Kenneth “KP” Perry, 65, of Benton, IL, passed away Wednesday morning, July 6, 2016 at his home.

He was born in Fleming, KY on August 13, 1950, the son of Edward L. Perry, Sr. and Maggie Lee (Adams) Perry.

KP was a U.S. Navy veteran serving during the Vietnam War on Midland Island.

He was a retired coal miner and a proud UMWA member.

KP dearly loved his family. He enjoyed cooking, and had a degree in culinary arts. He was a student of the universe and loved science, especially astronomy. He loved photography, music, philosophy, particularly the thinkers and thought provokers.

KP is survived by his wife Diana Perry, of Benton; son Joel Perry and Ashley Taylor, of Logan; three grandchildren Jayden, Vance and Jameson; sister Lisa Odom and husband Alan, of Benton; brother Edward Perry, Jr. and wife Shelia McVeigh, of Gibsonia, PA; stepdaughter Stephanie Diers and husband Joel, of Springfield; stepson Robbie Woolridge and wife Jennifer, of Carbondale, IL; step-grandchildren Aliyah, Mason and Holden; nieces and nephews Jeff Perry, Jamie Perry, Aaron Odom, Kristin Odom and Ashley Odom. He is also survived by several cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Funeral services will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 9, 2016 at Morton & Johnston Funeral Home, in Benton, with Jim Muir and family members officiating. Visitation will be after 6 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.

James Edward Mayer, age 86 of Benton, IL, passed away Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at the Franklin Hospital in Benton.

Graveside services with Masonic Rites will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 9, 2016 at the Masonic & Odd Fellows Cemetery of Benton.  There will be no visitation.  Friends are asked to go directly to the cemetery.

Arrangements are with the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton.

James was born on March 14, 1930 in Benton, the son of Richard Mayer and Della Mae (Durham) Mayer.  He married the former Betty Joann Leffler on June 29, 1952 and she survives.

Mr. Mayer was a retired coal miner, having last worked with Arch Minerals.  He was a member of the U.M.W.A., and the First Baptist Church of Benton.  He was also a Past-Master with Benton Masonic Lodge #64 A.F. & A.M..

James served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and he enjoyed fishing.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Betty Mayer of Benton; his daughter Debbie Davis and husband Tommy of Yulee, FL;  a special nephew Steve Mayer of Kansas City, KS; and two nieces.

Mr. Mayer was preceded in death by his parents; a brother Robert Mayer; and a granddaughter Shelley Davis.

Memorial contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church of Benton.

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

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Ty Jarrod Benjamin will be held Saturday, July 9, 2016 at Morton & Johnston Funeral Home, in Benton, IL.

Ty was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on October 25, 1977. He was raised and spent most of his life in Carrollton, Georgia, but had recently returned to Terre Haute.

Ty’s unique personality brought joy and laughter to his family and friends. He was an avid sports fan — partial to his Atlanta teams, the NBA and especially the Duke Blue Devils.

Ty was preceded in death by his father, Richard Benjamin and his paternal grandparents, Richard and Betty Benjamin.

Surviving family members include his mother, Becky Benjamin, grandparents Robert and Mary Whitehead, all of Benton; aunt and uncles Debbie (Jim) Scott and David Benjamin, both of Terre Haute, Indiana, Vickie (Ralph) Connor, of Vincennes, Indiana, Jerry (Marcia) Whitehead and Cathy (Bill) Smith, all of Benton; and many fun-loving cousins.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until 1 .m. with the memorial service starting at 1 p.m.

Morton & Johnston Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Makayla Andrews, 18, of Benton, IL, passed away Monday afternoon July 4, 2016 as the result of a motor vehicle accident in Randolph County.

She was born in Carbondale, IL on October 26, 1997.

Makayla was a 2016 graduate of Benton Consolidated High School.

She was truly loved and will be sadly missed by all.

Makayla is survived by her mother and father Loretta and Jeff Bearden, biological mother Kim Akin, biological father Shannon Braden; siblings Brooke Andrews, David Andrews, Lacey Akin and Ryan Akin; half sisters Marie Braden and Alisa Braden; grandmothers Beverly Howell and Kathy Braden and husband Gary; nieces and nephews Taven, Kalden, Phoebe, Sabrina, Josiah, Julius, Javen; several aunts uncles and cousins.

Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, July 8, 2016 at Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton, with Pastor John Neace officiating. Burial will be at Brady Cemetery in Akin, IL. Visitation will be after 9 a.m. on Friday at the funeral home.

For more information or to sign the online guest register go to www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com.

Dr. Kathryn W. Briley, 86, of Benton, IL, passed away Saturday morning July 2, 2016 as the result of a motor vehicle accident.

She was born in Thompsonville, IL on March 27, 1930, the daughter of Alex and Nellie (Isaacs) Webber.

She married Denzil W. Briley and he preceded her in death on September 17, 2004.

Dr. Briley was a retired school teacher. She was a member of the First Baptist Church, in Benton, for more than 50 years.

Dr. Briley is survived by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren Tina and Joe Pedigo, and their children Ariana and Benjamin, Christian Briley and children Jordan, Megan and Alison, Raven Craig and children Alexis, Isaac and Dalton, Sasah Briley and children Nevaeh, Lily, Phoenix and Christian, Sondra Angel and son E.J. and David James Briley.

Dr. Briley was preceded in death by her parents, husband, son David William Briley, daughter Linda Kay Briley and by siblings Kenneth Webber, Aileen Parker, Alex Webber, Jackie Gene Webber, James E. Webber, Darrell Webber and Bill Webber; two grandchildren Brandi Briley and Noah Stinson.

Graveside funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 11 at the Masonic & Oddfellows Cemetery, in Benton. There will be no visitation. Those attending are requested to meet at the cemetery.

Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton is in charge of arrangements. For more information or to sign the online guest register please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com

Gerald “Gabe”  McCarty, 83, of West Frankfort, IL , died at 4:45 pm on Sunday, July 3, 2016, at Carbondale Memorial Hospital, Carbondale, IL.

Mr. McCarty was born May 1, 1933, in Benton, IL, the son of  William and Cleo (Reynolds) McCarty.

Gabe was a  veteran of the United States Air Force,  serving in the Korean War. He was a retired sheet metal worker from SIU and a member of the First Baptist Church in West Frankfort.

He is survived by a son, Richard McMahan and wife of Mt. Vernon; a daughter, Roxie Loyd of Kansas City, Mo;  a granddaughter, Maggie Taylor of Arlington, TX; the love of his life, Avanell Fulton of Carterville, IL; special friend, Patty Garcia of Centralia, IL; several grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Gabe was preceded in death by his parents, a daughter, Melissa Postnikoff of Fort Worth, TX and a sister, Ione Cardiff.

In 1958, Gabe started a band called the Four Vest Band. The band consisted for Gabe, Ron Head, George Warren and Vernon Mandrell and they played at local venues and teen towns. He continued to play bass in several bands. He had a beautiful voice and could play the bass, but couldn’t do both at the same time but he did both well. In the beginning they called him “One String” because he only played one string but it was consistent and good. He eventually learned all five and was in demand as a bass player. Earl Sandusky, a great drummer, aptly renamed him “Little Caesar”. Area musicians will be able to relate to these stories about Gabe. He continued to play music up until six months ago.

In 1963, before the Beatles were famous, George Harrison arrived in Benton, IL, to visit his sister, Louise Caldwell, who was presently living in America. George and Gabe became friends and Gabe took George to play country music in Muddy, IL. Gabe escorted George around the area to buy a new guitar here and to play in area too. Harrison remained friends with Gabe throughout the years and books have been written about both of them. George Harrison became famous with the Beatles on his return to England and Gabe was invited to go meet all the Beatles and followed them through the years.

Visitation will be from  1 pm to 4 pm, on Friday, July 8, 2016, at Pate Funeral Home, 301 South Main St., Benton, IL. A funeral service will follow the visitation at  4 pm at Pate Funeral Home.

Burial will immediately follow services at the Masonic & Odd Fellows Cemetery, Benton, IL., with military rites by the Benton American Legion Post 280, VFW Post 2671 and the United States Air Force Honors Team.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Benton Ministerial Alliance and will be accepted at the funeral home.

For more information or to sign the memorial guest register, visit www.patefh.com

Alicia Rae Anglese, 24, of Christopher, IL, passed away June 30, 2016.

She was born February 25, 1992 in Carbondale, IL.

Alicia worked at the Franklin-Jefferson Special Education District.

Alicia is survived by her father and stepmother, Daniel Lee and Brenda Anglese, of Mulkeytown, IL and her mother and stepfather Marcia and Randy Venegoni, of Christopher; one sister Missy and Bryan Furlow, of Christopher; a stepbrother Garrett Venegoni, of Herrin, IL; stepsisters Victoria Bryley, of Herrin, Valerie Binkley, of Evansville, IN and Lauren Venegoni, of Herrin; grandparents Carolyn Summers, Judy Furlow and James Anglese.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 3, 2016 at the Gilbert Funeral Home, in Christopher with Brother Hagle Summers officiating. Visitation will be on Sunday, July 3, 2016 from 11 a.m. until the time of the funeral at 2 p.m. Burial will be at Mulkeytown Cemetery.

Gilbert Funeral Home, in Christopher, is in charge of arrangements. For more information go to www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com.

 

 

Cecil L. Good-Sims, 76, of Benton, passed away at 9:56 p.m., Tuesday, June 21, 2016, at Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO.

She was born on February 9, 1940, in Christopher, IL. Cecil was a retired CNA.  She married Guy “Pappy” Leon Sims on December 9, 1978, and he preceded her in death on August 7, 2014.

 Cecil was a member of the Steel City Baptist Church, the Benton Eagles and the American Legion Auxiliary in Benton. She enjoyed playing Bingo and loved her animals. She was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother..

She is survived by three daughters, Marsha Grady, Theresa Twogood and husband Rusty, and Peggy Wakefield and husband Mike; one sister, Betty Shippert and husband Tony; ten grandchildren, April, Brandon, Stacy, Preston, Ashley, Jesse, Christopher, Nicholas, Michele and Hope and 12 great-grandchildren.

 She was preceded in death by her mother and step-father, Sissy and Jules Demaret, one daughter, Lisa King-Seals, two sisters, Flora Mae Furlow-Neralich and Penny Marvel; a son-in-law, Bill Grady.

 Cremation was held per her wishes. Private graveside services will be held at a later date in Mulkeytown Cemetery, Mulkeytown, IL.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Pate Funeral Home, 301 S. Main St., Benton, IL.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Second Chance Rescue of Franklin County and will be accepted at the funeral home.

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