Obituaries

James F. Bendel

Published by admin on Tue, 01/28/2020 - 12:55pm

WILMINGTON—James F. Bendel, 72, of Wilmington, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, at the Manteno Veterans Home.

Walter W. Homan

Published by admin on Tue, 01/28/2020 - 11:08am

WILMINGTON—Walter W. Homan, 81, of Wilmington, formerly of Perry, GA, passed away Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 at the Joliet Area Community Hospice Home.
Born June 2, 1938 in Kalamazoo, MI, Walter was a son of Roy Edward and Mary Luella (nee Bunting) Homan. He was raised and educated in Vicksburg, MI, graduated from high school, and enlisted into the United States Navy where he would serve honorably for 22 years as a corpsman until military retirement. Following his military service, Walter began a career as an independent contractor in Georgia until he retired.

Jane Balentine

Published by admin on Mon, 01/27/2020 - 12:56pm

ALABAMA—Jane Thomas Balentine, 56, of Florence, AL, formerly of Wilmington, passed away from lung cancer on Jan. 20, 2020 at her home.
Born Feb. 19, 1963 in Joliet, Jane was one of nine children born to Dewey and Elsie Thomas. She was raised and attended school in Wilmington. Anyone who knew Jane knew her as a kind, gentle, hard working person known for her love of animals.

William E. Eller

Published by admin on Thu, 01/23/2020 - 8:43am

BRAIDWOOD— William E. Eller, 74, of Braidwood, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020 at his home.
Born Sept. 27, 1945 in Belleville, IL to the late Charles and Wanda Eller. Bill was a loving and dedicated husband, father and grandfather who was extremely proud of his grandchildren.

Peggy Newell

Published by admin on Tue, 01/21/2020 - 10:13am

PARIS, IL—Peggy Lee Newell, 72, of Paris, IL, formerly of Morris, passed away Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, at her residence.
She was born June 15, 1947, in Tamaha, OK, the daughter of Abby and Lenora (Reynolds) Bryant. Peggy enjoyed crocheting and shopping and loved spending time with her family.

Herman V. Schaefer Jr.

Published by admin on Tue, 01/21/2020 - 10:09am

GRUNDY COUNTY—Herman V. Schaefer Jr., a lifelong resident of Grundy County, passed away peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020.

Barbara Taylor

Published by admin on Mon, 01/20/2020 - 3:09pm

MAZON—Barbara Sue (Harris) Taylor, 86, of Mazon, passed away Saturday, Jan. 19, 2020 at Heritage Health in Dwight.
Barbara was born Jan. 6, 1934 in Galatia, IL to Brooks and Callie (Upchurch) Harris. She was raised and educated in Galatia and at the age of 19 she and her friends headed north and gained employment at the Manteno State Hospital, where she met the love of her life, Lester E. Taylor, who she married May 29, 1954.

Joyce Byland

Published by admin on Mon, 01/20/2020 - 11:06am

MINOOKA—Joyce Byland, 83, of Minooka, passed away Friday, Jan. 17, 2020 at Heritage Health Therapy and Senior Care in Dwight.

Christine L. Zombeck (nee Kruk)

Published by admin on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 10:29am

BRAIDWOOD— Christine L. Zombeck (nee Kruk), 68, of Braidwood, IL passed away Wednesday, Jan.15, 2020 at Morris Hospital.
Born Sept. 10, 1951 in Blue Island, IL to the late William and Garnet (nee Stroup) Kruk.
Christine retired from Precision Components in 2016 after twenty-three years of employment. She enjoyed reading, cooking, and most of all enjoyed baking with her grandchildren. She was known for her selfless kind spirit. She greatly enjoyed taking care of people and animals, especially her cats.

Shirley A. (Karl) Thiers

Published by admin on Thu, 01/16/2020 - 8:51am

COAL CITY— Age 78 of Coal City passed away at her home on Jan. 14, 2020, surrounded by her loving family.
Born July 15, 1941 in Peru, IL, Shirley Ann was the only child of Joseph and Estelle (Glogowski) Karl. She was raised in the Catholic Faith and schools in Peru.
Shirley was a stay at home mom and later worked a few various jobs, including at Rockwell International in Downers Grove, Illinois. She was a member of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church and loved her faith.