Florine "Flo" Bennett

HOMER — Florine “Flo” Bennett, 84, of Homer passed away at 10:40 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, at her daughter’s home.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main Street in Homer with Pastor Mike Picklesimer officiating. Burial will take place in Mansfield Cemetery in Mansfield with Rev. Nick Gleason officiating. There will be a visitation from 10-11 a.m. prior to the funeral at the funeral home.

Flo was born July 23, 1935, in Fisher, the daughter of Joseph Otto and Bertie Mae Depuy Elkins. She married James H. Davis on June 28, 1951. He passed away Nov. 7, 2005. Flo married Tommy Bennett on Feb. 19, 2000, in Ben Wheeler, Texas. He preceded her in death on April 24, 2003.

She is survived by daughter Pam (Jerry) Stanfield of Homer; son Jeff (Cindy) Davis of Texas; daughter Mary (Mitch) Crawford of Mansfield; daughter Sheri Davis of Homer; son Kenny Davis of Texas; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

She was also preceded in death by son Joe Davis; granddaughter Michelle Davis; granddaughter Racheal Davis; grandson Kenny Sterner; one sister; and two brothers.

Flo was a member of Sidney United Christian Church and Champaign County Home Extension. She was a welcome person at Meijer and volunteer at the former Provena Hospital.

Ray D. Moorhous

ST. JOSEPH — Ray D. Moorhous, 85, of St. Joseph passed away at 8:07 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, at his home surrounded by his family.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 802 E. Douglas St., St. Joseph. Pastor Dennis Meyer will officiate. Burial will be in Mt. Olive Cemetery, Mayview. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the church.

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

Ray was born March 7, 1934, in Ogden Township, the son of Earl and Julia (Chestnut) Moorhous. He married Maria Cook on Feb. 14, 1978. She survives.

He is also survived by his children; Deanna (John) Buss of St. Joseph, Cathy (Randy) Goyne of St. Joseph, Rod Moorhous of Royal, Julie (Bill) Jankowski of Danville, Ind.; six grandchildren, Tara Smith of St. Joseph,

Nathan Buss of St. Joseph, Ryan (Shilpa) Buss of Ft. Wayne, Ind., Joel (Chrissy) Goyne of Sidney, Megan Shipley of Danville, Ind., Mitchell (Samantha) Jankowski of Indianpolis; 10 greatgrandchildren, Raegan and Payton Smith, Brady and Tyler Buss, Bastian and Baron Buss, Marek Shipley, Boston and M.J. Jankowski, and Barbara Farney; and sister Jean Motsinger of Savoy; several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Patricia Barrett.

Ray farmed in the St. Joseph area until retirement in 2002. He was an avid St. Joseph-Ogden and Illini sports fan.

Ray loved to play cards and enjoyed fishing and hunting. He was a loving and generous Husband, Father and Grandpa Ray.

Memorials may be made to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 802 E. Douglas, St. Joseph, IL, 61873.

NG 11/19/2019

Steve Wayne Higgs

Urbana — Steve Wayne Higgs, 70 of Urbana, passed away at 9 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, at University Rehab, Urbana.

Graveside services will be 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 at Mt. Olive Cemetery, Mayview.

Mr. Higgs was born April 18, 1949, in Altamont, a son to Wayne and Nancy Spoor Higgs.

He is survived by two sisters; Jackie O’Leary of San Diego, Calif., and Belinda Barton of

St. Louis, Mo. He was preceded in death by three sisters; Connie Jones, Rita Inskeep, and Tamera Barton, his parents, a great-uncle Jerry “Pete” Frye, and his grandmother, Ruby Spoor.

He graduated from St. Joseph-Ogden High School in 1967. After 30 years retired from University of Illinois in the operation and maintenance department. He was a member of the grounds crew. He was a fan of motorcycle and car races, sprints, midgets, and drag cars. He enjoyed traveling around the country with his buddy Craig Stephen. “Nothing was better that a race and a cold beer.”

NG 11/13/2019

Daniel Ennis

SIDNEY — Daniel Ennis, 11, of Sidney died at 4:13 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11, 2019 at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana.

Daniel was born Dec. 15, 2007, in Urbana to Matt and Erin (Happ) Ennis. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Daniel Happ; maternal great-grandfather, James McCarthy; paternal great-grandfather, Norman Ennis; paternal great-grandmother, Eileene Hart; paternal great-grandfather, Roy Hart; and his favorite dog, Georgia Bean.

He is survived by his parents, his sister Haley of Sidney, grandparents Andy and Nancy (Hart) Ennis of Urbana, Terry (McCarthy) Happ of Urbana, great-grandmother Louise Ennis of Sidney, great-grandmother Jenilee McCarthy of Savoy, great-grandparents Donald and Dorothy (Bosch) Happ of Philo, Aunt and Uncle Bryan and Holly Ennis of Champaign, Aunt and Uncle Meghan Happ and Cameron Walters of Champaign, many great aunts, great uncles, family members and numerous friends.

Daniel was currently a sixth-grade student at Unity Junior High School in Tolono. He loved bowling, baseball, playing video games and spending time with family and friends. He also loved the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks and the Fighting Illini.

Visitation will be from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at First Christian Church, 3601 S. Staley Rd., Champaign.

Funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 at the church.

Donations may be made to the Daniel Ennis Memorial Fund at Longview Bank.

Freese Funeral Home, Sidney is handling arrangements.

ENNIS

Christy Ellen (Hausmann) Elliott

Christy Ellen (Hausmann) Elliott, 77, of Urbana passed away peacefully at 1:48 p.m. on Friday, November 8, 2019 at her home surrounded by family.

Private graveside services will be held at a later date at Rushville Cemetery, Rushville, IL.

Christy was born in Chicago on November 22, 1941 to parents Gustav and Helen (Pippig) Hausmann. They preceded her in death. Also preceding her in death was her son Thomas Elliott.

She grew up in Chicago and Fox Lake.

On March 3, 1963 Christy married the love of her life, Robert Elliott in Macomb, IL. They learned to collaborate and taught each other many things. Robert passed away in December of 1995.

She is survived by her daughter Lori Elliott of Urbana, three grandchildren; Kayla Elliott, Jenna Elliott and Matt Pieper and five great grandchildren.

Christy earned her Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois; she was a teacher for over thirty years, retiring from Urbana School District #116.

Christy loved her family and friends and enjoyed spending time with them over the years. She loved celebrating the holidays, volunteering with very dedicated individuals and watching the new generations develop.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or to the Champaign County Humane Society.

Renner Wikoff Funeral Home 11/10/2019

Judith Elaine Kopmann

ROYAL — Judith Elaine Kopmann, 77, of Royal passed away Friday (Nov. 8, 2019) at home.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Flatville, with the Rev. James T. Lehmann officiating. Burial will follow in Kopmann Cemetery, Royal. There will be no public visitation. Baier Family Funeral Services, Flatville, is assisting the family with arrangements.

Judith was born July 23, 1942, the daughter of Martin and Anna Albers Flessner. She married Lorence J. Kopmann on Nov. 20, 1960, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Flatville. He preceded her in death Oct. 30, 1967. She later married Delmar Schlueter, and he also preceded her in death.

She is survived by one son, LeRoy (Tana) Kopmann of Bismarck; one daughter, Bonita Kopmann of rural St. Joseph; four grandchildren, Levi (Elise) Kopmann of rural St. Joseph, Kallie (Aaron) Horn of Gibson City, Tyre Stephens of Bloomington and Karsen Kopmann of Springfield; two great-granddaughters, Braylee and Everlee Horn; and two sisters, Sylvia Flessner of Royal and Ellen (Lonnie) Ferguson of Decatur.

She was preceded in death by her parents, two husbands and daughter, Anita Kopmann.

Judy spent her childhood in Stanton Township and graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1960. She worked for many years at Chanute Air Force Base in Civil Service and helped on the family farm. Judy later retired from CERL in Champaign. She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Flatville, and a past church secretary. Judy was also a member of the Homemakers Extension in Royal and the TWIN club.

She enjoyed sewing and making blankets for her children and grandchildren; cooking, particularly baking; and riding her Gator around Royal. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family, especially her great-granddaughters.

Memorials may be made to Shriners Hospitals or Kopmann Cemetery. Condolences may be offered at baierfuneralservices.com.

News-Gazette 11/10/2019
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Sharon L. Cook

URBANA — Sharon L. Cook, 78, of Urbana, formerly of St. Joseph, passed away Tuesday (Nov. 5, 2019) at Brookdale Senior Living, Urbana.

Sharon was born Oct. 16, 1941, in Urbana, the daughter of Seymour and Helen Lewis. She was one of seven children. She married David Cook on May 16, 1965, in Urbana, and he survives.

Sharon is also survived by a daughter, Kimberly Ann Coyne of St. Joseph; grandchildren, Blair Ann Coyne of St. Joseph and Justin Awalt of Orange County, Calif.; and greatgrandchildren, Cain Awalt and Jax Awalt, also of Orange County.

Sharon graduated from Champaign Central High School in 1960 and was a telephone operator at

Illinois Bell, which later became AT& T. She retired after 30 years of service. She enjoyed being with her family and spent the next years traveling and assisting them in their businesses. She enjoyed, for entertainment, playing slot machines.

The Cook family sincerely appreciates the care and caring of Harbor Light Hospice and its staff and the Brookdale Senior Living staff and facilities with Sharon’s seven-year battle with cancer.

There are no services planned.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Champaign County Humane Society. Condolences may be offered at renner-wikoffchapel. com.

CU News-Gazette 11/9/2019