Lonnie Bodine

HOMER – Lonnie "Pete" Bodine, 58, of Homer passed away at 5:35 a.m. Thursday (Sept. 25, 2014) at Presence Covenant Medical Center in Urbana.

There will be a funeral service at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer. Pastor Tim Bamba Lusitana will officiate. Burial will be in the G.A.R. Cemetery in Homer. There will be a visitation from 11 a.m. until service time on Monday at the funeral home.

Mr. Bodine was born on Oct. 23, 1955, in Decatur, a son of David Swank and Betty Ann Bodine. He married Amy Key on Oct. 29, 2002, in Las Vegas, Nev. She survives.

Also surviving are a daughter, Jennifer (Chad) Briner of Chatham; a son, Jason (Amanda) Bodine of Decatur; four grandchildren, Zachary, Kaitlyn, Landin and Carter; and four sisters, Talena Duncan of Decatur, Melisa Darr of Florissant, Mo., Lenn Wright of Decatur and Denise Smith of Decatur.

Lonnie was preceded in death by his mother and brother, Paul Mullen.

He was an operator at ADM in Decatur for 37 1/2 years. He was an avid bowler and enjoyed playing the slot machines.

Memorial contributions may be made to Homer Fire and Rescue

Nedra Lee Phillips

HOMER – Nedra Lee (Eaton) Phillips born Oct. 23, 1931, left this world to be with her Lord on Monday (Sept. 22, 2014).

Wonderful wife of Herbert "Bill" Phillips. Best mother of Jim (Amy) Cole of Athens, Ga., Jerry (Barb) Cole of Columbia, S.C., Alice (Jackie) Bishop of Mansfield, Texas, Dianna Phillips of Coweta, Okla., and David (Gulshan) Phillips of High Bridge, N.J. Greatest sister of Dianne (DV) Robinson of Champaign. Caring grandmother to 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Amazing Aunt and cousin to many.

Nedra was loved by her family, friends and all who met her.

There will be a graveside service at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at Mount Hope Cemetery in Sidney.

Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer, is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, the family asks for donations to go to The Salvation Army.

Jocelyn Freeman

ROYAL – Jocelyn Lee "Jocey" Freeman, 79, of Royal passed away on Thursday (Sept. 18, 2014) at home.

She was born Jan. 16, 1935, in her home to Wrexford and Georgia (Evans) Clark. She met Richard "Dick" Freeman at a baseball game in 1951 through friends. They married on Nov 7, 1951, in Joliet; they had two sons, Larry and Lonnie.

Dick bought Freeman's Tavern in 1949; Joyce continued to run the tavern after Dick's passing in 1986 until her retirement in 2006. Joyce started the well-known "Chicken Buffet on Thursday Night" at Freemans.

She is survived by her son, Lonnie (Debbie) Freeman of Royal; a granddaughter, Brooke (John Ross) Wilsey of Royal; a great-grandson, Easton Wilsey of Royal, a granddaughter, Taylor Freeman of Naperville; a grandson, Joel Freeman Rosenbeck, 5th Ranger Battalion Paratrooper, Dahlonega, Ga.; a great-grandson, Bason Rosenbeck of Dallas; two sisters, Linda (Dave, deceased) Hartley of Covington, Ind., and Suzanne (Dewey) Zumwalt of Danville; and aunts, uncles and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Georgia Evans Clark (Herman) Frerichs; her father, Wrexford Clark; a son, Larry Freeman; and grandson, Layne Freeman.

She was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, Royal; and she graduated from Ogden High School.

Joyce enjoyed life, her family, cooking, crossword puzzles, NASCAR/Indy racing, E.I. baseball "The Royal Giants", SJO Athletics (granddaughters, Brooke and Taylor) and Parkland Cobra softball (granddaughters Brooke and Taylor). She loved to shop at flea markets, always was a fashionable dresser and could always tell a good joke. She was also a lifelong die-hard CUBS fan.

Visitation will be from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014, at St. John's Lutheran Church, Royal. A graveside service will immediately follow with a luncheon to follow the burial.

Memorials may be made to an organization of the donor's choice.

Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave, St. Joseph, is assisting with arrangements.

Willadean McElwee

FISHER – Willadean A. McElwee, 83, of Fisher passed away at 5:29 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 20, 2014) at Presence Covenant Medical Center, Urbana.

Funeral services will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, with the Rev. Andy Baker officiating. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Mrs. McElwee was born Feb. 21, 1931, in Iuka, Ill., a daughter to Lyal and Irene Tate Aumiller. She was married to Arthur McElwee for 61 years. They wed on March 8, 1953, in St. Joseph. He survives.

Also surviving are three children, Sheila (Carl Wise) McElwee of Danville, Robin McElwee of Fisher and Kimberly (Joe) McElwee Frost of Fithian; three grandchildren, Rebekah (Chris) Tazelaar of Lockport, Josh (Jeanne) Wise of Danville and Calem McElwee-Wise of Danville; three great-grandchildren, Aiden and Arianna Tazelaar and Kendalyn Wise; two brothers, Francis (Lois) Aumiller of Litchfield and Basil (Pat) Aumiller of Leslie, Ark.; and a sister, Freda (Charles) Chaney of Catlin.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Carl Aumiller.

She retired from the University Of Illinois Vocational Agriculture Department after 46 years. She and Arthur raised their family in Champaign before moving to Fisher in 1976 so the family could raise and show Arabian horses.

She and Arthur were inseparable, they were season ticket holders for Illini football for over 40 years, traveling to many of the bowl games they played in. She also enjoyed going to Illini basketball and volleyball games and traveling all over the United States.

She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. One of the last things she and Arthur did together was watch her grandson, Calem, play football just two days prior to her death.

Francis "Fuzz" Walden

URBANA – Francis H. "Fuzz" Walden, 86, of Urbana passed away at 1:58 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 17, 2014) at his home surrounded by family and friends.

Fuzz was born Oct. 1, 1927, in Urbana Township, the son of Rex and Josephine Heater Walden. He married Betty Rhodes in 1948; she preceded him in death. Also preceding him in death were his parents and a sister, Leota Lafenhagen.

He is survived by three children, Sherry Welty, Rick Walden and Gary (Pam) Walden, all of St. Joseph; nine grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; two sisters, Eva (Nick) Nichols and Pauline (Bill) Eaton; his soul mate, Lorri Boastick; Lorri's daughter, Autumn Boastick; and several nephews.

Fuzz farmed in the Urbana area all his life. He enjoyed many outdoor activities.

Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, at Freese Funeral Home, Sidney. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Bill Huss Chapel Cemetery, Urbana.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association.

John Umbarger

HOMER – John Edward Umbarger, 57, of Homer passed away at 9:03 a.m. Sunday (Sept. 14, 2014) in Homer.

He was born on July 8, 1957, in Champaign, the son of Robert and Maxine Burton Umbarger.

Survivors include his parents of Homer and one brother, Ronald (Lynda) Umbarger of Homer.

John graduated from Homer High School in 1975 and lived in Homer all of his life.

He was a member of the Homer United Methodist Church and also the Homer Volunteer Fire Department for 25 years. He was a volunteer who helped maintain the G.A.R. Cemetery in Homer.

There will be a service at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer. Rev. Terri 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. Wednesday at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to Homer Fire & Rescue.

John W. Sadler

FITHIAN – John W. Sadler, 76, of Fithian passed away on Monday (Sept. 8, 2014) at Lane Purcell Hospice at Sumterville, Fla.

He was born on Jan. 3, 1938, in Champaign, to John R. and Zelma (Myers) Sadler.

He lived and worked most of his life on a grain and livestock farm in Fithian. He graduated in 1956 from Oakwood High School where he played football, led the student council and played trombone in the band.

John attended Purdue University and earned a B.S. in agriculture in 1960. At Purdue, he was a member of FarmHouse Fraternity, CERES honorary agricultural fraternity, the Purdue Debate Club, and he participated in several campus plays.

After his graduation, he proposed to Carolyn J. Sperry of Danville. John then traveled to Argentina as an International Foreign Youth Exchange (IFYE) student for seven months sharing his knowledge of agronomy.

After returning from Argentina, he married Carolyn on June 11, 1961. They raised two daughters, Marcella (Tom) Kuhn of Bloomington and Michelle Williams of Encinitas, Calif. He was blessed with four grandchildren: Kenzie, Bram, Tynan Williams and Madeline Ling Kuhn. The couple had also resided at Hawthorne in Leesburg, Fla.

In addition to farming, John was a sales representative for Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., and a Certified Crop Advisor. He was a 4-H member and leader.

He contributed to his community with active participation in a variety of roles and memberships including the Fithian Elementary School Board, Ogden Lions Club and Ogden United Methodist Church.

John was a talented musician and played both piano and trombone. Throughout his life he would always seek an opportunity to play his trombone: first in the farmhouse in which he was raised with other area musicians; Oakwood High School Band; "The Has Beens" orchestra; St. Joseph Community Band; and the Hawthorne Orchestra in Leesburg, Fla.

John and Carolyn enjoyed boating. They navigated many waters along the Illinois River and Lake Michigan on their boat "Seabear." John was a member of the Mid-Illini Chapter of the United States Power Squadron and excelled in many navigational courses. His favorite was celestial navigation.

He remained young-at-heart and studious throughout his life. John collected teddy bears, enjoyed photography and loved to build models of World War II tanks, ships and aircraft. He was an active member of the International Modelers Plastic Society. He was an avid reader, historian and was the first to complete the puzzle section of the newspaper.

John and Carolyn enjoyed many years in Florida entertaining old friends and meeting many new ones.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters and four grandchildren. Also surviving are his mother-in-law, Leah Sperry; brother-in-law, Larry (Jamie) Sperry; nieces, nephews, cousins and lifelong friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and grandson, Thomas R. Kuhn.

A celebration honoring his life will be held at 1 p.m. on Sept. 28, at the Ogden United Methodist Church, 105 W. Main, Ogden.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorial gifts may be made to any of John's favorites including: Ogden Lions Club, Purdue Foundation, FarmHouse Fraternity, the Illinois 4-H Foundation, IFYE Association of the USA Inc., Ogden United Methodist Church and Hawthorne at Leesburg Community Orchestra.

Interment will occur at a later date. Online condolences may be left atwww.beyersfuneralhome.com. Arrangements were entrusted to Beyers Funeral Home and Crematory, Leesburg, Fla.

Russell Webb

URBANA – Russell Robert "Bob" Webb, 97, of Bellingham, Wash., formerly of Urbana, passed away peacefully in his sleep early Monday morning (Sept. 1, 2014) with family at his side.

Bob was born June 27, 1917, in a farmhouse near Joliet. He graduated from Plainfield High School where he excelled in academics and sports. He enjoyed telling stories of playing basketball with wood stoves on the corner of the court. Bob learned farming from his father at a time when they plowed with a horse, and won many ribbons for showing cattle at the Illinois state and county fairs.

Bob was married to the love of his life, Kathryn "Kay" Mae Hunter for nearly 60 years. Bob and Kay lived much of their life in Ogden, where they raised their children, Sharon, Michael and Roger.

Bob and Kay loved to travel, taking their family camping to Rocky Mountain National Park many times and to Lake Superior, Maine and many other state and national parks.

Bob served two years in the Pacific during World War II, returning to Ogden with Kay hospitalized with polio. He lovingly cared for her during her recovery and continued his devotion throughout their long lives together as they raised their family.

Soon afterwards he joined the Hunter Lumber Co. (later Hunter-Webb Lumber Co.), with his father-in-law and three brothers-in-law, all becoming lifelong friends.

Bob was active in his church, the Ogden Lions Club, the Ogden Volunteer Fire Department, and served as a board member of the Ogden First National Bank.

Bob and Kay later moved to Clark-Lindsey Retirement Village (Urbana) where he continued to live after Kay passed away at age 82. In 2011, he moved to Spring Creek Retirement Center (Bellingham, Wash.) to be near son Michael and daughter-in-law Barbara.

After 97 years, Bob leaves many dear family and friends in central Illinois, the Pacific Northwest, and other places Kay and he wintered and visited.

Bob was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Kay; and daughter, Sharon Webb Peterson; his parents, Russell and Ada; sister, Dorothy Myers; and brothers, Richard "Dick" and William "Bill."

He is survived by sons, Michael (Barbara) Webb of Bellingham, Wash., Roger (Susanne Elrod) of Austin, Texas; grandchildren, Melissa (Rick) Kennedy of Albuquerque, N.M., Tim (Ann) Howell of Houston, Texas, Jeff (Genevieve) Howell of Seattle, Wash., Kate Webb (Matt) Morretta of Austin, Texas, and Daniel (Aubrey Weeks) Webb of Seattle, Wash.; and great-grandchildren, Ben and Robbie Howell and Gina Kennedy. All will forever smile as they remember his thrill in beating them at pool, even at 97!

The family expresses special appreciation to Phyllis Baribeau for her compassion and caregiving to Bob, and to the staff at Spring Creek Retirement Center for their caregiving and assistance.

A memorial service will be planned at a later date in Champaign, where Bob will be interred beside Kay.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorial contributions may be made to: National Park Foundation, 1201 Eye St., NW, Suite 550B, Washington, DC 20005, (nationalparks.org).

Norma Nickelson Smith

GOLDEN, Colo. – Norma Nickelson Smith, 87, of Golden, Colo., formerly of Mahomet, passed away Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014, at Bear Creek Care Center, Morrison, Colo.

There will be a graveside service at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 8, at Grandview Memorial Gardens, Champaign. Pastor Brian Romanowski of First Baptist Church of Mahomet will officiate.

Norma was born Aug. 4, 1927, in Homer, to Thomas Nelson and Essie Pearletta Nickelson. Norma married Homer Alphus Smith on Aug. 10, 1946, in Urbana. He preceded her in death in 1983.

She is survived by daughter, Barbara Jean (Gary) Hill of Golden, Colo.; grandchildren, Justin (Trinity) Hill of Azle, Texas, and Kim Hill of Redfield, Iowa; great-grandchildren, Kamryn and Jacob Hill of Azle, Texas; and sisters, Carol (John) Welch of Mahomet and Linda Smiley of Rock Island.

She was preceded in death by her parents and five brothers, Cecil, Dale, Glen, Eugene and Owen Nickelson.

During her years in Illinois, she worked for Model Souders Laundry, Champaign; Magnavox Co., Urbana; Solo Cup Co., Urbana; and PSE Archery, Mahomet.

The family asks that in lieu of other expressions of sympathy, a memorial donation may be made to the First Baptist Church of Mahomet for the nursing home ministry. Condolences may be offered atwww.renner-wikoffchapel.com.