CHICAGO — After a year of squabbles over the state budget, the outcome of Illinois’ power struggle now hinges on dozens of House election campaigns that will determine whether Democrats can impose their will on Gov. Bruce Rauner or the Republican gains traction with his ideas to “shake up” the state.
Mary M. Payne – Benton, IL
July 30, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Mary M. Payne, 92, of Benton, passed away at 5:29 a.m., Friday, July 29, 2016, at her daughter’s home in Benton surrounded by her family.
Mary was born on July 18, 1924, to Joseph and Esther (Stricklin) Racine. She married Earl D. Payne in 1947 and he preceded her in death. “Should you go first and I remain to walk the road alone, I’ll live in memories garden, dear, with happy days we’ve known.” She retired from the Department of Natural Resources at the age of 79.
She is survived by Cheryl (Charles) Morton of Bridgeville, Delaware, and Julie Payne-Hubler (Stanley) of Benton. She is also survived by one grandchild, Brett (Jennifer) Morton of East New Market, Maryland, and two great-grandchildren: Brooke Morton and Jake Morton of East New Market, Maryland. She is also survived by two special nieces: Dr. Cynthia Macieiski Murphy (Rick Eslick) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Dr. Trudy Macieiski Reynolds (George) of Carbondale and two special nephews: Ron Hansen of Los Angeles, California, and Tom Hansen (Wanda) of Speedwell, Tennessee. Also surviving is a biological half-brother, Jake (J.C.) Racine.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Oneta Macieiski; a brother, Harry Racine; nephews: Philip Macieiski, Stanley Macieiski, Jr., James Hansen, Michael Jensen, Kenneth Payne, and Timothy Racine.
There will be no visitation.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday , August 2, 2016, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Benton, IL with the Rev. Urban Osuji, officiating.
Burial will take place in the Phillips Cemetery, Ewing, IL. Arrangements under the direction of Pate Funeral Home, 301 S. Main Street, Benton, IL.
In lieu of flowers, memorials contributions may be made to Hospice of Southern Illinois or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and will be accepted at the funeral home.
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. (James 2:24)
Online condolences can be given at www.patefh.com.
Norma Lucille Dame – Christopher, IL
July 28, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Norma Lucille Dame, 65, of Christopher, IL, passed away at 2:35 p.m. July 26, 2016 at Centralia Manor Nursing Home.
She was born February 23, 1951 in Olmsted, IL, the daughter of Henry Cecil Dame and Norma (Dick) Dame.
She was the treasurer for the Southern Illinois Earth Science Club.
She is survived by a son, Mike and Chandra Dame, of Sesser, IL; grandchildren Aiden Smialek and Nora Dame; brothers James David Dick, of Metropolis, IL and Christopher Hise, of Christopher; special friend Mary Hargett, of Benton, IL. She was preceded in death by her parents and one special friend Edward William Leber.
A celebration of life service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, 2016 at Gilbert Funeral Home, in Christopher, with Brother Jason Todd officiating. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Saturday, July 30 from 12 noon until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Relay for Life and will be accepted at the funeral home.
Gilbert Funeral in Christopher is in charge of arrangements. The family would like to express their appreciation to the staff at Centralia Manor for the excellent car provided to Norma Lucille.
For more information go to www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com.
Lawrence A. (Larry) Lipe – Marion, IL
July 27, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Marion, Illinois — Lawrence A. (Larry) Lipe formerly of Herrin, Illinois died at his home in Marion on July 26, 2016 at the age of 77.
Mr. Lipe was the former owner of Lawrence A. Lipe and Associates a civil engineering firm based in Benton, Illinois and a partner in JT Blankinship in Murphysboro, Illinois. He was responsible for the design and implementation of water distribution systems and waste water treatment facilities for a number of Cities, towns and Villages in in Southern Illinois including the Rend Lake Inner-City Water System and wastewater treatment and water distribution system for the City of Herrin. He served as the Chief Engineer for the Rend Lake Conservancy District and was the City Engineer of the City of Herrin for over 40 years.
Mr. Lipe was the son of Bernice and Lawrence Verdon Lipe of Chester, Illinois. He was born in West Frankfort, Illinois while his father was the superintendent of the Orient, Illinois elementary school. The family moved to Chester, Illinois where Mr. Lipe attended elementary and high school. He was twice inducted into the Chester High School Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the 1954-55 basketball team and a member of the 1954 football team.
He attended the University of Illinois where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1961. After graduating from the Illinois he served in the United States Army and was based in Fort Lewis, Washington where he was company commander and attained the rank of 1st Lieutenant. In 1964 he joined the engineering firm of Clark Dietz in Champaign, Illinois which had been awarded the contract to lead the design of Rend Lake Inner-City Water System.
In 1966, Mr. Lipe moved to the engineering firm of Vinyard-Givenrod which was acting as the local firm enlisted to oversee the construction of Rend Lake. He became of a partner in the engineering firm with Bud Givenrod forming the firm Givenrod Lipe Inc. and in 1973, he became managing partner of the Givenrod Lipe Inc. With the acquisition Jacobs Engineering of Huntsville, Alabama the firm eventually grew to include 75 employees with offices in Missouri and Alabama and work stretching as far as Louisiana. In 1979, the firm was restructured and Lawrence A. Lipe & Associates was formed.
Through his work for the Rend Lake Conservancy District and the design of it golf course, Mr. Lipe conceived the idea of the iconic water tower featuring the golf ball on tee. In addition to dozens private engineering and surveying projects completed during his career, Mr. Lipe’s engineering projects include work for the Southern Illinois municipalities including Herrin, Benton, West Frankfort, Christopher, Johnston City, Royalton, Hurst, Bush, West City, Dowell, Norris City, Blairsville, and Colp.
Mr. Lipe married Helen Sue Wittenborn of Chester, Illinois in 1961. He lived in Herrin, Illinois for over 30 years where he raised two children, Laura of Champaign, Illinois and Steve of Chicago. In 1987 he married Diana Gail Durham (Shew) of Benton, Illinois.
He is survived by his wife Diana of Marion; sister Janet Muzos of Lake Oswego Oregon, sister-in-law Jeanne of Somersville, Florida, former wife Sue Buescher of Carbondale, children Laura Anne (John) Vavrin and Steven Andrew (Susan) Lipe, step children Michael Kent (Judy) Durham of Macedonia, Illinois and Kenneth Wade (Angela) Durham of Thomasville, Georgia, his grandchildren Sarah Jane Vavrin, William Douglas Vavrin, Coco Reilly Lipe, and Scarlett Helen Lipe and his step-grandchildren Mary Grayson Durham and Catherine (Cassie) Caroline Durham.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Leonard Verdon Lipe (Jeanne), and his grandson, Jasper Lawrence Lipe.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 29, 2016 at the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton, with Pastor Michael Neubert officiating. Burial will be in the Elder S.M. Williams Cemetery near Ewing. Visitation will be at the Leffler Funeral Home from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday evening.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or the United Leukodystrophy Foundation, and will be accepted at the funeral home.
To leave online condolences to the family or to share memories of Larry, visit www.lpfuneralhome.com
Janice A. Fletcher – Akin, IL
July 27, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Janice A. Fletcher, 63, of Akin, passed away at 6:28 a.m., on Wednesday, July 27, 2016, at her home surrounded by her loved ones.
She was born on December 26, 1952, to John and Margaret (Butler) Hall in Christopher, IL. On July 31, 1976, she married Michael W. Fletcher.
She was a member of the Franklin County Homemakers Extension. Janice enjoyed camping, fishing and spending time with her grandchildren. She also loved her dog Lucy.
Janice is survived by her loving spouse, Michael Fletcher, a daughter, Tabatha Martin and husband David, of Mulkeytown, IL; two sons, David Fletcher and wife Melody, of Benton, IL and Robert “Bobby” Willis and significant other Bonnie Hudson, of Cookeville, TN; eight grandchildren, Christy Stanton and husband Jason, Cassie Baptist and husband Chase, Carl Lash and significant other Jemi Miller, Collin Fletcher and wife Kristen, Clayce Fletcher, Caylee Fletcher, Jesse Willis and significant other Kelsey Docherty and Jay Willis; one great-granddaughter, Olivia Baptist; six brothers and sisters, Chuck Hall and wife Pam, Joyce Forsythe and husband Scott, Dixie Hall, Jon Hall and Teresa Kelly-Foster, Dora Duncan and husband Jon and Karen Hall; brother and sister-in-laws, Terry Fletcher and wife Jackie, Pauletta Henson, Vickie Merriman and husband Richard and Curt Gibbs and numerous nieces, nephews & friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Margaret Hall, father-in-law, Bob Fletcher, mother-in-law, Bobbie Coulter, brother, Bill Hall, infant sister, Lora Hall, infant brother, Carl Hall, brother-in-law, Donald Fletcher, infant brother-in-law, Ronald Fletcher, sister-in-law, Sandra Gibbs and grandson, Kyle Martin.
Visitation will be held Friday, July 29, 2016, from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., at Pate Funeral Home, 301 South Main St, Benton, IL. Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 29, 2016, 2:00 p.m., at the Pate Funeral Home, Benton, IL, with the Reverend Paul Reynolds officiating.
Burial will take place in the Brady Cemetery, Akin, IL.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Brady Cemetery Fund and will be accepted at the funeral home.
Online condolences can be given at www.patefh.com.
Pete Rotolo – Benton, IL
July 27, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Pete Rotolo, 86, of Benton, IL, passed away Friday afternoon, July 22, 2016 in Benton.
He was born in Marion, IL on August 25, 1929, the son of Dominick & Jennie (Cuccia) Rotolo. He owned and operated Pete’s Sound Center in downtown Carterville for many years. He retired from LACO Electronics. He was a Gideon & He was a Deacon of the 1st Baptist Church of Carterville. Mr. Rotolo was a very active member of North Benton Baptist Church. He was a member of the Lion’s Club in Carterville and a very proud foster grandparent at Benton Elementary School. He married Bonnie Mae (Denham) in 1948 and she preceded him in death on 1969. He then married Lucille Rose in 1970 and she died in 1990. He married Lavina Bean in 1991 and she survives.
He is survived by his son David Rotolo and wife Doris of Benton, daughterNancy Skokan & husband Jim of San Antonio, TX; grandaughters Dee Rotolo and Rodney Robinson of Vergennes, Sandy Ridings and husband Lyndon, of Benton, Elizabeth Switek and husband Dan, of Austin, TX, Jennifer Almaguer and husband Roy, of San Antonio, TX; great-grandchildren Dustin Lynch, Kassie Lynch, Rylee Ridings, Jacob and Adam Switek, Andrew and Allyson Almaguer.
Mr. Rotolo was preceded in death by his parents, by four brothers and 3 sisters.
Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 27th at the Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton with Rev. Gary West officiating. Burial will be in the Masonic & Oddfellows Cemetery in Benton. Visitation will be after 1 p.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home.
In lieu of Flowers, memorials in Pete’s name may be made to the Benton-West City Ministerial Alliance-Food Pantry.
For more information or to sign the online guest register please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com
Jo Ann Joiner – Benton, IL
July 27, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Jo Ann Joiner, 72, of Benton passed away Sunday morning, July 24, 2016 at the Herrin Hospital.
She was born in Gary, IN on October 7, 1943, the daughter of John & Mildred (Eldridge) Hall.
She was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of West City. She was a loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister & Sister-in-law. She was always doing something for Others. She worked long hours at many different jobs. She had a generous nature, and came from a large family and she was very proud of them, They always came first. She was a very caring individual.
Mrs Joiner is survived by three sons, Steve Brown and wife Linda of Brunswick, Maryland, Kevin Brown and wife Laura of Granite City, Jeffrey Brown and wife Lisa of Benton; grandchildren Natalie Brown and Bobby Stark, Kristoffer Brown, Jessica Brown, Dusten Brown and wife Michele, Kelsea Peacock and husband Cory, Jonathan Brown, Brandtlee Brown, Elissa Brown; great-grandchildren Katlyn Brown, Jailyn Brown, Avery Brown, Lily Pigg and Kevin, Aiden and Camden; sisters Susie Willis, of Benton, Ruth Zeboski, of Benton, and Linda Ward, of Benton, brother Don Hall and wife Mary of Richardson, TX; special brother-in-law Robert “Ike” Crnokrak of Benton; sister-in-law Sharon Hall, of Benton
Mrs. Joiner was preceded in death by her parents, husbands-Carl Brown, Dean Bowman & Ronald Joiner, by a daughter and son-in-law Karla and Alan Rost and by their children-Stephanie, Jason and Charlie Rost, by a grandson Joshua, by a sister Norma Crnokrak and by two Brothers Wesley Hall and Ronald Hall.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, July 29th at the Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton with Rev. Bert Mitchell officiating. Burial will be in the Masonic & Oddfellows Cemetery in Benton. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 8:00 P.M. Thursday at the Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton.
In lieu of Flowers, memorials in Jo’s name may be made to the First Baptist Church of West City.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the Fifth Season Staff & to the caregivers at Herrin Hospital for the excellent care given to Jo.
For more information or to sign the online guest register please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com
From a tragic death … life and hope spring forth
July 26, 2016 By Leave a Comment
(Editor’s Note: This column was written about the death of John Boyd of Benton, who died on July 26, 2004. Today marks the 12th anniversary of his death and this column, I believe, shows that sometimes good and positive results can spring forth from a tragedy. JM)
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It’s often said that the greatest grief that any person can experience is the death of a child. On a hot and humid day last week I sat face-to-face with that grief.
Loren and Cheryl Boyd agreed to talk with me about the death of their 20-year-old son John, who attempted suicide on July 17 and then spent eight days on life support in a St. Louis hospital before dying on July 26. The pain of the death and the toll of those eight days showed in the Boyd’s faces as we sat in the front yard of their Benton home.
Before I move ahead it’s important that I fill in a few blanks about John. Even a casual news observer has probably heard of Boyd who had his name splashed across Southern Illinois news media outlets when he was accused of entering a storage facility at the Franklin County Jail and stealing 7-8 pounds of marijuana that had been seized by COMIT agents during a drug bust in Hamilton County in September 2002.
After more than 20 months winding through the Franklin County Court system Boyd entered a negotiated guilty plea to a single count of unlawful possession of marijuana. In exchange for the guilty plea one count of burglary and one count of theft – the now infamous Franklin County Jail marijuana burglary and theft — were dismissed.
During my conversation with Loren and Cheryl they didn’t mince words when talking about the troubles that John encountered during his life. They admitted that he once stole a four-wheeler, had spent time in jail and ran with a rough crowd.
However, the Boyd’s don’t believe John stole the marijuana from the Franklin County Jail and neither do most people who followed the case. But, that really doesn’t matter now because that sordid little piece of Franklin County history died when John did.
During an hour-long conversation the Boyd’s were much more focused on talking about the good things he did that went unnoticed.
Cheryl talked about a penchant her son had for donating blood and said he often wanted to give to those less fortunate.
“He was always concerned about people who were disabled or poor,” Cheryl said. “He loved taking the meals at Thanksgiving to people that couldn’t get out and he loved delivering Christmas baskets to the needy.”
She related that John once gave away a $130 pair of tennis shoes to a classmate that was poor and also gave away a leather coat to a high school classmate.
“Those are things that nobody ever knew about John,” she said.
Loren recalled two vacations, one in New Orleans and one in Chicago, where John witnessed panhandlers for the first time.
“You had to carry his money or he would give it all away,” his dad recalled. “If somebody looked like they needed money he’d give them all he had. Even when he was in jail there was an old guy in there that didn’t have any family and John would tell us to put money on his ‘book’ with the jailers so he could buy snacks and soda.”
There will be those who will choose to remember John by recalling a troubled life that quickly spiraled downward after he was accused of stealing marijuana from the county jail. Others might remember him because of a few scrapes with the law or the crowd that he ran with.
However, when I think of him I’m going to think about a story his parents related to me, a story that portrayed a far different person than the one pictured in the media.
Ever since he was a child John was interested in organ donation and as soon as he was old enough, he signed up to be a donor. During the eight long days that Loren and Cheryl spent helplessly watching their son’s life ebb away they were also making plans to see that his desire was fulfilled and that his organs were fully harvested.
Because of John a 50-year-old man woke up in St. Louis today with a new lease on life. In critical condition and with less than a week to live he received John’s liver. Perhaps that nameless, faceless man is enjoying a sunrise this morning or making plans to spend the day with his grandkids or just simply go for a leisurely walk. Two people in Nebraska each received a kidney and dialysis will now no longer be a part of their weekly life. Every major organ, his tissue and even the bones of his arms and legs were harvested and will provide help to scores of people. Despite the troubles in his life, in the end John helped an untold number of people in need.
Before taking his life John wrote a letter addressed to his parents and girlfriend – a letter his parents shared with me. Repeatedly saying he was sorry for the times he messed up in his life there was one particular sentence that yanked at my heart. It read: “I loved you all more than you think or will ever know but my mind was just too much for me to handle.”
There have been many times in my life, and my conversation with the Boyd’s was one of them, when I’ve thought about the afterlife and wondered about people like John that chose to take their own life. There are those who tell us that we must walk a straight and narrow path in order to reap the rewards of the hereafter and that committing suicide is not part of that path. But, on the other hand I think of God as loving and compassionate and always fair.
I’m certain many theologians will disagree but I want to believe that maybe, just maybe, there’s a place of rest set aside for all the ‘Johns’ of the world – all those that have too much on their mind to handle and who struggle and battle but eventually lose to the daily demons they fight.
I hope I’m right.
Frank M. Senka – Christopher, IL
July 23, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Frank M. Senka, 75, of Christopher, IL, passed away July 22, 2016 at his home.
Frank was born September 6, 1940 in Chicago, IL the son of Robert Senka and Regina (Krol) Senka.
Frank was a school teacher. He was a member of St. Andrews Catholic Church, in Christopher.
He is survived by cousins Ronald Pickett, of Burbank, IL, Edward Pickett, of Crestwood, IL, Lee Pickettt, of Worth, IL and Chad Pickett, of Romeoville, IL. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers Daniel and Robert Senka.
Frank’s wishes were to be cremated with no services. Burial will be in St Andrews Catholic Cemetery.
Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.For more information go to our website www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com
Lillie V. Prather – Christopher, IL
July 22, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Lillie V. Prather, 83, of Christopher, IL, passed away July 21, 2016 at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale.
She was born August 28, 1932 in Desoto, IL, the daughter of Sarah Lucille (Hood) Dickerson.
Lillie married James Prather and he survives of Christopher.
She is survived by her children, Tamela and Gary Cornaglia of Christopher, Kimberly and James Hanks of Harrisburg and Robin and Larry Smith of Christopher; grandchildren: Robbie (Laura) Prather, Carrie (Kip) Davis, Joshua (Sarah) Smith, Kaley Smith, Zachary Hanks, Brian (April) Hanks, Addie Hanks; great-grandchildren: Riley Davis, Zane Davis, Jett Davis, Lex Davis, Christopher Prather, Caleb Prather.
She was a devoted wife and mother, and she also loved working part-time as a retail clerk at Lot-O-Savings in Christopher. Lillie was a member of Eastern Star.
She was preceded in death by her mother, one son James Walter Prather Jr., and two sisters Betty Pinkston and Helen Million.
A memorial service will be held Sunday July 24, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher, with Brother Mark Miller officiating. Visitation will be on Sunday July 24, 2016 from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Lillie’s nephew Nathan Barnes to ease the burden of his medical expenses.
Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher is in charge of arrangements. For more information go to our website www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com
