Forrest Chism

ST. JOSEPH – Forrest D. Chism of St. Joseph passed away at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday (May 12, 2015) at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana.

He was born Nov. 26, 1945, in Champaign, the son of Dorsey and Evelyn Willfong Chism. They preceded him in death.

Forrest married Nancy Swan, who survives, on June 5, 1964. They purchased a house in St. Joseph in September of that year where they continued to reside.

He is survived by his sons, J. Bradley of Fishers, Ind., and J. Scott of St. Joseph; and daughter-in-law, Prease (Russell deceased) of St. Joseph. Also surviving are his grandchildren, who were the love of his life: Ashley, Ryan, Addison, Kristen, Aidynn, Austin and Cameron; and siblings, Dean Chism of Missouri, Sharon Porter of Urbana, Karen Allen of Kentucky and Kay Block of Arizona.

He was preceded in death by his son, Rusty; three brothers; and four sisters.

Forrest was very active in the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District, eventually becoming assistant chief, then a trustee, retiring after 35 years of service. He was a village board member in St. Joseph for 26 years.

He will be remembered as a "one of a kind" who enjoyed interacting with people of all ages.

Forrest disliked having to dress up for special occasions and to honor this, please dress casually for his celebration of life service to be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District. Parking is available in the Methodist Church parking lot across from the fire station.

Forrest and his family would prefer memorials be made in lieu of other expressions of sympathy to the SJSFPD Building Fund or the donor's choice.

Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, is in charge of arrangements.

Margaret Lucille Moorhous

ST. JOSEPH – Margaret Lucille Moorhous, 83, of St. Joseph passed away at 8:06 a.m. Wednesday (May 27, 2015) after a courageous battle with cancer surrounded by her adoring children.

Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Saturday, May 30, at Peace Lutheran Church, Thomasboro, with Pastor Larry Bell officating. Burial will be in Beckman Cemetery, Thomasboro.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph.

Margaret was born Aug. 16, 1931, at St. Joseph, the daughter of Fritz and Marie Eiskamp.

She was the loving mother of Deanna (John) Buss of St. Joseph, Cathy (Randy) Goyne of St. Joseph, Rod Moorhous of Royal and Julie (Bill) Jankowski of Brownsburg, Ind. Also surviving are grandchildren, Tara Smith of St. Joseph, Nathan Buss of St. Joseph, Ryan (Shilpa) Buss of Fort Wayne, Ind., Joel (fiancee Roxie) Goyne of Sidney, Megan (Mark) Shipley of New Palestine, Ind., and Mitchel (fiancee Samantha) Jankowski of Indianapolis; great-grandchildren, Raegan and Payton Smith of St. Joseph, Brady and Tyler Buss of St. Joseph, Bastian and Baron Buss of Fort Wayne and Marek Shipley of New Palestine; sister, Esther (Jim) Clausen of Concord, N.H.; sister-in-laws, Mildred Eiskamp of Paxton and Dorthy Eiskamp of St. Joseph; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, one sister and three brothers.

Margaret worked 31 years at the EPA in Champaign. She was a Cubs and Illini fan. She was a member of the Champaign County Bowling Hall of Fame. She loved to read, work crossword puzzles and be with her family and friends.

Memorial may be made to Peace Lutheran Church, Thomasboro, or Carle Hospice.

Myron Luth

BROADLANDS – Myron Luth, 65, of Broadlands entered into eternal life at 5:09 p.m. Sunday (May 24, 2015) at his home.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 29, at the Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 30, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Broadlands. Burial will follow the service in Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery. Pastor John Sharp will officiate.

Myron was born Nov. 9, 1949, in Tuscola, the son of Vernon and Wilma Schultz Luth. He married Kathryn Sheehan on July 10, 1982, in Broadlands. She survives.

Survivors also include his three daughters, Leslie Luth (fiance Jeremy LaPar) of Kiowa, Colo., Christy (Derek) Chandler of Pontiac and Heather Luth of Colchester; one sister, Margo Hockett of Broadlands; and several beloved nieces and nephews.

Myron was a farmer in the Broadlands area. He was a lifelong member of Immanuel Lutheran Church where he served on numerous boards and committees, Men's Club, and most recently as an elder. He was also a member of the Army National Guard. He attended Southern Illinois University and graduated from Parkland College. He enjoyed spending time with his family, camping and fishing.

Myron dedicated his time as a member of the Broadlands Community Club, enjoyed tractor pulling, was a former 4-H leader and coached softball for 10 years at Heritage High School. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends and the community.

Memorials can be made to Immanuel Lutheran Church.

John Leird

ALLERTON – John R. Leird, 87, of Allerton died at 12:57 p.m. Tuesday (May 26, 2015) at Presence Covenant Medical Center, Urbana. Graveside funeral services with military rites will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 30, 2015, in the GAR Cemetery, Homer, with Pastor Clyde Snyder officiating. Joines Funeral Home, Newman, is handling arrangements.

Mr. Leird was born June 15, 1927, in rural Sidell, a son of Paul and Mary (Guthrie) Leird. He married Shirley Maxine Taylor on Nov. 27, 1949, in Homer. She survives in Newman. Also surviving are a sister-in-law, Lou Taylor of Homer; a brother-in-law, Larry (Shirley) Taylor of Dixon; and several nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his parents.

John attended all 12 grades in Allerton. He served his country 1945-1946 in the U.S. Navy aboard the Destroyer DD753 in the Pacific. When he came home from the Navy, he he started working for Allerton Implement Co. John Deere from 1947 to 1991 as parts manager and sales department. John enjoyed the outdoors, fishing gardening, playing cards, yard work and also did maintenance for the city of Allerton. John was a member of the Allerton United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the GAR Cemetery in Homer or to the Allerton United Methodist Church.

Bonnie Baird

HOMER – Bonnie Mae Baird, 87, of Homer passed away at 1:27 a.m. Sunday (May 24, 2015) at Presence Covenant Medical Center in Urbana.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, May 29, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer, with Pastor Raymond Gordon officiating. Burial will be in GAR Cemetery, Homer. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Bonnie was born on Oct. 18, 1927, in Homer, the daughter of Melvin and Vesta Myers Hillard. She married John A. Baird on Dec. 11, 1946, in Homer. He preceded her in death in January 1979.

Survivors include a daughter, Pamela J. Kresin of Chrisman; a son, Mark A. (Cheryl) Baird of Homer; a sister, Patty Tyler of Homer; four grandchildren, Skip (Cyndi) James, Rick James, Shauna (Mike) Marsoobian and Justin Baird (fiancee Jessica Bates); five great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

She was also preceded in death by her parents; two sisters, Doris Allen and Autilla Tucker; and one brother, John Hillard.

Bonnie was a member of the Historical Society, Home Extension and the Champaign County Farm Bureau.

She was very active and enjoyed visiting with people. Her hobbies included reading and watching birds.

Memorials can be made to Homer Fire and Rescue or GAR Cemetery.

Scottie Whitt

MONTICELLO – Scottie Sherman Whitt, 68, of Monticello, formerly of Homer, passed away at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday (May 20, 2015) at his home.

Funeral services will be at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 26, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer, with the Rev. Teri Shane officiating. Burial will be in the Monticello Township Cemetery. There will be a visitation from 9:30 a.m. until time of service on Tuesday.

Immediately following the burial, there will be a luncheon at the Monticello Community Building-South Room, 2nd Floor at 201 N. State St. in Monticello.

Scottie was born August 2-3, 1946, in Dewey, the son of Frank and Opal Fultz Whitt. He married Virnita Garrison on Feb. 20, 1971, in Champaign. She survives.

Survivors also include a daughter, Jennifer (Larry) Steiling of Monticello; a son, Scott F. (Christy) Whitt of Monticello; a son, Ivan C. (Keyber Galloway) Whitt of Monticello; two grandsons, Grayson Patrick Steiling and Lukas Garrison Whitt; a sister, Jeri Specht of Mahomet; a brother, Bernal (Gayle) Whitt of St. Joseph; and a sister, Phyllis Plotner of Champaign.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Scottie worked at Abbott Power Plant at the University of Illinois. When he retired in 1998, he was the lead operating engineer.

He was a Homer Youth League co-commissioner for three years. He coached baseball and track. He liked all UI sports, he was an avid Cubs fan, loved to garden, loved bluegrass music, and he loved the Brooklyn Dodgers. He also loved his two dogs, Sammie and RoRo.

Memorials can be made to the Homer Youth League.

Shirley McClain

ST. JOSEPH – Shirley C. McClain, 76, of St. Joseph passed away at 8:24 a.m. Thursday (May 7, 2015) at her home.

Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, May 11, at Living Word Family Church Family Church, 1000 Park Ave., St. Joseph, with Pastor Mike Mack officiating. Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Monday at the church.

Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, is in charge of arrangements.

Shirley was born May 22, 1938, in Lawrenceville, the daughter of Charles and Charlene McGuire Allen. She married Bob McClain on Oct. 21, 1973. He survives.

Also surviving are her children, Sheryl (Rodney) Mammano of Champaign, son, Kim (Gretchen) Smith of Roberts, and LeaAnna Askoskey of Thomasboro; stepchildren, Greg McClain of Champaign, Mark McClain of St. Joseph and Autumn Panepinto of Mahomet; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and siblings, Richard Allen of Florida and Ed Allen of Urbana, twin brother, Denny Allen of Urbana, and Ron Allen of Urbana.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Shirley enjoyed painting, going camping and spending time with family and friends.

Lewis Osterbur

SPRINGFIELD – Lewis B. "Lew" Osterbur, of Springfield, formerly of Onarga and Quincy, passed away at 1:10 a.m. Saturday (May 2, 2015) at Concordia Village in Springfield.

He was born July 17, 1925, in Champaign, to John and Anna (Behrens) Osterbur. His family moved to Onarga, where he graduated from high school in 1943. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he was trained as a pilot during World War II. Later, he was recalled to active service during the Korean War and served as a training pilot.

After attending Bradley University and the University of Illinois, Lew worked for Faultless Milling Co. He married Leah D. McQueen in Onarga on Dec. 22, 1946. He purchased the Onarga Grain Co., and operated it for many years. In 1969, he began working for I.H. French & Co. in Champaign. In 1970, he moved to Quincy and started Lewis B. Osterbur & Associates, a grain exporting and business real estate company. He and his wife moved to Concordia Village in Springfield in 2011.

Lew was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod all his life. He was a member of St. James Lutheran Church in Quincy and also Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Springfield. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed a longtime membership of Spring Creek Country Club in Onarga and later Spring Lake Country Club in Quincy. Along with his wife Leah, he performed in a number of productions at the Quincy Community Theater. He loved to play poker and gin rummy, and to dance to the music of Big Bands. He was a kind and fun-loving man and an eternal optimist. Everyone he met was a new friend, and he had a positive impact on everyone whose life he touched.

Lew leaves behind his wife Leah; his son, Randy (Ruth) of Sunrise Beach, Mo.; two daughters, Cindy (Duane) Stock of Taylorville and Pat (Hugh) Seelbach of Springfield; eight grandchildren, Tim (Shelly) Stock, Greg Stock, Alison Osterbur, Kara (Prakash) Jayabalan, Kyle Osterbur, Sheri (Matt) Stewart, Jill (Ryan) DeGeeter and Eric Seelbach; and two great-grandchildren, Anya Jayabalan and Jordan Stewart. He was preceded in death by one daughter, Marcia Jo; one brother; and six sisters.

Visitation and ceremony: The Osterbur family will receive friends in the chapel at Concordia Village, 4101 Iles Ave., Springfield, on Saturday, May 9, 2015, from 9:30 a.m. until time of services there at 11 a.m. Saturday. Pastor Chris Nilges, chaplain of Concordia Village, will officiate. A graveside service, with military honors, will be at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 10, in the Onarga Cemetery, Onarga.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, those who wish may direct memorial contributions in his name to Concordia Village, 4101 Iles Ave., Springfield, IL 62711; Our Savior's Lutheran Church and School, 2645 Old Jacksonville Road, Springfield, IL 62704 or to St. James Lutheran Church and School, 900 S. 17th St., Quincy, IL 62301.

Please visit the online "Life Remembered Story" atwww.bischfuneralhomewest.com where tributes and condolences may be left for the family.

Arrangements are under the direction of Bisch Funeral Home West (217-544-5424).