Sue Carole Hefner Dirks, 88, of Benton, IL, passed away at 4:28 p.m., on Friday, May 31, 2024, at Helia Healthcare of Benton, surrounded by her loving family.

She was born on August 8, 1935, to Lester and Ruby (Lyday) McFadden in Louisville, KY. Sue married Clyde W. Hefner on October 31, 1952, and he passed away on May 13, 1984. On December 19, 1995, Sue married Kenneth K. Dirks and he preceded her in death on October 15, 2020.
She was a member of Grace Awakening Church in Benton and was devoted to her church and her faith.

Sue was a loving mother and grandmother. She enjoyed traveling, Sunday fun day at the pool and having all her family together truly made her happy.
Sue was proud of the profound impact she had in the community of Benton, helping people at her retail store, Sues II, which she owned and operated for 54 years. She had passion for hard work and dedication as a fashion icon in the area and was an inspiration to everyone she met.

She was one of the founders of the Downtown Festival of Lights and she ran the Rend Lake Pageant for many years. Sue truly enjoyed being active in the community and as an inspiration to everyone she met.

Sue is survived by her loving daughters, Kelly (Greg) Bain and Robin (Hugh) Frailey; her grandchildren, Jordan (Wendy) Frailey, Drew (Shelby) Frailey and Breanne (Shane) Brady and her great-grandchildren, Brooklyn Frailey, Cru Frailey, Chance Brady, Kip Brady, Stella Frailey, Adalynn McCormick and Bridger Williams.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Lester and Ruby McFadden, her 1st Husband, Clyde Hefner, her 2nd Husband, Kenneth K. Dirks and her brother, Richard E. McFadden.

Services have been entrusted to Pate Funeral Home, 301 South Main Street, Benton, IL.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Pate Funeral Home, Benton, IL.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at the Pate Funeral Home, Benton, IL, with Brother Ken Petty, officiating.
Following the funeral service, burial will take place in the Masonic and Odd Fellows Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Grace Awakening Church in Benton and or Hospice of Southern Illinois and will be accepted at the funeral home.
Online condolences can be given at www.patefh.com.

Eleanora Smith, 88, of Marion formerly of Mulkeytown, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on June 1, 2024.

She was born on September 17, 1935, to Mary Edith and Elmer Williamson. In her last years, she discovered her love for a small white dog, Violet, with whom she regularly shared chips.

On August 29, 1954, Eleanora married her husband, Norman Davis Smith, and together they had three daughters: Denise Tanner, Renee Lampley, and Tracy Smith. She had eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Among family and friends, she was known for her determined spirit, the amazing meals she cooked, and the beautiful quilts she sewed and embroidered.

Eleanora Smith was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and sister, Delores Pinkham.

Graveside services will be on Friday, June 7, 2024 at 11:00 AM at the Mulkeytown Cemetery in Mulkeytown with Pastor Zip Biby officiating. Friends and family are asked to meet at the cemetery.

Jameson David Lindell, precious 17-month-old son of Jonathon and Brittany Lindell of Benton, passed away on Monday, May 27, 2024, at his home in Benton, IL.

He was born on December 13, 2022, in Mount Vernon, IL and was adored by his parents, grandparents, aunts, cousins and many friends.

In his short life, Jameson had a profound impact on his family and friends. He had an amazing personality and facial expressions, from smiles to grins. Jameson was always full of joy, exploring and curiosity; he loved trying to figure out how things worked. He loved to help vacuum, dance, climb, going outside blowing bubbles, and getting tickled. His favorite snack was carrots and dipping them in Ranch. Jameson would love to go to the store and people watch and sharing waves and blowing kisses with others.

Jameson is survived by his loving parents, Jonathon and Brittany (Armstrong) Lindell; maternal grandparents, Paul and Candace Armstrong; paternal grandparents, John and Anna Marie Lindell; maternal great-grandparents, David and Debbie Treadway and Jan Armstrong; paternal great-grandfather, John James; aunt, Jessica Heubner; great-aunt, Cassie Armstrong and two cousins, Ava Armstrong and Aubree Heubner.

Services have been entrusted to Pate Funeral Home, 301 South Main Street, Benton, IL.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.at Pate Funeral Home, Benton, IL.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at Pate Funeral Home in Benton, IL, with Pastor Mark Minor, officiating.

Burial will be private at the Vienna Fraternal Cemetery in Vienna, IL.

Memorials in Jameson’s honor, may be made to the Benton/West City Ministerial Alliance and will be accepted at the funeral home.

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

Theresa Marie Sample, 87, of Sesser, passed away on Wednesday May 29, 2024 at her home.

She was born on April 22, 1937 to George and Theresa (Feichtmeier) Undiener. She married William “Bill” Sample on November 7, 1959 and he preceded her in death on September 1, 2019.

She is survived by her children Edward (Veronica) Sample of St Charles, MO, Michael (Pat) Sample of Sesser and Bradley Sample of Jacksonville, IL; grandchildren Katie Sample, Patrick (Kristy) Sample, Kayla (Gowdy) Cannon, Hunter (Presley) Sample, Kyle Sample, Danica Rich and Austin Sample; seven great grandchildren and two brothers George Undiener of Plato Center, IL and Richard (Joyce) Undiener of Little Rock, AR.

She was preceded by her parents, husband, one son Douglas Sample.

Theresa was a homemaker, liked to travel, was a craft enthusiast, quilter and loved doing geneology and tracing her family tree.

Funeral services will be on Sunday June 2, 2024 at 2:00 PM at the Brayfield-Gilbert Funeral Home in Sesser with Brother Gowdy Cannon officiating. Visitation will be from 12:00 PM until the time of the service at 2:00 PM. Burial will be at Horse Prairie cemetery in Sesser.

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

Barbara June (Trybull) Ore, aged 61, passed away on May 26, 2024 at her home in Benton, IL. She was born on October 10th, 1962 to Kenneth and Dorothy (Carter) Trybull in Geneva,IL.

Barb is survived by her three sons; Justin (Karissa) Borowiec, Tim (Tara) Borowiec, and Tyler (girlfriend Chelsea) Ore all of Benton, bonus daughter Andrea (Bobby) Davey of Christopher, her father Kenneth Trybull of Benton, her two brothers Larry (Carol) Trybull of Hinckley, IL and Dave (Tracy) Trybull of Plover, WI, her loving grandchildren Branlee and Tynlee Borowiec, Meryl Ore, Kalie (James) Triplett, her niece and nephew Jack and Tess Trybull, and many cousins and other family members that will miss her so much.

She was proceeded in death by her mother, Dorothy Trybull.

Barb had a wonderful sense of humor and always had the biggest smile on her face, especially when she would talk about her grandchildren. Her three boys and her grandchildren were her biggest accomplishments and her pride and joy. Her grandchildren will miss Grandma Monday’s where they were spoiled rotten all day long. She worked at Flower’s By Dave for over 20 years and was everyone’s go to girl for flowers.

Visitation will be on Thursday, May 30, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Morton and Johnston Funeral Home. The funeral will immediately follow with burial at Masonic and Odd Fellows Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Morton and Johnston Funeral Home to assist the family with funeral expenses.

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

Edith C. Flannigan, 72, of Thompsonville, IL, passed away at 9:10 a.m., on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in the Franklin Hospital ER in Benton, IL.

She was born on August 20, 1951, to Charles and Minnie (LaVelle) Harding in Boise, ID. Edith married David Flannigan and he preceded her in death on January 12, 2018.
Edith was a member of Plasters Grove Freewill Baptist Church. She enjoyed selling antiques and bowling.
Edith is survived by her son, James Matthew Schwei; two sisters, Yvonne (Kim) Wohlfeil and Teresa Frederick; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Minnie Rose Harding and her husband, David Flannigan.

Services have been entrusted to Pate Funeral Home, 301 South Main Street, Benton, IL.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, May 26, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Pate Funeral Home, 301 South Main Street, Benton, IL.

Funeral services will be held on Sunday, May 26, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. at the Pate Funeral Home, Benton, IL, with Pastor Kim Wohlfeil, officiating.

Per Edith’s wishes, cremation will take place.

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

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

Bette King was born in Melford, MA on January 3, 1934, and peacefully passed away on January 27, 2024. This obituary deviates from the conventional. It doesn’t detail Bette’s life achievements, her loved ones, and family members who preceded her in death.

Truth be told, not much is known about Bette other than she was a wife, mom, grandmother and an LPN. Bette was full of personality. She was stubborn and funny. She loved to tease people and she beamed when they would banter with her. She enjoyed coloring, chatting with friends, playing cards, crafts and sitting outside on pretty days. Bette adored her mother. She loved her son, daughter, and granddaughter. Her longing for their presence was so profound that she often envisioned warm visits from them, sometimes imagining invitations to be with them. Given the limited knowledge of her family background and circumstances, no assumptions or judgments are made on either side.

A memorial service to honor Bette will take place on Friday, May 24th, at 1 pm at the Brady Cemetery in Akin, IL. The service will be a simple graveside ceremony conducted by Greg Poole from Can’s Can Ministries. The public is welcome to attend.

The Leffler Funeral Home of Benton is in charge of the arrangements.

A heartfelt expression of gratitude extends to all those who contributed funds toward Bette’s cremation, funeral arrangements, and burial plot. Your kindness and generosity is profoundly appreciated. Bette now rests in eternal peace, embraced in the loving arms of our Savior. Your presence was cherished, Bette, and you are dearly missed.

To leave online condolences or to share memories of Bette, visit www.lpfuneralhome.com.