William Fourez

William Fourez

ST. JOSEPH – William Arthur Fourez, 78, of St. Joseph passed away the morning of Dec. 28, 2013. He was at home surrounded by his wife, son and daughter-in-law.
William was born Dec. 1, 1935, and enjoyed a successful life of farming in the Sidell/Fairmount area. His parents were Felix and Marie Fourez. He married Sherry Fourez in 1987.
Surviving are his wife and two sons, Steven (Melinda) Fourez and David (Sue) Fourez; two step-children, Steven (Angie) Fitzsimmons and Jackie (Karl) Kern. Also surviving were lots of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was respected and loved by them all.
William served during the Korean war in the U.S. Air Force as a jet mechanic.
No services will be held; his ashes will be scattered at a later date. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, a donation in William's name may be sent to the St. Joseph-Stanton Volunteer Fireman's Fund, P.O. Box 911, St. Joseph, IL 61873. They were kind enough to give their Christmas morning to take care of William.
Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, is in charge of arrangements.

Robert Wienke

Robert Wienke

EL RENO, Okla. – Robert Chester Wienke passed away Monday (Dec. 16, 2013) at home in El Reno, Okla.
He was born Dec. 11, 1933, on the family farm in Homer, to Earnest and Emma (Rahn) Wienke.
After graduating, he served his country in the United States Army. Before moving to Oklahoma, he and his sister and brother-in-law operated the local dry cleaners (Wienke and Taylor Dry Cleaners) in Homer and St. Joseph. He also managed and worked for his father-in-law at the Pink House Bar and Grill in Ogden. He was also a faithful member, in all his years in Homer, of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Broadlands.
After moving to Oklahoma, he worked in the natural gas and oil industry for almost 30 years, and after retiring from the field, he worked at the local Wal-Mart.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Linda (Strohl) Wienke; his parents; brothers, Earnest Wienke Jr. and Maurice Wienke; sister, Laura (Wienke) Offenstine and her husband Danny; brother-in-law, Ralph Swan, and sister-in-law, Barbara Wienke.
Survivors include his daughter, Teresa, and fiance Danny of El Reno, Okla.; sons, Robert A. Wienke of Yukon, Okla., and Bradley Wienke and wife Megan of Yukon, Okla.; grandchildren, Heather (Horse) McCaskil and husband Cody of Blanchard, Okla., Kristin Horse and Tianna Horse, both of El Reno, Okla., and Bryce, Riley, Laney, Hunter and Jillianne Wienke of Yukon, Okla.; great-grandchildren, Elizabeth Horse-Cagle, Koby Espinoza and two more on the way in early 2014; brother, Vern Wienke of Homer; sisters, Lois Swan of Aurora, Orthalene Taylor and husband Bill of Homer, and Irma Clem and husband Don of Homer; sisters-in-law, Marion Wienke and Bonnie Wienke of Homer; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Glen and Barbara Hathaway of El Reno, Okla., and Rod and Pat Zenner of El Reno, Okla., and Bob and Marilyn Strohl of Peoria; and many nieces and nephews he loved very much.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013, at Trinity Lutheran Church in El Reno, Okla., with burial in the El Reno Cemetery. Services are under direction of Wilson Funeral Home in El Reno, Okla.

Mary Ann Miller

Mary Ann Miller

ST. JOSEPH – Mary Ann Miller, 75, of St. Joseph passed away at 9:25 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 14, 2013) at Heartland Health Care Center in Champaign, surrounded by her family.
A visitation will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013, at Renner-Wikoff Chapel and Crematory, 1900 S. Philo Road, Urbana. A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m., following the visitation. Carle chaplain Tony Crouch, who brought comfort to Mary Ann and her family, will officiate at the service. A private burial will take place at a later date in Eastlawn Burial Park, Urbana.
Mrs. Miller was born Sept. 21, 1938, in Champaign, to parents Paul and Nancy (Baily) Greenwell. She married Harold Glenn Miller on Oct. 26, 1958. He preceded her in death on Dec. 13, 2003.
Surviving Mary Ann are two sons, Michael Miller (Laurie) of Ogden and Jesse Miller of Paxton; a sister, Jennie Rodgers of Champaign; three grandchildren, Blake, Shane and Christina Miller; and one great-grandson, who will be born in February.
Mary Ann was also preceded in death by her parents, two sisters and one brother.
Mrs. Miller had a wide range of occupational talents. Among her favorite workplaces were Holiday Inn, where she was a restaurant manager, and Western Bowl.
In addition to volunteering with the Amvets Auxiliary, she enjoyed watching her grandsons play in the St. Joseph youth football league. In later years, she became an avid fan of the Illini women's basketball team.
Mary Ann always put those she loved before herself. Although she missed her husband dearly after his passing, she took pride in her independence. One of her greatest joys was helping others.
Memorial contributions may be made in Mary Ann's memory to the Carle Center of Philanthropy, Hospice, at www.carle.org/giving/donate.aspx. Condolences may be offered online at www.renner-wikoffchapel.com.

Lewis Osterbur

Lewis Osterbur

DANVILLE – Lewis Osterbur, 82, of rural Oakwood passed away Dec. 11, 2013, at the Indianapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
He was born Oct. 12, 1931, in Royal, the son of Henry Jr. and Annie Eilers Osterbur.
He was married to Jo Ann on June 30, 1957, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Terre Haute, Ind. She survives.
He is survived by his son, Matthew Osterbur; and special friend, Kelly Crabbe; his daughters, Cindy (Ron) Pridemore and Michelle (Joe) Gue; his sister, Hellen (Ben) Jeffords; his sisters-in-law Helena, Rosa Lee Osterbur and Wanda Bohlen; grandchildren, Rachal (Brad) Roach, Nathan Pridemore and special friend Kristian Aue, Amber Gue, and Kyle Gue and special friend Danielle Fouse.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his son, David Osterbur; his six brothers, Frank, Alvin, Robert, and Herbert Osterbur, William and Bernard Bohlen; and two sisters, Louise Frerichs and Marie Ackerman.
When Lewis was a young man he enjoyed working with his hands on anything mechanical. Even in Lewis' later years he could be found fixing his John Deere mower or his Ford tractor.
Lewis served his country in the Korean War. He was on the front lines for the better part of the war, and was also a recipient of the Purple Heart. He was part of the 7th ID "The Light, Silent, and Deadly."
Upon his return to the States, he got a job at Hyster, where he retired after 42 years as the Quality Control inspector.
He was a longtime member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Danville. Lewis also loved to garden vegetables with his wife and daughters. Above all else, Lewis loved his family, and he will be sorely missed by anyone who was fortunate enough to have known him.
A celebration of Lewis's life will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16, at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, A Life Celebration Home, in Danville. A visitation will be held on Monday, Dec. 16, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Please join the Osterbur family in sharing memories, pictures and videos of Lewis's life on his tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.

Jimmy Walters

Jimmy Walters

ST. JOSEPH – Jimmy Walters, 23, of St. Joseph passed away Saturday (Nov. 30, 2013) at Carle Foundation Hospital Hospital Urbana.
Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 6, 2013, at Old Homer Cemetery, Homer. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph.
Jimmy was born May 14, 1990, at Urbana, the son of Michelle Walters and Jim Johnson.
He is survived by his mother, Michelle (Mike) Moreland of Rantoul; father, Jim (Sheli Paskavich) Johnson of Homer; brother, Robbie Walters of Rantoul; sister, Harlie Walters of Villa Grove; grandmother, Janet Brown of Galesburg; grandfather, Roger Brown of Monmouth; and grandparents, Mike and Jean Moreland of Rantoul.
He was preceded in death by his grandmother, Patricia Rush.
Jimmy worked at County Materials in Champaign. He enjoyed listening to music, spending time with family and friends, and making people happy.