SAVOY — Glenn D. Archer, 95, went to meet his Lord, Savior and family at the gates of heaven Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, at University Rehabilitation Center of C-U, Urbana.
Glenn was born Feb. 8, 1924, in Allerton, where he was raised and lived the majority of his life. His parents were Cecil and Bertha Lazzell Archer.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Kathryn (Jones) Archer; siblings, Helen Ennis, Opal Whitson and Ruth Stiegman; a grandson, Cody Patton; and a great-grandson, Austin Archer.
He is survived by his current wife of 30 years, Helen (White) Archer; children, Don (Barbara Delanois) Archer of Oakwood and Shelley (Jim) Patton of Sidell; six grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
Glenn grew up on the same street where hisfamily lived for more than 100 years. He attended Allerton High School and graduated in 1943. While in school, he was an outstanding athlete lettering in basketball, track and softball. Sports writers in the Danville Commercial News tagged him as “Smiling Archer” because he would always have a big smile on his face when scoring a basket. Later, he was on an all-star basketball team in Danville that played against the Harlem Globetrotters. Glenn always talked about competing against Dike Edelman in the high jump and Olympian Bob Richards in the pole vault while going to the state track meet for three years. As an adult, Glenn was a fast-pitch softball player, bowler, golfer, horseshoe pitcher and loved playing any and all types of games.
After high school, Glenn went to work with his father, Cecil, doing construction work. Glenn and his father, and later with his son, built over 200 houses, apartments, farm buildings and commercial buildings, of which the majority stand today as a tribute to his construction knowledge and abilities.
Glenn’s right leg was 2 ½ inches shorter than the left, and here is his story as written by his hand: “One day when I was 5, I was standing and just kind of fell over. My parents thought I might have polio. This was around 1930, and hardly anyone had money because of the Depression. After a short time, some local men that belonged to the Masonic Lodge told my dad they could get me in the Shriners Hospital for Children in Chicago. Of course, no one had any money, so it was going to be hard for my dad to get me to the hospital.As luck would have it, my dad had an aunt inChicago. They came to Allerton to visit my grandma who lived next door, and my dad made an agreement with them to take me to the hospital. My mother said my dad went behind the shed and cried when I left with them. When they took me to the hospital, the doctor found I had fallen and broke the blood vessel that wrapped over my hip which let the bone die and looked like a sponge. It was called Perthes of the Bone. The doctors decided to put a cast around both hips and down to the right ankle of the leg. This would keep the joint from moving and let the blood vessels grow back into the bone in my hip. The doctors changed the cast every two months. They would place the cast,and I would stay overnight
and then go to my aunt’s house and stay in bed for about a week till the cast was completely dry. In the summer, when I was home with the cast on, I was placing my right foot on a scooter and pedaling with my left. Of course, I fell and broke the cast. My dad tried to put it back together but couldn’t get it to stay. Like I said, money was hard to come by then, and here my dad had to come up with the bus fare to take me back to the hospital. When they put on the new cast, the doctors placed a board in the back to reinforce it. When they would take the cast off, they would bend my leg at the knee because it would have a tendency to get stiff. When they bent my leg, it sure hurt. I never broke a cast again!”
Mr. Archer was a member of Allerton United Methodist Church, Allerton Lions Club and a 32nd degree Mason and grand master from 1966 to 1973 at the Broadlands Masonic Lodge 791 AF& AM.
Visitation will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, at Joines Funeral Home, 401 W. Gillogly St., Newman, with a memorial service following. Masonic funeral rites will be given at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, northeast of Newman, following the memorial service.
Memorials may be made to the Shriners Hospitals for Children — Chicago (donate at lovetotherescue.org) or to Allerton United Methodist Church.
CU News-Gazette 8/21/2019
No comments:
Post a Comment