Harold G. Reed

HOMER — Harold G. Reed, 87, of Homer passed away at 11:44 a.m. Wednesday (March 28, 2018) at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana.

A celebration of life will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 31, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer. Burial will take place in Fairfield Cemetery, Newman. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Harold was born March 16, 1931, in Allerton, the son of Frank and Esther Alley Reed. He married Sue Robling on July 2, 1960, in Rossville. She survives.

Survivors also include son, David (Ginger) Reed of Homer; daughter, Lora Jean (Kevin) Judy of Homer; son, Ryan Reed of Peoria; grandchildren, Payton (Kayla) Judy, Cole Judy, Shelby (Jace) Corray and Cody Reed; greatgranddaughter, Grace Judy; sister, Dorothy Ellis of LeRoy; brother, Frank (Sharon) Reed of Normal; brother, Ralph (Diana) Reed of Danville; and sister, Marilyn (Bill) Boen of Oakwood.

Harold was a member of Champaign County Farm Bureau. He loved farming and was a lifelong farmer. He enjoyed watching his grandchildren play sports, watching westerns, listening to classic country music and taking trips to Arizona. He was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Memorials can be made to Heritage FFA or Homer Fire Department.

News-Gazette 3/30/2018

Jerry L. McNear

URBANA — Jerry L. McNear, 69, of Urbana passed away at 9 a.m. Monday (March 26, 2018).

Celebration of life services will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, March 30, 2018, at Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home.

Jerry was born Oct. 11, 1948, in Tuscola, the son of David and Ruth Severe McNear.

He is survived by his children, Jason (Tanya) McNear of Jacksonville, Fla., Misty (Chris) Grossman of Mt. Zion, Scott Brownfield of Champaign and Gena Bialeschki of Cisco; nine grandchildren, Dylan, Sydney, Caleb, Camryn, Caden, Lisa, Leah, Christena and Noah; two brothers, Jesse (Anna) McNear of Louisville, Ky., and Randy McNear of St. Joseph; four sisters, Rhonda (Dan) Mitchell of Champaign, Roberta (Bill) McKee of Sidney, Mona (Marty) Hauersperger of Pesotum and Rose McNear of Homer; half brother, Charles (Anne) McNear of Hilton Head, S.C.; and half sisters, Doris (Mike) Boggs of Brownstown and Jane Head of Pudin, Mo.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Marion McNear.

Jerry was a graduate of St. Joseph-Ogden High School in 1967.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Army serving in Vietnam. He retired from A.C. Humko in 2009.

Most of all, he enjoyed working for three generations of Ehmens on Ehmen Farms for over 50 years.

Jerry was always willing to help anyone at anytime. He was an auto enthusiast,

especially of Corvettes.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association or the donor’s choice.

Robert Charles Kuder

Robert Chalmers (Bob) Kuder was born on a farm in St. Joseph, Illinois December 16, 1920 to Frank and Juanita Bell Gibson Kuder. He died February 12, 2018 at the age of 97.

Bob graduated the University of Illinois with a BS in Electrical Engineering in 1942 and was shortly thereafter married to his first wife of over 55 years, Myrtle Louise Everett Kuder. Together they had three sons and a number of grandchildren.

Like everyone in his generation, shortly after graduating university Bob joined the war effort applying his engineering skills to defense research and development.  After the war, Bob joined the Civil Service which provided him and his young family the opportunity to live in Morocco, Libya, Italy and Germany. In the summers, he took the family all over Europe camping.  In the winters, they rented small chalets in the Italian alps for holiday ski trips. Bob’s Civil Service also took him to New England for a few years during the ‘60’s where some Kuders still reside to this day!

In 1975 Bob retired and, after a stint of travel across the country, he and Myrtle settled down in Wimberley, TX.  There they build their dream retirement home and Bob settled in to the place he would call home for over the next 40 years.  Bob loved Wimberley and it showed in all he did: member of the first Senior Center board; helped build the Visitor Center, past Lions Club president and long serving member; president of Habitat for Humanity who secured the tax-exempt state charter; founding member of Wimberley Players; volunteer in many organizations such as Community in Schools Committee, Wimberley Career Center, San Marcos-Hays-Caldwell Drug & Alcohol Abuse Council and others.  Bob and Myrtle were also founding members of the Wimberley United Methodist Church.  Myrtle died in 1997.

Bob met and married Barbara Uhlinger Guenther in 1999 welcoming her and her three grown sons and families into his family.  For close to 20 years Bob and Barb traveled the world while continuing to play an active role in their local community.  

Everybody who met Bob loved him.  He was a real charmer and shall be missed by his three sons, Barb and her sons, and the numerous grandchildren who also knew him as Opa . His ashes will be interred in the Bay View Memorial Garden, Petosky, MI.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Wimberley United Methodist Church or charity of choice.

The Wimberly View 3/22/2018 https://www.wimberleyview.com/articles/2018/03/21/robert-chalmers-bob-kuder 

Mildred Alene Maddock

MAHOMET – Mildred Alene Maddock Landreth, 91, of Mahomet, formerly of St. Joseph and Decatur, passed away at 7:40 p.m. Tuesday (March 20, 2018) in Urbana.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, March 26, 2018, at Freese Funeral Home, St. Joseph. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. before the funeral. Burial will be in Mt. Olive Cemetery, Mayview.

Alene was born June 11, 1926, in St. Joseph, the daughter of Earl Chester and Arvilla Wintress Leigh Maddock.

Survivors include sister, Delores Behrens of Chesterfield, Mo., and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; infant brother, Loren Maddock; infant sister, Patricia Ann Maddock; brothers, Orville Leigh Maddock and Robert Earl Maddock; and sister, Eleanor Belle Maddock Craig.

Alene attended Beverlin grade school in Stanton Township and graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1944. She retired from the University of Illinois.

She was an active volunteer at Lincoln State School in the 1960s and 1970s and after moving to Mahomet, she volunteered at Swann Special Care Center, Champaign.

Alene had a strong interest in her family history and in 1996, put together a book "Ancestors" with numerous photos and stories of the family over the generations.

Memorials may be made to Swann Special Care or Developmental Service Center.

Donald Morgan

HOMER – Donald Arthur Morgan, 87, of Homer passed away at 12:56 a.m. Tuesday (March 13, 2018) at Piatt County Nursing Home, Monticello.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, March 19, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer. Randy Walters and the Rev. Teri Shane will officiate. Burial will take place in G.A.R. Cemetery, Homer. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

Donald was born March 19, 1930, in Danville, the son of John Arthur and Sarah Alice Coy Morgan. He married Louise Cromwell on March 24, 1951, in Homer. She preceded him in death on Sept. 9, 2016.

Survivors include son, John (Deborah) Morgan of Batavia; daughters, Peggy (Michael) Jenkins of Homer and Nancy (Steve) Hoffman of Farmer City; grandchildren, Tara Jenkins, Josh Jenkins, Leslie (Ryan) Frenk, Danielle (Paul) Huston, Michael Morgan and Rebekah Hoffman; and great-grandchildren, Mya Huston, Juliana Frenk, Ian Huston, Virginia Frenk and Kyle Huston.

Don was a member of Homer United Methodist Church, Homer Lions Club and Homer Masonic Lodge. He earned his national farmer degree from FFA in 1950, with his state degree in 1948.

He was former South Homer Township supervisor for many years. Don was a Cardinals and Green Bay Packers fan and loved to bowl.

Memorials can be made to Heritage FFA or Homer United Methodist Church.

John Jacob Huls

ROYAL – John Jacob Huls of Royal passed away at 10:30 a.m. Sunday (March 18, 2018) at St. Clara's Rehab and Senior Care, Lincoln, with family present.

John was born Feb. 16, 1921, the son of Poppe J. Huls and Kate (Fruhling) Huls. He had two sisters, Abbie Demien and Ann Wolken.

He was a member of St. Johns Lutheran Church of Royal.

Surviving are his children, Judie Hill of Osage Beach, Mo., Jan (Jack) Knollenberg of Lincoln, Rodney (Linda) Huls Maddock of St. Joseph and Kathy Rowland of Phoenix, Ariz. He had six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sisters.

John farmed near Royal until he moved to Phoenix in 1981. He loved to spend time outside working or riding his bicycle and in his woodshop where he could make anything, including doll furniture and tractors.

John will be best remembered for his happy, teasing personality and his silly German phrases, which he loved teaching his family and caregivers.

Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, is in charge of arrangements.  He was buried in Kopmann Cemetery, rural St Joseph on March 22, 2018.

Sue Jones

HOMER — Sue Jones of Homer passed away on Sunday (March 11, 2018) surrounded by loved ones. She will be forever missed by her husband, Kenny, and her loving children.

Born to Shirley Day (Schloz) on Easter, April 6, 1947, Sue was adopted as an infant by Alma and Daniel Pearson. She grew up in her mother’s antique shop, developing an appreciation for carnival glass and vintage jewelry. Her warm heart and gentle spirit endeared her to everyone she met.

In 1993, Sue married Kenneth C. Jones. Together,they loved exploring art galleries and traveling to Santa Fe each year to see the desert wildflowers.Each described the other as the love of their life. She delighted in spoiling her grandchildren rotten, often saying she “liked ‘em feisty.” Her endless patience came in handy at the annual Jones Turkey Bash.

She retired from the University of Illinois after 22 years. Later, she created her own jewelry line, designing original pieces from vintage finds.

A beloved member of United Methodist Church of Homer, Sue believed it was her mission in life to comfort others. She was always ready with a warm hug or an empathetic ear. As a younger woman, she fostered 22 children, nursing many back to health.

She is survived by her husband of 25 years, Kenny;daughters, Jesica Wattles (Brian) of Mahomet andJenniffer Principe (Paul) of Milwaukee; bonus kids,Kory Jones (Karen) of Austin, Texas, and Lori Jones of Los Angeles; birth mother, Shirley  Schloz; sister, Tonya Mansell; and four grandchildren, Kaleb Jones, Penelope Jones, Joel Wattles and Xavier Roman.

Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 15, at Kirby Funeral Home, Homer. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at United Methodist Church of Homer.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorial gifts may be made to Salt and Light Ministry to fight poverty.

Champaign News-Gazette 3/13/2018

Dottie I. Olson

ST. JOSEPH — Dottie I. Olson, 82, of St. Joseph went to be with the Lord at 8:55 p.m. Friday (March 9, 2018) at her home.

Funeral services will be private. Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, is assisting the family with arrangements.

Dottie was born June 21, 1935, at St. Joseph, the daughter of Frances E. and Mida McCarty Jarrett. She married Vernon Olson on Feb. 27, 1955, at St. Joseph. He preceded her on Jan. 21, 2005.

She is survived by her children, Shelly Burke of Mt. Prospect, Sheryl (Dwight) Franzen of Urbana and Gary (Nancy) Olsonof St. Joseph; eight grandchildren, Abbie (Matthew) Albanese,

Jennifer Burke, Brittany (Matthew) Emadi, Kathrine (Justin) Burrell, Emilie Franzen, Ory (Nicole) Olson, Isaiah (Kathryn) Olson and Bria (Michael) Cessna; and 13 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers.

Dottie was a homemaker and helped her husband and family farm in the St. Joseph area.

Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family.

Memorials may be made to the Memorial and Honor Program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Champaign News-Gazette 3/11/2018

Darlene Kay Sjuts Walker

ALVARADO, Texas — Darlene Kay Walker of Alvarado, Texas, passed away Saturday (March 3, 2018) after a prolonged illness.

Darlene was born to Henry and Katie (Onnen) Sjuts on April 5, 1947. She graduated from St. Joseph School. She had many jobs throughout the years, her most current as a bus driver for Venus ISD. Darlene’s favorite pastime was reading a variety of books.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a grandson.

She is survived by her husband, Jim Blagg; sons,

Cliff Walker and wife Lisa, Wes Walker and wife Delina, Chad Walker and wife Andrea and Corey Walker and wife Dusty; sisters, Dorthy Bunten and Louise Brownfield; seven grandkids; and extended family.

News-Gazette 3/8/2018

Tom Percival

FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. — In the spirit of Christian joy, the family of Tom Percival wishes to announce his arrival into heaven on Friday afternoon (March 2, 2018).

Tom was born and raised in St. Joseph. He met and married Joyce Shore in March 1954. She preceded him in death. They have four children, Valerie Percival Reed (Mike), Jeretta Percival Mabry (Rich), Clifford Percival and Stanley Percival (Janet). They have 12 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

He married Sharon Lemke in June 1995. Her children, Tim Tatman (Donna) and Paula Smith; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren joined the family.

Tom ran a printing press for the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Illinois, then managed Kopy Kwik Printing on Lincoln Avenue in Urbana until moving to Florida in 1985. His journey went from St. Joseph to Ft. Myers, Fla., and currently Fruitland Park, Fla.

He was always involved in church and raised his children in St. Joseph Church of Christ. He and Sharon are members of New Life Christian Church in Wildwood, Fla.

Family fishing trips to Wisconsin are something Tom always enjoyed, along with bowling. He took up golfing in his Florida years. He had a great sense of humor and always enjoyed a good joke.

Tom’s family finds comfort in his favorite hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.”

Today he is with the Lord and he finished well.

On Saturday, May 5, at 10:30 a.m. there will be a private graveside service at East Lawn Cemetery, Urbana. Friends are invited to gather for a luncheon at St. Joseph Church of Christ at noon to fellowship with the family.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Champaign News-Gazette 3/8/2018