Hendley “Lulu” Louise JoRay Hopkins, 4 months and 7 days, of Benton, gained her heavenly wings on Thursday, November 5, 2020, at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO.

She was born at 1:20 p.m., on June 29, 2020, to Ricky Hopkins, II, and Autume Canady at St. Mary’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO. Lulu was born with a rare heart and kidney genetic condition. She was a fighter and after 4 months and 7 days her heart couldn’t handle anymore. Lulu loved listening to children’s soothing music, it would always calm her down and she was able to relax.

Hendley “Lulu” Louise is survived by her parents; sister, Kyra LeeAllan Markham; grandparents, Kimmy Hopkins and Alex Barnfield, Anna Mattoon and Kevin Canady; great-grandparents, Ida Buchmiller, Ira Hopkins, Nancy and Curtis Canady and Reatta “MiMi” Barnfield; and several aunts and uncles.

She was preceded in death by grandfather, Ricky Hopkins, I; great grandparents, Gregory Buchmiller and Janis Hopkins.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Pate Funeral Home, 301 S. Main St., Benton, IL.

Visitation will be held Saturday, November 14, 2020, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Pate Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2020, 4:00 p.m., at the Pate Funeral Home, with Brother Rick Fowler, officiating.

Online condolences can be given at www.patefh.com

Mr. Louis W. “Red” Hill, age 74, of Buckner; passed away at 6:25 p.m. Sunday, November 8, 2020 at the VA Medical Center of Marion.

Mr. Hill’s wishes are to be cremated. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a future date.

He was born on April 6, 1946 in Corpus Christi, TX; the son of Louis W. Hill, Sr. and Lillie Mae (Commer) Hill. He married the former Vanita Mae Fleehart on October 28, 1967 and she survives.

Red was a U.S. Army Veteran of the Vietnam War. He was a member of the VFW and the DAV.

Mr. Hill was a former Street Superintendent while living in Carol Stream, IL; former Water Superintendent while living in Glendale Heights, IL; and did construction work while living in Kane County. He was of the Pentecostal faith.

He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and spending time with his family.

Mr. Hill is survived by his loving wife of 53 years Vanita Hill of Buckner; a son Michael Hill and wife Beth Ann of Ewing; a daughter Carrie Ann Webb and husband Shawn of Benton; three grandchildren: Taylor Hill, Brian Gregg, Avril Marshall; a great-grandchild Brayden Pepping; a sister Pat Reddic and husband Gayle of Sikeston, MO; and a step-brother Ronnie Hill of Seminole, OK; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a grandson Trevor Hill.

Memorial contributions may be made In Memory of Louis W. “Red” Hill to the Brayden Pepping Education Fund, and may be mailed to the Leffler Funeral Home, 401 East Main Street, Benton, IL 62812

To leave online condolences to the family, or to share memories of Mr. Hill; visit www.lpfuneralhome.com

Arrangements are through the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton.

Mary Kathryn Kirk, 91, of Benton, IL passed away Tuesday afternoon November 10, 2020 in Benton.

Mary was born in West Frankfort, IL on March 17, 1929, the daughter of Everett Walter & Cloe Lorene (Foster) Clements.
She married Edgar Leon Kirk on June 26, 1948 in Piggott, Arkansas and he preceded her in death on October 26, 2007.
Mrs. Kirk was a member of the West City Church of God, and a LPN for 25 years.
Mrs. Kirk is survived by a daughter, Vickie Erthall, and husband Phillip, Sr., of West Frankfort, a son, Roger Kirk, and wife Jackie, of Benton, Il; grandchildren Phillip Erthall, Jr., and fiancee Anna Osborne, Brent Erthall, and wife Jamie, Ashley McCann, and husband William and Doug Kirk, and wife Jenny; great-grandchildren Zachary Erthall, and wife Rachel, Baylee Riddle, and husband Tyler, Austin Erthall, and wife Brianna, Logen Erthall, Ella Kirk, Easton Kirk, Nolan Kirk and Nate Kirk; great-great-grandson Carter and a second great-great-grandchild due in June.

Mrs. Kirk was preceded in death by her parents, husband, two sisters, Betty Murphy and Judy Cremeens and by one brother, Charles Clements.

Private Graveside services will be held.

In lieu of flowers, Memorials may be made to Second Chance Animal Rescue.
For more information or to send online condolences please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com

J. Sam Prowell, 76, of Thompsonville passed away Tuesday morning, Nov. 10, 2020 at his home surrounded by his family.

He was born in Ewing, IL on Oct. 27, 1944, the son of Joseph Trelly & Sylvia (Pickett) Prowell.

Mr. Prowell was retired from Caterpillar. He loved his dogs, Fuzz & Bear. When he was younger he loved riding his Harley Davidson. He attended the Plasters Grove Free Will Baptist Church, and was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Benton & the Benton Elks.
Mr. Prowell is survived by his daughters, Angela Ott, of Lawndale, IL and Christy Willman, and husband Jerry, of Waverly; grandsons, Jake Day, Isaac Willman and Nathan Willman; sister Sonja Cesar, and husband Phil, of Buckner, IL; companion Alice Faye Arnaud, of Ewing; brother-in-law Virgil Lovin, of Mt. Vernon.

Mr. Prowell was preceded in death by his parents, a son, Joseph Gilbert Prowell; siblings, Delmar R. Prowell, Marian McDonnough, Norma Lovin and Sandra Prowell Gocke.

Graveside services will be held at 3:00 P.M. Thursday, Nov. 12th at Thurmond Cemetery in Ewing with Pastor Kevin Bullard officiating. There will be no visitation, those attending the service are requested to meet at the cemetery.
In Lieu of flowers, Memorials may be made in Sam’s memory to Hospice of Southern Illinois, Inc. or to Finding Forever Animal Rescue.
Johnston Funeral Home in Ina is in charge of arrangements.
Be mindful of others and practice social distancing, and please remember to wear a mask.
For more information or to send online condolences please visit www.johnstonfuneralhome.com

Freda P. Issler, 87, of Mulkeytown passed away Sunday morning, Nov. 8, 2020 at Shawnee Senior Living Center in Herrin.

She was born in Mulkeytown on August 17, 1933, the daughter of Silas Clifford and Susan Marie (Laws) Meadows.
She married Rev. Charles E. Issler on Nov. 12, 1949, and he preceded her in death on Oct. 3, 2016.

Mrs. Issler is survived by her children, Charles L. “Bud” Issler, and wife Anna, of Benton, IL, Gary L. Issler, and wife Liz, of Herrin, IL and Paula Biby, and husband David, of Mulkeytown, IL; granchildren Kevin Issler, Ryan Issler, and wife Marsha, Tim Issler, and wife Yolanda, Chrystal Grant, Christi Guinn, William Biby and Melisssa Matier; 14 great-grandchildren; six great-great grandchildren.

Mrs. Issler was preceded in death by her parents, husband, son, Ronald Eugene (Ron) Issler, daughter-in-law, Rita Issler and brothers Harvey Meadows, Johnny Key and Ralph Meadows.

Graveside funeral services will be held at 12:30 P.M. THURSDAY, Nov. 12th at the Mulkeytown Cemetery with Pastor Guy Webster officiating. Visitation will be from 10:30 A.M. Thursday until 12 Noon at the Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton.
We are limited to 25 people in our building at a time. We ask everyone attending to be considerate of others and practice social distancing and masks are recommended.
For more information or to send online condolences please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com

Michael Eubanks, 67, of Benton, passed away on November 3, 2020.

He was born on May 21, 1953 in Christopher to Lyle and Clelia (Bell) Eubanks.

He is survived by his father Lyle Eubanks of Sesser; one son Sean Eubanks and fiancé Maggie Jolliff of Dix, IL; one daughter Joni (Jason) Utlaut of Sesser; four grandchildren Bryce Eubanks, Keegan Eubanks, Hannah Utlaut and Wyatt Utlaut and two sisters Rebecca (George) Cherry of Sesser and Lea Anne Hotton of Willow Brook, IL.

He was preceded in death by his mother.

He loved to ride his motorcycle.

Graveside services will be on Friday November 6, 2020 at 11:00 AM at the Maple Hill Cemetery in Sesser with Brother Larry Cook officiating. Friends and family are asked to meet at the cemetery.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Epilepsy Foundation. Envelopes will be available at the cemetery.

For more information go to our website www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com

Harold “Dean” Loucks, 82, of Sesser passed away at his home on Monday, November 2nd at 11:30PM with his beloved wife and children by his side.

Dean was born on September 25th, 1938 to Emro and Clara Helen (Mowbray) Loucks and was the tenth of eleven siblings—Helen, Ruth, Mary, Dorothy, Velma, Carson, Carl, James, Howard, and Clifford—all of whom preceded him in death. Dean married Barbara Huffstutler on August 31st, 1956 and together they raised four children Gary (Sandy) Loucks of Murphysboro, Kathy Crocker of Scheller, Danny (Carolyn) Loucks of Waltonville, and Kelley (Alan) Hicks of Scheller, all of whom survive.

Dean was a welder at GS Metals for 30 years before retiring in 1995. He was an avid and skilled gardener that always had a surplus of produce that he was more than willing to share with friends, family, and even the occasional stranger. He enjoyed his and Barb’s frequent excursions to Sportsman Resort South, owned by dear friends, Bill and Candy Curlin, at Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee where they ventured to fish every year for 38 years.

In addition to the aforementioned, he is survived by his twenty grandchildren—Tim Loucks, Vincent Loucks, Sonnia (Justin) Stone, Amber (Kelly) Thompkins, Garrett Worthington, Kira (John) Tiernery, Caleb Crocker, Jason Dudley, Dani-Lyn (Travis) Hill, Jonathan Loucks, Adrieanne (Brody) Mitchell, Isaiah (Autumn) Loucks, Crystal Bentley, Alyn (Tim) Newbury, Tiffany (Eric) Powell, Sarah Alexander, Ethan Hicks, Dustin (Chelsi) Hicks, Mahaylah (Tim) Mabrey, Alayna Hicks; twenty-two great grandchildren—Madisyn, Daltyn, and Trityn Dudley, Talan Alexander, Layla and Alba Newbury, Brooklyn and Ashlee Hicks, Naomi Stone, London and Nash Powell, Draven, Graham, and Grant Tierney, Tobias Hill, Coraline Hicks, Adeline and Izaiah Loucks, Holland Mitchell, Bentley Worthington, and Wyatt and Grainger Thompkins; his mother-in-law, Margaret Dorsey, sisters-in-law Anna Mae Loucks, Nancy Loucks, Pat Zeilinski, and Peggy (Kenny) Galczyck. He was preceded in death by an infant son—Harold Sean; his parents—Emro and Clara Helen Loucks; five sisters—Ruth Zettler, Mary Panzier, Dorothy Panzier, Velma Robinson, and Helen Loucks; five brothers—Carson, Carl, James, Howard, and Clifford Loucks; fathers-in-law, Paul Huffstuttler and Dale Dorsey; brothers-in-law Ernest Panzier, Harold Zettler, Ronald Zeinlinski; sisters-in-law, Nellie Loucks and Jackie Loucks; son-in-law Carl Crocker; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation for the immediate family will be held on Friday at 5PM and open to the public from 6:00-8:00PM at the Brayfield-Gilbert Funeral Home in Sesser and on Saturday morning from 10:00-10:45AM. Graveside services will be at 11:00 AM on Saturday November 7, 2020 at Maple Hill Cemetery in Sesser.

For more information go to our website www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com

Mr. Angel Zito, age 87, “a servant of God,” passed away at 2:15 p.m. Sunday, November 1, 2020 at the SSM Healthcare Good Samaritan Hospital of Mt. Vernon.

Angel’s wishes are to be cremated. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a future date.

He was born on December 16, 1932 in Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina; the son of Mariano Zito and Concepcion Zito. He married the former Wanda Fay Hamlin on April 29, 1967 and she survives.

As required for all males in Argentina, Angel served two years in the Army.

Mr. Zito was retired as foreman of Capital Products Tredegar Corporation. He also was the former owner and operator of Angelo’s Pizza in Sheldon, Illinois.

Angel enjoyed cooking for his family, friends and anyone who enjoyed his food. He loved mowing the grass, he was a handyman that could fix just about anything. His family said he could do electrical, plumbing, and concrete work. Monica said her papa was the best papa in the world, a great man that she was proud of, like his name, he was an angel. She also said he liked soccer; his favorite team was Boca Juniors de Argentina. Judy said he also enjoyed International Soccer and enjoyed rooting for the FC Barcelona. He was a friendly man and very sociable, she also said he was loved by everyone.

He was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church of West Frankfort, where he loved worshipping his Lord and Savior.

Angel is survived by his loving wife of 53 years Wanda Fay Zito of Macedonia; two daughters: Judy Zito of Macedonia, Monica Zito of Buenos Aires, Argentina; two brothers: Luis Petto and his family, Norberto Zito and his family all of Buenos Aires, Argentina; several nieces and nephews including: Anna Garoz and family of Miami, FL; Ambrea Angel Watkins and family of Hopkinsville, KY, Patty Hardin and family of Harrisburg, IL, Diane Hamlin and family of Wisconsin, Dale Hamlin and family of Kentucky, Shelley Hamlin and family of Wisconsin, Fernanda Zito and family of Argentina, Omar Zito and family of Argentina; two sisters-in-law Louella Howe and family of Macedonia, Marie Wilhelm and family of Watseka, IL; ; nephews that he considered as sons: Billy Burcham and ReAnna Todd, Wayne Howe, Cecil and Gloria Hamlin and family.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother Placido Zito.

To leave online condolences to the family, or to share memories of Angel; visit www.lpfuneralhome.com

Arrangements are through the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton.

Susan Lee Pinkham, 59, of Valier, passed away on November 3, 2020 at her home.

She was born on July 23, 1962 in Herrin, IL to Lindell and Jean (Gilbreath) Furlow. She married Glenn Pinkham and he survives of Valier.

She is also survived by her son Corey Cavinder of Mulkeytown.

She was preceded in death by her sister Daina Jean Dawson.

She loved to do arts and crafts. She also enjoyed her pool, her dogs, and hanging out in her backyard.

Susan’s wishes were to be cremated with a Celebration of Life to be held at a later date.

Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher is assisting the family with arrangements.

For more information go to our website www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com