Rolland W. Dunivan — Benton, Illinois

Mr. Rolland Wayne Dunivan, age 91, of Benton; passed away at 5:30 p.m. Friday, November 13, 2020 at the SSM Healthcare Good Samaritan Hospital of Mt. Vernon.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a future date.

Rolland was born on April 25, 1929 in Akron, OH; the son of Otis L. Dunivan and Bessie (Marshall) Dunivan. He married the former Nadine Elimon on April 4, 1953 and she survives.

Rolland was a U.S. Army Veteran of the Korean War where he obtained the rank of Corporal. He was a member of the American Legion Post # 1194 of Thompsonville, IL.

Mr. Dunivan was a retired inspector with Ford Motor Company of Chicago. He was Past President and Kiwanian of the Year with the Benton Kiwanis Club in the year 1997-1998. He was also an Ordained Deacon; and he was a member of the Immanuel Baptist Church.

He enjoyed helping other people, fishing, word search puzzles, collecting shells and making art with the shells. But most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his family.

Mr. Dunivan is survived by his loving wife of 67 years Nadine Dunivan of Benton; two daughters: Cynthia Ann Walls and husband Larry of Maryville, TN, Beth Ann Bergh of Hickory Hills, IL; three grandchildren: Shannon Walls of Maryville, TN, Lori Walls Colbert and husband C.J. of Maryville, IN, Jeremy Shaul and fiancee’ Brianna Gregoire of Kankakee, IL; six great-grandchildren: Ray Ann Shaul, Ry Leigh Shaul, Mason Shaul, Preston Shaul, Bennett Shaul, Abigail Gregoire; siblings including: Jack Dunivan of Colorado, Rolland’s twin brother Russell Dunivan of Michigan, Eleanor Booher of Arizona, Jimmy Dunivan of Arizona; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Verdine and Ed Miller of Marion, sister-in-law Jean Elimon of Glen Carbon, IL; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers: Robert Dunivan and Ernie Dunivan; a sister Myrna Chiles; a son-in-law: Bruce Bergh; two brother-in-laws: Jim and Clyde Elimon.

In Lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made In Memory of Rolland Dunivan to the family or to the Immanuel Baptist Church of Benton.

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

Arrangements are through the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton.

John “Jack” Richard Scott – Benton, IL

John “Jack” Richard Scott, 81, of Benton, passed away at 4:57 a.m. on Monday, November 9, 2020, at Helia Healthcare in Benton.

He was born on April 25, 1939, to John H. and Marilove (Southern) Scott in Taylorville, IL. On November 17, 1956, he married Gail Ida Schmidt and she preceded him in death on May 10, 2004. Jack worked for Givenrod & Lipe and Roberts & Schafer Company before starting his own business, J.R. Scott Construction and Painting. He was a very talented artist. Jack enjoyed drawing, painting, gardening and watching the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jack is survived by his six children, Gina Scott of Benton, Dean (Laura) Scott of Itasca, IL, Sandy (Ken) Blackman, Coleen (Gary) Hubbard, Michelle (Greg) Larison and Leo Scott all of Benton; twelve grandchildren, Ashley (Scott) Ori, Courtney Scott, Mary Rose Scott, Matthew Blackman, Luke Blackman, Jason Hobbie, Jennifer Hobbie, Robert Ryan Doty, Alex Thiele, Brian Scott, Nicole Heimsness and Brittney Scott; twenty great-grandchildren; two brothers, David (Aoi) Scott and Bill (Pam) Scott; one niece, three nephews and several cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John H. and Marilove Scott and his wife, Gail Ida Scott.

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

Private graveside services will be held at Shiloh Cemetery in Whittington at a later date.

Online condolences can be given at www.patefh.com.

Hendley “Lulu” Louise JoRay Hopkins

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

Louis W. “Red” Hill — Buckner, Illinois

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 – Benton, IL

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 – Thompsonville, IL

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 – Mulkeytown, IL

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

Charles Fred Smith, Jr. – Centralia (formerly of Irvington)

Charles Fred Smith, Jr.,89, of Centralia and formerly of Irvington passed away Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 at SSM Health St. Mary’s in Centralia.

He was born on May 1, 1931 in Paducah, KY, the son of Charles Fred Smith Sr. & Lottie (Hedley) Smith.
He married Lois Evelyn (Summers) on Feb. 3, 1951.
Mr. Smith was a Veteran, and retired from the railroad.

He is survived by his wife, Lois Smith, of Centralia; children Dennis Smith, and wife Marya, of South Carolina, and formerly of Benton, IL, Denise Brink, and husband John, of Hoyleton and Darin Smith, of Centralia; six grandchildren, Cody Smith, Peyton Smith, Amy Baker, Reggie Smith, Hali Gamblin and Katelyn Smith; three great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Mr. Smith was preceded in death by his parents.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 P.M. Wednesday, Nov. 11th at the Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton with Pastor Rod Joplin officiating. Burial with Military Rites by the Benton American Legion & VFW Posts and National Guard Honor Squad will be in the Brady Cemetery in Akin. Visitation will be from 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M. on Wednesday at the funeral home.

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-Benton, IL

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 – Sesser, IL

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

Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News