Teresa A. Wilson

 HOMER — Teresa A. Wilson, 87, of rural Homer passed away at 10:50 p.m. Friday (July 16, 2021) at home.

Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 21, at Kirby Funeral Home, 708 S. Main St., Homer. Pastor Raymie Gordon and Pastor Brad Wilson will officiate. Burial will take place in G.A.R. Cemetery, Homer. There will be a visitation from 11 a.m. until the time of service at the funeral home.

Teresa was born Oct. 13, 1933, in Homer, the daughter of Howard and Vida Boise Lacey. She married Charles Alan Wilson on Sept. 16, 1951, in Homer. He preceded her in death on May 26, 2005.

Survivors include her daughter, Cindy Wilson of Homer; sons, Jeffrey (Debbie) Wilson of Homer and John (Janice) Wilson of Rogers, Minn.; seven grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

She was also preceded in death by her parents; infant brother, Herbert; and sister, Reva Ingram.

Teresa was a member of United Congregational Church and Homer Extension. Teresa owned and operated Wilson Tree Farm for 20 years. She sold Avon for over 35 years and worked at Sam’s Club for 10 years. Teresa drove special-needs schoolchildren to school. She enjoyed spending time with her family.

The family would like to thank the Oncology Department at Christie Clinic for a wonderful job. Memorials can be made to Homer Fire and Rescue.

NG 7/18/2021

Kenneth Edward Kirby

 HOMER — Kenneth Edward Kirby liked people to call him “Kirby”; a loving son, brother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

Kirby was born Nov. 17, 1940, to the late Dewey and Helen Louise (See) Kirby of Farmer City.

He was preceded in death by his significant other, M. Irene Christenson; and brothers-inlaw, Butcher Woods and John Johnson.

Kirby transitioned to heaven on April 5, 2021, at the age of 80 years.

Kirby was owner and funeral director of the Kirby Funeral Homes in Homer, Broadlands and Fithian. He graduated from Moore High School in 1959 from Farmer City. He was a master mason for Masonic Lodge 199 in Homer for 56 years. He was also a longtime Lion’s Club member.

Kirby is survived by his four children, Randy Kirby, Richard (Susan) Kirby, Rebecca (George) Kuhn and Rodney Kirby (significant other Kim); 14 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; sisters, Ruth Woods and Linda Johnson; and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on July 25 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the American Legion in Farmer City.

In lieu of flowers, please make any donation to a charity of your choice.

NG 7/18/2021

Linette Albers

 RANTOUL — Linette Albers, 76, of Rantoul passed away at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday (July 14, 2021) at home.

Graveside services will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 18, at Huls Cemetery, Gifford, with the Rev. Matt Bahnfleth officiating. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, July 18, at Baier Family Funeral Services, 406 E. Pells St., Paxton.

Linette was born May 14, 1945, in Orange County, Calif., the daughter of Leroy O. and Mary Catherine Elizabeth Wargo Hensley. She married Duane E. Albers on July 4, 1965, at American Lutheran Church, Rantoul. He preceded her in death Feb. 6, 2019.

She is survived by a son, Todd (Angie) Albers of St. Joseph; and sister, Deborah Hensley of La Porte, Ind.

She was preceded in death by her parents and husband.

Linette graduated from Rantoul Township High School in 1963 and went on to graduate from cosmetology school in Champaign. She worked as a beautician out of her home for several years. She then worked for the Champaign County Credit Bureau and later as an administrative assistant for Rantoul City Schools until her retirement.

She and her family lived in the St. Joseph area before moving back to Rantoul in 1987. She was a member of American Lutheran Church, Rantoul, and the Thomasboro Improvement Association.

Linette enjoyed cooking, gardening and the outdoors. She loved to entertain and was always ready to help others.

Memorials may be made to American Lutheran Church, Rantoul, or Huls Cemetery. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at baierfuneralservices. com.

Nancy Marilee Lambert

 HOMER — Nancy Marilee Lambert of Homer passed away Tuesday (July 13, 2021) at home.

She was born April 7, 1952, the daughter of Robert and Aleela Mingee McCleary. She was married to Jack Lambert in Tolono on July 22, 1978.

She is survived by her siblings, Robert C. McCleary (Dee Dee) of Golconda, Deborah Jeanne Ward (Robert) of Mahomet, David Philip McCleary (Carol) of Tolono and Michael William McCleary of Dearborn, Mich. Also surviving are many loved Lambert family members and nieces and nephews from both the Lambert and McCleary families.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jack, and parents.

Nancy was funny, witty, bright and a talented individual who always brought joy and laughter to those who knew her. She will be greatly missed.

According to her wishes, cremation rites will be accorded by Freese Funeral Home, Tolono. She will be laid to rest at a later date.

Memorial donations in Nancy’s honor may be made to the Champaign County Humane Society, 1911 E. Main St., Urbana, IL 61802.

NG 7/15/2021

Sharon Kay Willfong

 ST. CLOUD, Fla. — Sharon Kay Willfong, 79, of St. Cloud, Fla., formerly of Ogden and Sadorus, passed away Saturday, July 3, 2021, at home surrounded by her family.

She was born April 19, 1942, to John and Gladys (Turner) Dyar in Danville. Sharon worked for the University of Illinois Airport and Toys R Us and had owned her own ceramic shop for many years.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, John Dyar, and daughter-inlaw, Stacy Whitlock.

Sharon is survived by three daughters, Debra L. (Duane) Eckerty of Madison, Wis., Brenda K. (Patrick) Charters of Monticello and Melissa A. Willfong of St. Cloud, Fla.; three sons, Randy W. (Ginny) Whitlock and Scott A. (Stacy) Whitlock, both of St. Joseph, and Robert D (Melissa L) Willfong Jr. of St. Cloud, Fla.; 17 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and another on the way; a sister, Linda (Richard) Stanton of Danville; and a brother, Gary Dyar (Debora) of Belmont, Mich.

Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Newman.

Condolences may be offered at freesefh.com.

Juliet Elizabeth Karlau

 OGDEN — Juliet Elizabeth Karlau, 95, passed away at University Rehabilitation Center of C-U, Urbana, on Saturday (July 3, 2021). She will forever be in our hearts.

She was born in Alpena, Mich., one of 13 children.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband Louie of 67 years. They lived all their married life in Ogden after World War II, as she was an American war bride. Julie was always volunteering in the small-town community and spent many hours involved in the Women’s Auxiliary, helping every year with the Ogden Carnival and other community functions.

She is survived by her three married daughters, Patricia Allen (Dick), Paula Hill (Mike) and Carol Maddock (Steve). She will be sadley missed by her seven grandchildren, Shawn and Brian Allen, Travis, Troy and Tim Ray, as well as Renee Osterbur and Michael Maddock; and 15 great-grandchildren.

She will long be remembered due to a treasure trove of family memories, including

her lovely birthday cakes she would make for her grandchildren. Who can forget the large green alligator cake she made using candy corn for teeth! Julie always had a smile on her face, a kind word for all and love in her heart. We were blessed to have her in our lives.

Private family services will be held. Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made at freesefh.com.

Gary P. Hanks

 WHITTIER, Calif. — Gary P. Hanks, 71, of Whittier, Calif., passed away peacefully on May 12, 2021, in Whittier.

A celebration of Gary’s life will be held at Salt Fork Center at Homer Lake on Tuesday, July 13, from 3 to 8 p.m. Please join us to celebrate Gary’s life by sharing stories and memories about Gary with family and friends.

Gary was born on March 16, 1950, in Champaign, the son of Chet and Myrl (Purselley) Hanks, and is survived by his wife of 31 years, Ana.

He is also survived by his sister, Sonja Hanks of Danville; nieces, Alice Rice and Sarah Evans; nephews, Jesse Evans and Joe Evans; six great-nephews; three great-nieces; two greatgreat- nephews; two great-great-nieces, all of Illinois; cousins, Prudence Hungate of Westminster, Calif., Clovis Hungate of New Mexico and Raleen Hungate of Oregon; mother-in-law, Gloria Garduno; sisters and brothers-in-law, Gloria and Dan Hernandez and Rose and Chuck Anderson; nephew, Daniel; and niece, Celeste, all from California, and lots more extended family.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Gary retired from IT from the County of Los Angeles in California. He grew up in the St. Joseph/ Homer communities and developed long-lasting friendships with many in the area, which he always cherished. He was a graduate of University High School, Normal, and attended the University of Illinois. Gary was a member of the California Association of Sunbeam Tiger Club (CAT) and the Corvette Club of Los Angeles and enjoyed engine rebuilding and design.

He enjoyed sports, especially basketball, riding motorcycles with buddies locally and in California, dirt bikes with friends from Idaho, attending NHRA Drag Racing with his buddy, Aaron Booher, and testing high-performance tires with his buddy, Steve.

Gary was very passionate about learning and researching his family’s genealogy and enthusiastically shared his findings with others. This led to the wonderful opportunity of meeting new-found family members in Indiana and across the country.

Memorials may be made to the donor’s choice