Dorothy Darby

ST. JOSEPH – Dorothy Darby, 89, of St. Joseph passed away at 5:05 a.m. on Nov. 15, 2013, at Champaign Urbana Regional Rehab in Savoy.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 18, at Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, with the Rev. Mike Mack officiating. Burial will be in Mount Olive Cemetery, Mayview. Visitation will be held Monday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home.
Dorothy was born June 26, 1924, at Edgewood, the daughter of Vernon and Hazel Ligett Ragle. She married Charles Ellis in 1950. He preceded her in death.
She is survived by her sweetheart, Lyle Dillman; children, Linda (Larry) Cutright of Casey, John (Mary) Ellis of St. Joseph and Dennis Ellis of Urbana; four brothers, JR, John, Danny and Roger Ragle; two sisters, Joan Early and Virginia Smith; sisters-in-law Donna Ragle and Erma Ragle; eight grandchildren, Denny Ellis, Dawn Stoltey, Savanna Coronado, Eric Ellis, Heather O'Brien, Jay Bartels, B.J. Wilkins and Becky Althaus; and several great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Cathy Alcorn; two brothers and one sister.
Dorothy worked at Magnavox, several area restaurants, and drove a truck for three years. She enjoyed spending time at the Eagles and VFW in Champaign dancing the night away. She also enjoyed sewing.

Jerry Johnson

Jerry Johnson

ARVADA, Colo. – Jerry A. Johnson, 79, formerly of Champaign, passed away on July 20, 2013, in Colorado.
Survivors include his wife, the former Donna Hostetler; two daughters, Jill Jackson and Sara Martin; three grandchildren, Casey, Spencer and Tara; and three great-granddaughters, Destiny, McKenzie and Kylie.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edford and Hildreth Johnson of St. Joseph.
Mr. Johnson retired as a Navy Chief Petty Officer and later retired as a petroleum landman for an oil corporation in Denver.
A military funeral service was conducted with burial in a military cemetery in Denver.

Lodema Crist

Lodema Crist

URBANA – Lodema M. "Dee" Crist, 95, of Urbana died at 10:39 a.m. Tuesday (Nov. 5, 2013) at the Heartland Healthcare Center, Urbana.
A Celebration of Life for "Dee" will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at Renner-Wikoff Chapel and Crematory, Urbana. The Rev. Jeff Stahl will officiate. Burial will be in Mount Olive Cemetery, Mayview. Visitation will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Mrs. Crist was born Aug. 11, 1918, in Huntington, Ind., the daughter of Giffen and Goldie Lucas Robertson. She married Lawrence L. "Jack" Crist on June 22, 1941, in Louisiana, Mo; he died on Dec. 24, 1981.
Survivors include three children, Keith Crist of Urbana, Linda Beard of Mahomet and Lawrence "Larry" (Norma) Crist of Atlanta, Ga.; one sister, Zula Hall of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; seven grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.
She was preceded in death by three sisters, Helen, Betty and Sareeta.
Mrs. Crist graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1936 and graduated from the University of Illinois Business School in 1938.
She was an Avon rep for over 50 years.
Mrs. Crist previously attended the Mayview United Methodist Church, was a member of First United Methodist Church, Urbana, where she was active for many years, ABWA, was active in many organizations, an election judge for 54 years. Most of all, she was a devoted wife and mother who loved spending time with her family.
Memorial contributions may be made to an organization of the donor's choice.
Condolences may be offered at www.rennerwikoffchapel.com.

Juanita Parker

Juanita Parker

HOMER – Juanita Z. Parker, 98, of Homer passed away at 2 p.m. Friday (Nov. 1, 2013) at the Heritage Health Nursing Home in Bloomington.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer. The Rev. Teri Shane will officiate. Burial will be in the G.A.R. Cemetery in Homer. There will be a visitation from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the funeral home.
Mrs. Parker was born on March 19, 1915, in Tilton, a daughter of Charles and Clara Gleason Mitchell. She married Lyle Christian; he passed away. She later married John Parker; he also preceded her in death.
Survivors include a daughter, Joanne Lane of North Fort Myers, Fla.; a stepdaughter; Carol Parker of Rantoul; a granddaughter, Linda (Keith) Shade of Washington, Ill.; two great-granddaughters, Haley and Heather Shade; and one brother, H. Jack (Lonita) Mitchell of Lincoln.
She was preceded in death by one sister and three brothers.
Mrs. Parker worked for many years and retired from Central Illinois Electric and Gas, which became Commonwealth Edison and is now Cilco. She was a member of the Homer American Legion Auxiliary, where she was a former president. She was a very patriotic person and loved to travel. She also had a love for penguins.
Memorials may be made to the G.A.R. Cemetery or Homer American Legion Auxiliary.

Lenore Rhodes

Lenore Rhodes

HOMER – Lenore Thornberry Rhodes, 90, of Homer passed away at 4:10 a.m. Friday (Nov. 1, 2013) at the Country Health Care and Rehabilitation in Gifford.
There will be a funeral service at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer. Burial will be in the G.A.R. Cemetery in Homer. There will be a visitation from noon until service time Tuesday at the funeral home.
Mrs. Rhodes was born on Aug. 9, 1923, in Granby, Mo., a daughter of Virgil and Ethel Hendrickson Thornberry. She married Frederick Rhodes on Jan. 29, 1944 in Pittsburg, Kan. He passed away on Aug. 29, 2003.
Survivors include one son, Stephen Rhodes of Champaign.
She was preceded in death by two sisters, Genieve Robinson and Nancy Douthitt, and one brother, Walter Thornberry.
Mrs. Rhodes was a member of the Homer United Methodist Church. She enjoyed cats and dogs, liked doing word searches and loved antiques.
Memorials may be made to the Champaign County Humane Society or Vermilion County Humane Society.

William Rushing

William E. Rushing (December 16, 1927 - October 26, 2013)  Send Flowers Send Sympathy Gifts Send Sympathy Card Guest Book | Sign Guest Book | Send Private Condolences William E. Rushing 85 of Urbana died at 1:45 a.m. Saturday, October 26, 2013 at the Heartland Healthcare Center, Champaign. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at Renner-Wikoff Chapel and Crematory, Urbana, Rev. Eric St. Pierre officiating. Burial will be in the Nokomis Cemetery, Nokomis. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. He was born on December 16, 1927 in Pinckneyville, the son of Thomas A. and Esther Viola Tanner Rushing. He married Myrtle Logsdon on December 24, 1948 in Nokomis; she died on April 18, 2010. Survivors include two sisters; Shirley Stallings of Edgewood, Kentucky, Dolly Majors of Sarasota, Florida, two sisters – in-laws; Ruth Sanders of Nokomis, Betty Slagell of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, several nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by one brother and one sister. Mr. Rushing was a graduate of Homer High School. He joined the U.S. Navy right out of high school and spent five years in WW II and the Korean conflict. Mr. Rushing retired from Janitor Supplies Inc. Champaign after 39 years and was a long time resident of Urbana. Mr. Rushing was a member of First Christian Church, Champaign and the American Legion Post 71 of Urbana. Memorial contributions may be made to the First Christian Church. Condolences may be offered at www.rennerwikoff.com.