Helen L. Gulley, 90, of Benton, IL, passed away October 14, 2014 at Stonebridge Senior Living Center, in Benton.

Helen was born May 31, 1924 in Christopher, IL, to Benjamin Pharis and Agnes (Swain) Pharis.

She was a homemaker and a member of the Benton-West City Church of Christ.

She was married to Albert Gulley and he preceded her in death on April 5, 2014.

Helen is survived by a sister, Ruby Gage, of Wright City, MO.  She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, one son, Alan Gulley and one brother, Raymond Pharis.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 2 p.m. at Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher with Brother Steve Reeves officiating. Visitation will be on Saturday, October 18, 2014 from 12 noon until the time of the service at 2 p.m. Burial will be in Hammond Cemetery, in Buckner, IL.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Benton-West City Church of Christ and will be accepted at the funeral home

Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher, IL is in charge of arrangements.

For more information go to gilbertfuneralhomes.com.

David L. “Monty” Rea, 57, of Whittington, departed this earth to go to his Heavenly Home on Wednesday morning, October 15, 2014 at his home.

He was born in Benton, IL on April 5, 1957, the son of David R. & Carole (Taylor) Rea.

He married Marsha (Whittington) on August 4, 1979 in Benton and she survives.

Monty was on the original group that organized the Ewing-Northern Fire Protection District and served as the only chief from 1992 until present.  He started coal mining in 1979, most recently working at Nighthawk Coal Co.  Monty was an 18-year member of the Ewing-Northern Grade School board and also served on the Ewing Township board from 1992 to the present.

He attended Whittington Church.

Monty loved to hunt, fish and farm but above all was his family, especially his three grandbabies, Bentley, Blakely and Sawyer, then his dedication to the fire department.

He is survived by his wife, Marsha, of Whittington, , two daughters, Whitney Winstead and husband Johnny, of Benton, and Haley Smith and husband Cory, of Benton and three grandchildren, Bentley Rea Smith, Blakely Pavin Smith and Sawyer Michael Winstead.

Also surviving are his parents, David and Carole Rea, of West City, a sister, Diana Ing, and husband Keith, of Benton, mother-in-law J. Irene Whittington, formerly of Whittington, grandmother, Edith Taylor, of Benton, brother-in-law Mike Whittington and wife Donna, of Marion and nieces and nephews Marci, Eric, Lindsay and Nathaniel.

He was preceded in death by his father-in-law, Noel Whittington and by his grandparents, Verbal and Anna Belle Rea and Kenneth and Viola Taylor.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, October, 18 at the Whittington Church with the Rev. Mark Minor officiating. A fireman’s walk-through will be Friday at the church.  Burial will be in Masonic & Oddfellows Cemetery, in Benton.  Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the church.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made in Mr. Rea’s memory to the Ewing-Northern Fire Protection District and will be accepted at Whittington Church or at Morton & Johnston Funeral Home, Benton.

For more information or to sign the guest register please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com.

Michelle Ward, 47, of Sesser, passed away October 8, 2014 at Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in Mt. Vernon.

Michelle was born June 2, 1967 in Mt. Vernon, the daughter of Mickey Earl Riley, of Mt. Vernon and Carol (Brown) Beppler, of Sesser, who both survive.

She was married to Scott Ward, of Sesser.

Michelle worked as a dialysis nurse at DaVita Dialysis, in Brunswick, GA.

She is survived by her husband, Scott Ward, of Sesser; children Jered Benson, of Brunswick, GA and Abbie Leigh Ward, of Sesser, IL.  Other survivors include one brother, Brian Roehm, of Valier, and two sisters, Kimberly Grob, of Sesser, IL and Nanette Riley, of Benton, IL.  She was preceded in death by one sister and by her ‘Granny’ and ‘Pops.’

Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. at Brayfield-Gilbert Funeral Home, in Sesser, IL with Brother Mark Miller officiating.  Visitation will be on Saturday October 11, 2014 from 11 a.m. until the time of the service at 1:30 p.m.

Burial will be at Mitchell Cemetery in Sesser, IL.

Brayfield-Gilbert Funeral Home in Sesser, IL is in charge of arrangements.  For more information go to www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com.

 

 

 

Danny E. Marvel, 48, of Benton, passed away Sunday, October 5, 2014 at his home.

He was born in Benton, IL on December 2, 1965, the son of Roy and Shirley (Good) Marvel.

He was a butcher by trade.

Mr. Marvel is survived his son, Mike Davis and wife Kim , of Bonnie, IL and a daughter, Rebecca Marvel and fiance Dustin Price, of Royalton, IL.He is also survived by four grandchildren, Aubrie, Kyle, Paris and Shawn; one brother, Steve Marvel and two sisters, Penny and Nancy.  He was preceded in death by his parents, by a son, Daniel Marvel and by a sister, Julie.

Memorial services will be held at 6:30 p.m. on October 9, 2014 at the Second Baptist Church in West Frankfort, IL, with Pastor Brett Beasley officiating.

Morton & Johnston Funeral Home, in Benton, is in charge of arrangements.

Wilbur Lee Wheatley, 80, of Royalton, passed away Oct. 6, 2014 at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale.

He was born Sept. 6, 1934 in Christopher, the  son of Marion Wheatley and Leorna (Stalcup) Wheatley.

Wilbur worked as a coal miner and was a member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church, in Royalton.

He married Catherine (Parino) Wheatley on Jan. 26, 1953 and she survives in Royalton.

He is survived by his children, Debbie Corso, of Royalton, IL, Frank and Melinda Wheatley, of New Orleans, LA and Domnick Wheatley, of Scheller, IL.

Wilbur is also survived by grandchildren Tammy Corso, Tony Corso, Angela Corso, Jennifer Greene, Salina Hilliard, Brock Wheatley, Tory Wheatley and Monya Keown; 10 great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild and a brother, Stanley Wheatley, of Du Quoin, IL.  He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Carol Wheatley.

Graveside funeral services will be held at 11 am. on Thursday, October 9, 2014 at St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery in Royalton with Sister Laura Reynolds officiating. Friends and family are asked to meet at the cemetery.

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

Michael Smith, 66, of Thompsonville, passed away at his home Thursday morning Oct. 2, 2014.

He was born in Mt. Carmel, IL on May 9, 1048, the son of Raymond and Wilma (Allen) Smith.

He married Diane (Hutchcraft) on March 8, 1981 and she survives.

Mr. Smith was an Army veteran, serving in Germany.  He was a member of American Legion Post 1194 in Thompsonville.  He was the owner of Smitty’s Repair in Benton, then worked at home as a diesel mechanic.

He is survived by his wife Diane, of Thompsonville, children Michelle (Jang Yoong Tan), of Raleigh, NC, Jeffery (Carrie) Smith of Thompsonville, James (Linda) Kimball, of Monterey, CA and Steven (Julie) Smith of Clarksville, TN.  He is also survived by grandchildren Nicholas and Lily Tan, Landon, Lane and Lucas Smith, Kellie, Madison, Amanda and Kaytlin Kimball and Chayson, Alex and Wyatt Smith.

Also surviving are brothers and sisters, Robert Smith (Gloria), of Mt. Carmel, Marjory (Steve Thompson) of Mt. Carmel, Donald Smith, Mt. Carmel, Jennifer (Rob Huff), Mt. Carmel, John (Carmen) Smith, Mt. Carmel, Pat Smith, Layfaette, IN and Stuart Smith, Willow Hill, IL.  Mr. Smith was preceded in death by his paretns and by a brother-in-law, Roger Smith.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 7, 2014 at Antioch United Methodist Church, east of West Frankfort, with the Rev. Susan Cox officiating.  Burial with military rites conducted by American Legion Post 1194 will be in Oddfellows Cemetery in McLeansboro, IL.  Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6 at Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton and after 10 a.m. at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Boy’s Town and will be accepted at the funeral home.

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

 

Phyllis June Reece, 70, of Christopher, died Oct. 1, 2014 at her daughter’s home surrounded by friends and family.

Phyllis was born March 15, 1944 in Eldorado, to David Robert and Eathel Juanita (Biggerstaff) Roberts.

She was a homemaker and a member of the Whittington Church.

Phyllis is survived by her children, Julie and Allen Eubanks, Christopher, IL, John and Gisele Reece, Mulkeytown, IL, Jeffrey Reece, Carbondale, IL, Michael Reece, Mulkeytown, IL and Timothy Garrison, Carbondale, IL.

She is also survived by grandchildren Bradley Restivo, Andrew Reece, Amber Reece, Ender Reece, Zyler Reece and Inara Reece.  She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Randall Roberts.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 11 a.m. at Harrison Cemetery in Buckner with Brother Greg Shelton officiating.  There will be no visitation, friends and family are asked to meet at the cemetery

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Whittington Church.  Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher is in charge of arrangements.

 

 

 

 

 

Rebecca Jane Malkovich – age: 53
(April 25, 1961 to September 22, 2014 )
Resident of Benton, Illinois

Visitation Information:
GRAVESIDE SERVICES: 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 27, 2014
Masonic & Odd Fellows Cemetery
12740 Odd Fellow Lane
Benton, Illinois 62812

CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE: Will be held at a future date

Obituary:
Rebecca Jane Malkovich, 53, died at 3:35 p.m., Monday, Sept. 22, 2014, in Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

Rebecca, known as Becky to all who knew and loved her, was born April 25, 1961, in Benton, the daughter of Daniel Leon Malkovich and Joe Anne (Choisser) Malkovich.

Becky was a 1979 graduate of Benton Consolidated High School. She was a gifted writer who grew up in the world of newspapers. She had a special connection to the Benton Evening News, a newspaper her family owned until 1986. Even as a child, she showed an exceptional talent for sleuthing, so much so that she was known as the BBI. The Becky Bureau of Investigation initially focused on sibling misbehavior but eventually branched out to the entire community. She was not content to rely on her extensive experience and went back to school, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

For the past decade, Becky worked as a reporter for The Southern Illinoisan. She was passionate about the people and places of Southern Illinois and dedicated her considerable talents to telling their stories in her unique voice. She had a gift for putting people at ease and making everyone feel like her best friend, whether they were being interviewed or just catching up over coffee.

Becky loved her sons Jake and Eli, her family and friends, music, good writing, coffee and her pets, Captain (the famous dog) and Kitty. She was generous: with her time, her compassion and her distinctive laugh. She hated the limelight but was eager to shine it on others. She would have found this obituary too long and effusive, despite the fact that it doesn’t begin to capture the incredible person she was. She will be fiercely missed.

Becky is survived by her sons, Jake Ivanovich of Carbondale and Eli Ivanovich of Benton; brother John Malkovich and Nicole Peyran of Cambridge, Mass.; sister Melissa Malkovich of Seagrove Beach, Fla.; sister-in-law Debbie Malkovich of Sesser, Ill.; nieces and nephews Matthew Malkovich and wife Brandi of Orlando, Fla., Loewy and Amandine Malkovich of Portland, Ore., Jesse Starita and wife Anh Dao Pham of Lincoln, Neb., Tim Eubanks and wife Kim, grandnephew T.J. Eubanks and grandniece Bayley Eubanks of Sesser, and grandniece Mila Joe Malkovich of Orlando.

She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Amanda Malkovich and brother Daniel Malkovich.

Graveside Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 27, 2014 at the Masonic and Odd Fellows Cemetery in Benton, with Rev. Mark Minor officiating. Leffler – Poulson Funeral Home of Benton is in charge of the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Becky’s children in the name of Eli Ivanovich and will be accepted at the Leffler – Poulson Funeral Home, 401 East Main Street, Benton, IL 62812.

To leave online condolences to the family, visit www.lpfuneralhome.com