Dorothy Boise

Dorothy Boise

CHAMPAIGN – Dorothy "Dotty" Boise, 78, of Champaign passed away at 7:17 p.m. Friday (July 19, 2013) at Presence Covenant Medical Center, Urbana.
Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday July 24, at Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, followed by graveside services at 11:15 a.m. at Patterson Cemetery, St. Joseph. Pastor Paul Dinges will officiate.
Dotty was born July 20, 1934, at Champaign, the daughter of Percy W. and Eva Benefield Schuman. She married Joseph Boise on May 11, 1952, at St. Joseph. He survives.
Also surviving are a daughter, Ginger (Kent) Lenz of Champaign; a son, Gregory (Lisa) Boise of Tolono; seven grandchildren, Erica Bales, Aleene Lenz, Jana Lenz, all of Champaign, Kimberlee Boise of Clinton, Julie Boise of Tolono, Geoffrey Boise of Tolono and Joseph Boise of Tolono; six great-grandchildren; and a niece, Patricia Baker of Lakewood, Colo.
She was preceded in death by her parents, one brother and a niece.
Dotty was a member of St. Joseph United Methodist Church. She was also a member of the VFW Post 5520 Auxiliary and the Eagles of Champaign Auxiliary.
Dotty enjoyed bingo and music. She loved to spend time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Lung Association or St. Joseph United Methodist Church.

Virginia Davis

Virginia Davis

SAVOY – Virginia May Craver Davis died at Clark-Lindsey Village, Urbana, on Sunday (July 14, 2013) after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. She lived life to its fullest!
Virginia was born on Jan. 26, 1927, in Las Vegas, Nev., to her proud parents, Nolan C. and Hazel M. Craver. Nolan was a physical education teacher and coach at Las Vegas High School. Longing to return to the Midwest, the family relocated to Crawfordsville, Ind., in 1928.
When Virginia was 13, they moved to Homer, where she graduated from Homer High School in 1945. Virginia's maternal grandfather, Louis V. Jurgensmeyer, was a lifelong Homer businessman and farmer who served as mayor for many terms.
Following high school, Virginia went to MacMurray College, Jacksonville, where she majored in art. She met a handsome World War II Air Force pilot, Capt. Robert Davis, at church and she invited him to a dance at MacMurray. They were married two years later at Homer United Methodist Church on June 30, 1948.
Virginia and Bob were both active members of the Homer community for over 50 years. They owned and operated Big D Seed Farm for many years. Virginia was the consummate volunteer! Whether she was leading an organization at Homer United Methodist Church, cooking for Lions Club, leading the MYF youth group, serving as a Girl Scout leader, volunteering in the gift shop at Burnham Hospital or leading a committee for the Homer Women's Club, everyone knew that she would be providing kind and loving leadership to all she met along the way.
Virginia had many hobbies. She enjoyed working in her garden, knitting, doing crafts, going to the movies, being with her friends and family and playing bridge. She was a passionate, lifelong fan of Illini basketball and football. She and Bob loved to ballroom dance. They danced for decades and enjoyed the friendships that they made while doing something they loved to do. Virginia was an excellent cook who prepared and served many delicious meals over the years at her home, her cottage and her church, all with loving care and compassion.
Traveling was also a passion. For over 65 years, Virginia enjoyed spending time in Door County, Wis., with her family and friends at the family cottage. In addition, she and Bob traveled to Europe, took wonderful sailing trips in the Caribbean and spent several months at their home in Venice, Fla., during the cold Illinois winters. Since 1970, Virginia drove to Wisconsin to visit her daughter's family nearly every six weeks, as recently as Christmas 2012.
At the age of 64, Virginia started her Mary Kay business. She proudly served her Mary Kay customers for 22 years, making her last deliveries in June 2013. Her customers and her colleagues became dear friends.
In 2001, Virginia and Bob moved to Savoy. Virginia remained close to her Homer friends, while making new friends in the Champaign-Urbana community. She and Bob joined Faith United Methodist Church in Champaign in 2001. After Bob's death in 2003, Virginia immersed herself into volunteerism.
At Faith, she worked with the Youth Club and other church groups. Cunningham Children's Home was another special place where she volunteered, helping those in need. At the time that Virginia was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in March 2013, she was still volunteering as an usher at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and driving "old people" to the doctor several times a week. She was an active member of the Art Needle Club in Homer, played bridge in various bridge clubs and continued helping at Faith United Methodist Church.
Virginia is survived by her three children, Georgiana Giese Schwandt (Michael) of Portage, Wis., Nancy Kurre (Joe) of Hollywood, Fla., and Bill Davis (Mary) of Ogden. In addition, she leaves six grandchildren, Chris Giese (Abby), Pete Giese (Jacqueline), Chas Prange, Rob Prange (Susan), Alicia Kolton (Neil) and Elaine Davis (Aaron Shelksohn). Two great-grandchildren, Connor Davis Giese and Kendall Paige Giese, will dearly miss their Great-Grandma Davis who loved them deeply. Virginia's brother, Nolan C. Craver Jr. and his family, also mourn her passing as well as many, many friends of all ages.
A private inurnment service will take place at the Jurgensmeyer family mausoleum at the Homer GAR Cemetery. Friends are invited to join the family in celebrating Virginia's life at Faith United Methodist Church, 1719 S. Prospect Ave., Champaign, at 3:30 p.m. July 19, 2013. Guests are asked to share memories and bring favorite photos of Virginia. Following the service, attendees are invited to visit with the family at the church and enjoy refreshments.
Virginia requested that memorials in her memory be made to Cunningham Children's Home in Urbana. Even in her passing, she continues to help others.
The family would like to thank the dedicated staff at Meadowbrook at Clark-Lindsey Village for the loving care and concern for Virginia during her brief stay there. Virginia's love and kindness made the world a better place. She set an example for her family and community on how to love, how to serve and how to treat others. We love you and will miss you forever. Kirby Funeral Home in Homer is in charge of arrangements.

Don Appl

Don Appl

ST. JOSEPH – Don Appl, 93, died at 3:55 p.m. Monday (July 15, 2013) at the Champaign County Nursing Home, Urbana.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 20, 2013, at Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, with Dave Barcus officating. Burial will be in Mount Olive Cemetery, Mayview. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
He was born March 14, 1920, at Homer, the son of Charles and Ruth Dunkman Appl. He married Norma "Jean" Tegar on May 3, 1953, at Champaign. She preceded him in death on Dec. 1, 1994.
He is survived by two sons, Steven Appl of St. Joseph and Charles (Teresa) Appl of St. Joseph; three granddaughters, Heather (Justin) Levingston of Tolono, Amy (Ryan) Wagle of Royal and Elizabeth (Josh) Brown of St. Joseph; and five great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother.
Don lived and farmed in St. Joseph till he was 90. He and his wife ran a self-service laundromat in St. Joseph for 22 years. He served on the village board for many years. He was a member of the Church of Christ, St. Joseph.
Memorials may be made to Champaign County Nursing Home.

Dale Appl

Dale Appl

SAVOY – Dale Appl, 86, of Savoy passed away on Wednesday (July 10, 2013) at his home.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, July 15, at Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, with the Rev. Charles McClarey officiating. Burial will be in Mount Olive Cemetery, Mayview. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. with Masonic services held at 11 a.m. Monday.
Dale was born Sept. 21, 1926, in St. Joseph Township, the son of Charles A. and Ruth Dunkman Appl. He married Rose Lane on Sept. 16, 1948, in Urbana. She preceded him on Jan. 24, 2009.
Dale is survived by his daughter, Becky (Jim) Maxwell of Tolono; three grandchildren, Sara (Dustin) Kessinger of Champaign, Mike (Sarah Pforr) Maxwell of Pesotum and Andy Maxwell of Tolono; great-granddaughter, Adelyn Maxwell; and one brother Don Appl of St. Joseph.
He was preceded in death by two sons, Terry and Tommy Appl.
Dale retired from the University of Illinois working in construction.
Dale was a member of the St. Joseph Church of Christ. He enjoyed fishing and spending time at Lake Sara. He was a member of the Tolono Masonic Lodge 391.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Reba Ridinger

Reba Ridinger

ST. JOSEPH – Reba Ridinger, 95, of St. Joseph, formerly of Homer, passed away at 12:23 a.m. Thursday (June 20, 2013) at the Champaign County Nursing Home, Urbana.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 22, at Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph. Burial will be in G.A.R. Cemetery, Homer. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Reba was born Sept. 19, 1917, in Salem, Ind., the daughter of Harry and Verna Chastain Collier. She married Paul Lavaughn Ridinger on April 27, 1935, in Urbana. He preceded her on Oct. 25, 1998.
She is survived by a son, Paul (Pat) Ridinger of Sidney; three grandchildren, Sara (Allen) Glenn, Mary Ridinger and Mike (Annett) Ridinger; four great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; two sisters, Louise Halverson of Laguna Hills, Calif., and Mary Jones of Las Vegas, Nev.; and one brother, Mervin Collier of Bedford, Ind.
She was preceded by one son, Charles Ridinger; two sisters and two brothers.
She was a member of the Church of Christ. Reba and her husband farmed in the rural Sidney area.
Memorials may be made to the donor's choice.

Erma Koehn

Erma Koehn

NORMAL – Erma C. Koehn, 101, of Normal, formerly of St. Joseph, died at 4:04 p.m. Saturday (June 15, 2013) at Heartland Healthcare in Normal.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, June 21, at Calvary United Methodist Church in Normal, with Rev. Randy Perry officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church. Cremation rites have been accorded by Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home, Bloomington. Inurnment will be in Mansfield Community Cemetery at a later date.
Memorials may be made to Calvary United Methodist Church or a charity of the donor's choice.
She was born Oct. 28, 1911, in Dietrich, daughter of Robert and Lena Grahn Prahl. She married Harold Koehn on March 21, 1931, in Mansfield. He preceded her in death on Aug. 4, 1978. She was also preceded in death by one brother and three sisters.
Surviving are one daughter, Carol (Delmar) Hillman of St. Joseph; one son, Kenneth (Nancy) Koehn of Normal; two granddaughters, Julie (Brian) Spiak of Orlando, Fla., and Bobbi Jo (Jared) Veazey of Mayfield, Ky.; and two great-granddaughters.
Erma graduated from Mansfield High School in 1928 and earned her teacher's certificate at Illinois State Normal University. She taught school in Piatt County in a country school.
She was a pianist for the Centerville Methodist Church, the Mansfield Methodist Church, and later for the St. Joseph Methodist Church.
She was one of the first women to actively drive tractors and trucks, assisting her husband with his farming operation.
Once her children were in college, she began working at the University of Illinois in the Office of Administration and College of Liberal Arts and Science, retiring in 1971.
After the death of her husband, she moved to St. Joseph, where she began volunteering for senior services and playing the piano for five nursing homes and the Methodist Church.
In 1988, Erma was named Queen of the St. Joseph Fall Festival for her service to the town and community.
After her 80th birthday, Mrs. Koehn enrolled in a class at Parkland College called "Creative Writing." She wrote short stories about her life growing up during the Depression. With the encouragement of her classmates and family, she published these stories in a book titled "Hand Me Downs."
Later she wrote another book about her sister's battle with ALS titled "Have You Ever Seen An Apple Blossom." She had book signings in Champaign, Monticello and Bloomington.
Erma moved to the Windsor of Savoy in 2002, where she continued entertaining with her piano skills by playing for singalongs and as pianist for their church services.
In 2012, she moved to the Blair House in Normal, where she made many new and dear friends.

Kerry Bryan

Kerry Bryan

RIO RANCHO, N.M. – His parting advice to his family was simple: "Never quit learning and never give up."
Kerry Lee Bryan certainly lived by his own advice. He always seemed to have the answer and on those rare occasions when he didn't, he instinctively knew the best path for hunting it down.
He passed away near the stroke of midnight on Monday (May 27, 2013), surrounded by his family. He was 69.
It almost didn't matter that there were still so many things to do in such a short lifetime because those things he did do, he did them well.
As if in a celebratory salute to life, the message on his desk was clear. Among the mounds of paperwork, the stuffed pheasants, insect specimens and the Groucho Marx glasses was a book opened to page 18. It read: "Belief 1: I have succeeded."
That is an understatement as Kerry had touched so many lives, with his incredible sense of humor and his unwavering willingness to help others at the drop of a hat.
Born on May 4, 1944, Kerry grew up on a farm in Homer. It was here - with his father, mother and younger sister - where the lessons of resourcefulness and resilience began.
He graduated from Homer High School in 1962 and within six years earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in zoology and botany from Eastern Illinois University. It was in 1964 that he married his high school sweetheart, Sara.
After teaching at a junior college in Illinois, he went on to teach science on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota.
In 1975, he embarked on what would be a lifelong career working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Plant Protection and Quarantine division. He was stationed in San Diego, Chicago and eventually Albuquerque.
Kerry protected the nation's food and natural resources by being an emergency responder to several invasive citrus pests in Texas and California.
Then there was that pesky wheat disease in Texas, the cotton-munching boll weevil and a potato pest in Idaho. He was called upon to manage emergency grasshopper outbreaks throughout the West and worked with the U.S. military in the Middle East to ensure returning equipment was pest free.
He held various positions, including president of the National Association of PPQ Managers. His work sent him to Kuwait, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, South Korea, Brazil and Newfoundland.
Early in his career, he was stationed along the U.S.-Mexico border, where he checked incoming shipments and kept an eye on the tuna boats along the California Coast. His BlackBerry always in his hand, there was no doubt that he loved his job.
Still, he made time for Boy Scout outings with his son and to watch his daughter play softball. There were also camping trips at Otay Lake in California and the building of massive snow forts during Chicago's brutal winters.
Kerry ran the Chicago Marathon one year and competed in running events in San Diego and Albuquerque until he decided to take up mountain biking. A few flips over the handlebars didn't slow him down.
He always pointed to his stash of vitamins, fresh garlic and swigs of apple cider vinegar. If it were up to his heart, it would have kept beating forever. A fan of the Sunday funnies, he never went far without his humor and his hankie.
Kerry loved "Old Green," his classic Ford pickup truck. It was a sleeper, certainly not as pretty as his beloved 1967 Mustang GT. Then there were the animals - from Clifford the pet raccoon to the twin Maine coon cats, Cleo his dutiful Nicaraguan dog and his faithful pup RJ. In Kerry's big heart, there was always room.
His family and friends are forever grateful for everything he was able to do for them, for the lessons he shared and for the outbursts of laughter he caused. The world is now a different place without him. He will be sorely missed.
He is survived by his mother, Charlotte Bryan of Homer; his wife, Sara; daughter, Libby; and son, Zachary and his wife Susan, all of Rio Rancho, N.M.; and sister, Peggy Foskett and her son, Roger Foskett, both of England.
A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, May 31, at FRENCH - Rio Rancho location, 1950 Pine Road NE, Rio Rancho, N.M. A reception will follow.
Please visit our online guestbook for Kerry at www.FrenchFunerals.com.