Norman L. Leonard, 72, of Benton passed away on Sunday, October 11, 2020 in the Memorial Hospital of Carbondale.

Mr. Leonard was born in Delbarton, West Virginia on May 4, 1948 the son of Wallace Elmo and Wilda Dorine (Kirk) Leonard. Norman married Gretchen (Skibo) on October 5, 1968 in Delbarton, West Virginia.

Mr. Leonard was a member of the West City Church of God, and he deeply loved his God. He dearly loved his family, they were everything to him, especially his two grandchildren. He was a coal miner, after leaving the mines he retired from Royal Brass & Hose.

Norman is survived by his wife Gretchen Leonard, of Benton; daughters Kendra Leonard, and fiancé Jeremy Noelle, of Marion, IL and Kelli Sullivan, and fiancé Travis Wyant, of Benton; grandchildren Parker Williams and Peighton Sullivan; brothers Philip Leonard, and wife Linda, of Starke, Florida and Charles Leonard, and wife Karen, of Hatfield, KY.

Mr. Leonard was preceded in death by his parents and by two sisters, Della and Stephanie.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at the West City Church of God with Pastor Harol Whitlock officiating. Burial will be in the Masonic & Odd Fellows Cemetery in Benton. Visitation will be after 11 a.m. on Wednesday at the West City Church of God.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Can’s Can Ministries.
During this time please observe social distancing. There will be 50 people allowed in the church at a time. The family askes that everyone attending refrain from hugging and hand shaking and masks will be required in the Church.
For more information or to send online condolences please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com

Robert E. “Bob” Howard, 90, of West Frankfort passed away Sunday evening, October 4, 2020 at the Herrin Hospital.

Bob was born in Bonnie, IL on April 28, 1930 the son of Samueal & Grace (Oathout) Howard.

On January 3, 1946 in Pocahontas, Arkansas Bob married his childhood sweetheart Louise Chesney. With God and love they shared 73 years of marriage.
Mr. Howard retired after 32 years of driving for UPS. Bob & his wife Louise were very active musically in several area churches for many years. Bob was a life long Cubs Fan.
Mr. Howard is survived by his wife, Louise Howard, of West Frankfort; two sons, Rich Howard, and wife Linda, of Marion, IL and Ron Howard, and wife Julie, of West Frankfort; grandchildren Brandon Howard, and daughter Nikki Furlong, Tyler Howard, and wife Kim and their children Hudson and Brody Howard, Gretchen Marks (deceased) and husband Joe, and their children Abby and Lily Marks, Ted Howard, and children Alexis and Canaan Howard, Justin Howard and his children Cameron and Briley Howard and Aaron Howard; sister-in-law Mary Ellen Hoppes.

Mr. Howard was preceded in death by his parents, a son, Robert E. “Robbie” Howard, Jr., daughter-in-law-Janet Howard, five Brothers, Hansel Howard, Harley Howard, Doyle Howard, Buck Howard and Maurice Howard, and four sisters, Fern Mendenhall, Rita Knowles, Ruth Hoots and Muriel Allen.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Thursday, October 8th at the Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton with Pastor Joe Daniels officiating. Burial will be in the Kirk Cemetery in Ina, IL. Visitation will be from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. on Thursday at the funeral home.

For more information or to send online condolences please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com

William Jessie Burgess, 58, of Houston, Texas (formerly of Sesser, IL) passed away September 22, 2020 surrounded by his loving family.

Billy was born August 18, 1962 in Herrin Illinois to James and Linda (Leeper) Burgess. He attended Southern Illinois University. In 1986 he married Joyce Lee McCann and in 1989 moved to Houston, Texas where he worked for American Realty Investors for 25 years.

Billy was preceded in death by his father, James Allen Burgess. He is survived by his mother, Linda Louise Burgess, wife Joyce Lee Burgess, daughter Jessica Elaine Burgess and James Babcock, his sister Kelly Jo (Burgess) Brown, nieces Kaitlin Pool and Mikayla and Tristan McAtee, and a large extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends.

Billy will be remembered most for his uniquely bold personality, sense of humor, his voice, his laugh, his genuine smile, and his ability to show love. He will be greatly missed and never forgotten.
A special note of gratitude to Kenneth Hatfield for his mentorship throughout Billy’s career and for his outpouring of compassion and generosity through Billy’s battle with cancer.

This is not your ordinary obituary, but Mom was not your ordinary lady either. Let’s get through the basics first.

She was born Kathryn Gladys Dean, May 20, 1945 in Urbana IL, to Charles Anderson Dean and Gladys Agnes (Hauersperger) Dean, and she passed October 3, 2020 in Herrin IL.

She was preceded in death by sisters Mary Francis (Don) Myrick, Lois Martha Cady, and Nola Mae Dean. She has one surviving sister, Patricia Charlene (Jack) Bryan. She was also preceded in death by brothers Charles Smith Dean, Kenneth Jerome (Sharon) Dean, and Thomas Earl (Jean) Dean. Daughter Gladys Elizabeth “Liz” (Jimmy) Greenwood-Allen survives (that’s me). She also had many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She obtained Bachelor’s degrees from Eastern Illinois University, and Master’s degrees from Southern Illinois University. She spent most of her career as an educator and media specialist at Christopher Community High School, where she touched the lives of countless students and colleagues.
Now for the more interesting stuff. Mom had the following quote on a wall in her office: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, with a bottle of wine in one hand and a bar of chocolate in the other, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” The first time I saw that, I thought it seemed strange. But now I can see that it is so fitting.

She certainly lived her life, the “dash” if you will, well. She travelled frequently, often on her own motorcycle. She was still riding just a few years ago. For several years she was the Executive Director of Women on Wheels, and helped to save that organization when it was struggling. Under her direction and with the help of many of her dear WOW friends, it became an international group of women motorcyclists and motorcycle enthusiasts. Over the years she traded two wheels for three, then eventually for four. She customized her Jeep to be a tribute to the armed forces, and she was very proud of it. She would often speak of the compliments she received and the interesting folks with whom she had spoken. (She never met a single stranger.) She was always a genealogist, and in her later years she became very active in (and held several offices with) multiple lineage societies, including the Jamestowne Society, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the National Society Daughters of the Union. History, genealogy, and family were all very important to her.

In the past few days, many people have reached out to me with their thoughts, prayers, and memories. Mom has been described as formidable, wise, level-headed, dedicated, diligent, a mentor, caring, generous and kind. She was all of those things and more. She was the single hardest-working woman I have ever known. She was quick to lend a helping hand and quick with a smile, and when she decided something needed to get done or that she was going to do something, look out. Whatever she had set her mind to was going to happen. I never saw her presented with a single problem for which she couldn’t offer a solution. She chose to focus on the positive in life, and to improve the lives of others. She didn’t complain and she was never cross, and if someone was mistakenly brave enough to cross her, she would respond with a smile and the wisdom of an “old soul,” quickly correcting the error of their thinking. The world has been a better place due to her presence. To say she will be sorely missed is an understatement. But instead of being sad, she would want us all to remember and emulate her legacy, look back on her fondly, and smile.

Visitation services will be at Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher, October 7, 2020 from 5:00 – 7:00. Graveside services will be held Thursday, October 8, 2020 at 11:00 at the Mulkeytown Cemetery.

Cecil Lavern Webb, 85, of Sesser, passed away on October 2, 2020 at his home.

He was born on November 30, 1934 in Sesser to Howard and Thelma (Nevill) Webb. He married Ella Dean (Wingo) Webb on November 15, 1953 and she survives of Sesser.

He is also survived by his children David Webb of Centralia, IL, Danny (Trisha) Webb of Sesser, Cynthia (Jay) Rhoads of Sesser and Beth (Mike) Winget of Mulkeytown; seven grandchildren Tara (Craig) Roberts, Jamie (Lyman) Parsell, Chad Webb, Brittany (Brendan) Montgomery, Lacey Sprong, Luke Winget and Lily Winget; eight great grandchildren and six great great grandchildren; two brothers Richard Webb of Union, MO and Barry Webb of Fort Meyers, FL.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother Dennis Webb.

He was a coalminer and worked at Freeman Coal # 6 and was a member of the UMWA. He was a member and Deacon of the Bear Point Free Will Baptist Church in Sesser.

Graveside services will be on Monday October 5, 2020 at 11:00 AM at the Maple Hill Cemetery in Sesser, IL with Brother Gowdy Cannon and Brother Larry Cook officiating. Burial will be at Maple Hill Cemetery in Sesser. Friends are asked to meet at the cemetery.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Bear Point Free Will Baptist Church in Sesser. Envelopes will be available at the graveside service.

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