Wilma Lee Cockrum, 94, of Sesser, IL passed away Saturday morning, Nov. 9, 2019 at her home in Sesser.

She was born on July 29, 1925 in Sesser, the daughter of Goldman Alfred & Fannie Mae (Harrison) Tucker.

She married Coy I. Cockrum on Aug. 31, 1942, and he preceded her in death on Feb. 25, 2003.
Mrs. Cockrum along with her husband owned & operated Coy & Wilma’s Campground & Bait Shop from 1972 to 2012. She was a member of the Hazel Dell Free Will Baptist Church.

Mrs. Cockrum is survived by her children, Connie Hammond, and husband Larry, of Sesser, Coy Deon Cockrum, and wife Vickee, of Benton, IL and Danny Cockrum, of Sandwich, IL; grandchildren Larry Don Hammond, of Sesser, Rich Hammond, and wife Amy, of Sesser, Scott Cockrum, and wife Elizabeth, of Pace, FL, Gina Williams, and husband Scott, of West Frankfort, IL, Chris Cockrum, of San Diego, CA, Melissa Cushman, of Athens; 11 great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren; four sisters-in-law, Ermalee Conner, Mazie Hamilton, Afton Lampley and Donna Tucker. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews and many special friends.

Mrs. Cockrum was preceded in death by her parents, husband, by a brother, Dempsey Tucker; by one sister, Idella Montgomery, and by several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12th at the Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton with Ann Schwengel officiating. Burial will be in the Maple Hill Cemetery in Sesser. Visitation will be after 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the funeral home.

For those who wish, memorials may be made to SSM Hospice.
For more information or to send online condolences please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com

Mary Beth Prusha, age 60, of Benton, passed away Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at her home.

Celebration of Life Services will be held at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, November 9, 2019 at the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton, with Rev. Phillip Kennedy officiating. Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday at the Leffler Funeral Home.

Mary Beth Prusha was born on July 27, 1959 in Waukegan, IL, the daughter of William Stockton and Jean Ellen (Redding) Stockton.

Mary worked as an LPN with the McLeansboro Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. Prior to working in McLeansboro, she worked for Mt. Vernon Health Care Center. She loved being a nurse, and especially loved taking care of her patients and residents.

She was of the Catholic Faith.

Mary loved her grandchildren, and especially enjoyed all the times they spent together. She enjoyed going to the movies, drinking coffee, watching NYPD Blue and ER.

She was known for her love being with her family, and she adored her time with her parents.

Surviving is her three daughters: Jessica Dawson and partner Tiffany Campbell of Collinsville, IL, Tiffany Prusha of Benton, Leah Stone and fiancée David Loucks of Marion, IL; her mother Jean Stockton of Waukegan, IL; six grandchildren: Ethan Prusha, Cameron Dawson, Taylor Dawson, Jacob Wilkerson, Julianne Stone, Willa Prusha; a sister Susan Gonzalez and husband John of Waukegan, IL; three brothers: William Stockton, Jr. of Racine, WI, Thomas Stockton of Rock Island, IL, Eric Stockton and wife Toni of Hendersonville, TN; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father; and three brothers: James Stockton, Steven Stockton, and Joseph Stockton; and a niece Samantha Stockton.

Memorial contributions may be made to Mary Beth Prusha Memorial Service at GoFundMe.com

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

Frank Vercellino of Mulkeytown, IL, passed peacefully to be with his beloved Berniece at 6:07 pm, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. His family was at his side. He was the son of Italian immigrants; a heritage of which he was very proud.

His services will be held at the St. Andrew Catholic Church in Christopher on Tuesday, November 5, with visitation from 10am to 1:00 pm at the church. The funeral mass will be at 1:00 pm with Fr. Urban Osuji officiating. Burial will be at St. Andrew Cemetery in Christopher.

Frank was born on September 12, 1929, in Valier. He and Berniece were married on September 14, 1950. He was preceded in death by his high school sweetheart and wife, Berniece (Bufford) Vercellino, his parents, John B. Vercellino and Angeline T. (Richardi) Vercellino; two brothers, Joe Vercellino and John B.Vercellino, Jr; two sisters-in-law, Madelyn (Stoffel) Vercellino and Louise (Bufford) Hoffmann, and four brothers-in-law Marvin Bufford and Bennie Bufford, Bernard Hoffmann and Chuck Feltmeyer.

Survivors include a Daughter, Sandy Vercellino Laur (Nick) of Sesser and son Steve Vercellino (Terry) of Mulkeytown. He has 6 grandchildren who were the light of his life, Brian Laur (Dana), Erin Basso (Chip), Lacey Hagerman (Danny), Steve Vercellino (Alyssa), John Vercellino (Johnel) and Chris Bial. He also has 5 great grandchildren Reid and Reagan Basso, Delaney, Patrice, and Banx Laur and a great granddaughter on the way.

Frank was always a hardworking man dedicated to taking care of his family. He had worked at many jobs including the Old Ben 21 coal mine until his retirement; but most of all, he was a farmer. He loved the land and working it was one of his greatest pleasures. He was also a huge sports enthusiast not only playing several sports and refereeing, but watching his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren every time he could.

Frank was a lifetime member of St. Andrew Catholic church in Christopher, IL and the Christopher Knights of Columbus, of which he was a founding member in 1954.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Andrew Chapel Fund or Hospice of Southern Illinois in Marion. Envelopes will be available at the church.
Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher is handling arrangements.
For more Information go to our website www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com

Bret G. Grob, 59, of Sesser, Il, passed away October 24, 2019 at his home surrounded by his loving family. Bret fought a brave and valiant four-year battle against cancer.

Bret was born June 1, 1960, the son of Gerome Grob and Joyce Grob Bagwell. He was a 1978 graduate of Sesser-Valier High School.

Bret was previously married to Kim Robinson and they shared a son, Kenny, who died in a car accident on July 4, 2003. Bret was later married to Sheri Prather and they also had a son, Lane, who survives of Sesser.

Bret worked for many years at Vernwood Press and also at MCA records and in recent years had worked for Knighthawk Coal as a roof bolter.

From an early age Bret showed a knack for doing things his own way and a little bit over the top. Bret, and brother Jeff, who is 18 months older, began tearing bicycles apart to rebuild them when they were youngsters – a passion he carried with him the rest of his life. As he grew older Bret graduated from bicycles to motorcycles and cars.

However, in recent years Bret reverted back to his childhood love when he purchased bicycles for his grandkids, only to ‘chop them up’ and build something totally different and original.

According to son Lane: “The work he did on bicycles and motorcycles always had to be different, unique and usually over-the-top. It had to be something nobody else had. There was nothing he couldn’t fix.”

Because of his love for children, Bret also built many custom bicycles and then donated them to be raffled off, raising thousands of dollars for charities for needy children and children facing serious health issues.

Bret logged thousands of miles on his beloved Harley-Davidson motorcycles, often saying: ‘It’s not about the destination, it’s about the ride.”

Bret was a family man, a good son, a loving brother, an awesome dad and to say he was a doting grandfather would be an understatement. He even accompanied his daughter-in-law, Christina (Alvis), to her doctor appointments when she was pregnant with granddaughter Chesni.

Bret is survived by his mother, Joyce Bagwell, of Tampa, FL; his son Lane Grob, of Sesser: three siblings, Jeff Grob, of Sesser, Chris Grob, of Tampa, FL and Annette Gilbert, of Maryville, IL; granddaughters Kelisy Grob, of Sesser and Chesni Grob, of Valier; daughter-in-law Christina Alvis, of Valier; former wives Kim Robinson, of Benton, IL and Sheri Grob, of Sesser. Bret is also survived by a large number of nieces and nephews and close friends that he loved dearly.

He was preceded in death by his dad Gerome Grob and his son Kenny Grob.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Italian Club, in Coello, IL on Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. Food will be provided and those attending are asked to ride their motorcycles and wear Harley-Davidson attire.

Brayfield-Gilbert Funeral Home, in Sesser, is in charge of arrangements. According to Bret’s wishes, cremation services were performed. In lieu of flowers donations can be made directly to the funeral home to help with expenses.

Kay Jean Davis, 84, of Benton, passed away at 11:05 p.m., on Monday, October 21, 2019, at her home surrounded by her loving family.

She was born on September 20, 1935, to Leslie and Edith (Davis) Prestage in Flint, MI. On March 24, 1964, she married James Richard Davis, and he preceded in death. Kay worked as a hairdresser until her daughter was 2. She then stayed home to raise her daughter and take care of her family.

Kay grew up in the Methodist faith. She was loving mother and grandmother. Kay enjoyed word searches, cooking, baking and sitting on the porch watching the chickens play. She loved watching her great-grand fur puppy, Chevy, playing.

Kay is survived by her loving daughter, Angelia Kay Davis-Cairel, and husband, Derrick, of Benton, IL; two granddaughters, Ashley Christina Cairel and Alexandria Kay Cairel; one grandson, Andrew James Cairel and one sister, Georgene Prestage-McCarty.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Leslie and Edith Maude Prestage, husband, James Richard Davis,a son, James Daren Davis, four sisters, Naydene Prestage-Klingler, Glenadine Prestage-Verran, Gertrude Prestage-Zbiciak and Velma M. Prestage, and one brother, Jack Colon Prestage.

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

Visitation will be held Sunday, October 27, 2019, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at Pate Funeral Home, Benton, IL.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 28, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. at the Pate Funeral Home, Benton, IL, with the Reverend Derrick Cairel, officiating.

Burial will take place following services at Masonic and Odd Fellows Cemetery in Benton, IL.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of Southern Illinois and will be accepted at the funeral home.

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