March 2019

William R. Nagy, age 67, of Ottawa, passed away Sunday, March 24, 2019 at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center surrounded by his loving family.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 28, 2019 at Gladfelter-Roetker Funeral Home with Pastor John Todd officiating.  Interment will follow in Oakwood Memorial Park with military honors accorded by the American Legion Veterans Group Post 33 Honor Guard.  Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at the funeral home.  Pallbearers will be Shawn Nagy, Brian Lewis, Jason Kolb, Ken Todd, Jonathan Hinds, Jacob Thulin, Robert Ross, and Will Nagy.  Honorary Pallbearers will be his grandchildren Jordyn, Brittney, Morgan, Mason, Kristin, Mikal, Tylor, Steffanie, Donavan, Leah, Benjamin, Julia, AJ, Colton, Payten, Xavier, and Brandi.

Bill was born March 20, 1952 in Aurora, Illinois, a son of Alexander and Anna Marie (Vermland) Nagy.  He married Valerie (Mason) Nagy on September 24, 2005 at the First Baptist Church.  He is survived by his wife, Valerie; daughter, Trisha Thulin, of Sandwich, IL; daughter, Angie (Brian) Lewis, of Plano, IL; son, Will Nagy, of Plano, IL; daughter, Jessica (Jason) Kolb, of Downers Grove, IL; daughter, Katie (Jonathan) Hinds, of Sandwich, IL; daughter, Danielle Matney, of LaSalle, IL; siblings, Corrie, Carol, Alex, Marge, Georgiana, Mike, Diane, Dina, Lisa, Danny, and Tommy; 19 grandchildren; and 5 great-grandchilden.  He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Steve.

Bill proudly served his country in the Army during the Vietnam War.  He was a member of the Teamsters and drove for Ruan Transportation.  In his spare time he enjoyed woodworking, going to the casinos, and was an avid clock collector.  He loved classic cars and listening to music, especially old-time rock.  Bill was loved by his family and will be missed by all.

Memorial contributions may be directed to Valerie Nagy.

Anne Serby, 87, of Ottawa died Wednesday, evening, March 20, at Pleasant View in Ottawa, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.  Funeral Services will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 25 in the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa with the Rev. Carolyn Lukasik, pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church, officiating.  Burial will follow at Oakwood Memorial Park in Ottawa.  Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Anne was born on June 11, 1931, in Ottawa to Ralph and Louise (Claus) Rutledge.  She married Russell E. Serby on February 7, 1958 at the Evangelical United Methodist Church in Ottawa.  Anne was a graduate of Ottawa Township High School and the Ryburn King Hospital Nursing School.  She was employed as an R.N. at the Ottawa Medical Center until her retirement in 1996.  She was a member of Epworth United Methodist church.

She is survived by one daughter, Lynnette (Robert) Rice of Ottawa, one son, William (Shelley) Serby, of Ottawa, five grandchildren: Jeremy, Josh, and Justin Rice, and Brenna and Jacob Serby, and two great-grandchildren, twins Joclyn and Jaclyn Rice. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Russell on Nov. 15, 2017, and her brother, R. William Rutledge.

Memorials may be directed to P.A.D.S. or Pet Project. Pallbearers will be: Jeremy, Josh, and Justin Rice, and Jacob Serby.

Anne has been laid to rest in the Garden of Inspiration.

Ruth Alice Martin, 98, formerly of Ottawa, IL, passed away on March 14, at Brookdale Senior Living in La Crosse, WI.The funeral service will be at 11:00 am on Saturday, March 23, in the Open Table/First Congregational United Church of Christ at 910 Columbus Street with the Rev. Chuck Maney officiating.  Burial will follow in Oakwood Memorial Park.  Visitation will be in the Mueller Funeral Home, Ottawa, Illinois from 4 to 7 pm on Friday, March 22 and at the church on Saturday from 10:00 am until the time of the service. 

Ruth Alice Finch was born on November 20, 1920 to Jeff and Sudie (Jones) Finch in San Saba, Texas and later moved to the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas where she graduated from Donna High School.  She was then employed at the Harlingen Air Force Base and met the love of her life, Otto W. Martin.  They were married on September 1, 1945 in Donna.  After his discharge from the Army, Ruth and Otto moved to South Ottawa and farmed on the Martin family farm until purchasing Clegg-Perkins Electrical Contractors, where Ruth served as the Office Manager.She was an active, 70-year member of the First Congregational Church in Ottawa and served as the moderator, a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and a member of the choir and Puritan chapter women’s group.  Ruth was a member of Junior Matrons, the Woman’s Club, PTA, La Salle County Historical Society, Elks Ladies Bridge, La Salle County Women’s Extension Group, and a Camp Fire Girls leader.  She was also an avid gardener, loved nature and enjoyed crafts.  Nothing was more important to Ruth than her family. 

She is survived by her daughter, Pam (John) Thiel of La Crosse, Wisconsin; a daughter-in-law, Peggy (Mike) Martin Badger of Mt. Horeb, WI;  two granddaughters, Betsy (Karl) Bitter of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin and Laurel (Mike) Bowar of Verona, Wisconsin; and a great granddaughter, Aniston Bowar of Verona; many nieces, nephews, and cousins;  and countless treasured friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers, Arvil, Jack, Pete, and George Finch; two sisters, Eunice Walton and Dora Cox; her beloved husband on January 28, 1981; and her dear son, Marty Finch Martin, on March 30, 1999.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the ALS Association at www.alsa.org or P.O. Box 37022, Boone, IA 50037-0022; or the Shriners Hospitals for Children at www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org or 2900 N. Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607.

Ruth has been laid to rest in the Garden of Devotion.

Wayne Richard Bentz, age 67, of Tinley Park, Illinois, passed away Sunday, March 10, 2019.

Memorial services will be held Noon Saturday, April 6, 2019 at Gladfelter-Roetker Funeral Home with Pastor Kevin Donoho and Pastor Dwight Lehmann officiating.  Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. till time of services.  Inurnment was private at Oakwood Memorial Park.

Wayne was born April 28, 1951 in Oak Park, Illinois, a son of Wilbur Henry and Grace (Moorehead) Bentz.  He is survived by a brother, Terry (Christy) Bentz, Sr. of Marseilles; a sister, Charlene (Joe) Pluth of Florence, Arizona.  He also leaves nieces and nephews, Joe and Amy Pluth, Michael and Kate Pluth, Elizabeth Pluth, John and Tina Rowe, Paul and Trista Harsted, Terry, Jr. and Molly Bentz; and many great-nieces, nephews and cousins.  His parents preceded him in death.

Wayne was a self-employed hardwood flooring contractor.  He was quite handy at carpentry and woodworking and was not afraid to take on any project.  He also enjoyed working on cars and cooking.

Memorial contributions may be directed to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Wayne has been laid to rest in the Garden of Prayer.

Steven D. Wallace, 71, of Fairfield Glade, TN, formerly of Ottawa passed away Monday, March 11, 2019 at Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, TN.

Funeral Services will be at 11 am, Monday, March 18 at Osborne-Nelson Funeral Home in Seneca, with Rev. Duane Kaufman officiating. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 am, prior to services, Monday, at the funeral home. Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park.

Steven was born September 4, 1947 in Decatur, IL, to Harold and Virginia (Crim) Wallace. He married Marilyn Houchin on September 1, 1972 at Pleasant View Luther Home in Ottawa.

Steve grew up in Bement, Illinois and graduated from DeVry University in Chicago. He enjoyed taking week-long bicycle trips around the Midwest, kayaking, and feeding his lake fish. He also liked model rail roads. Steve’s greatest joy was farming and working with his grandfather doing carpentry.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Marilyn; his son, Neal (Janelle) Wallace of Altoona, IA; three grandsons, Brett, Kyle, and Zach; his sister, Julie (Carl) Clausing of Englewood, OH; his brother, Darrell, of Los Angeles, CA; numerous nieces and nephews, and his dear friends, Charlene Hoadley and Kay Bixler.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his parents-in-law, Earl and Gladys Houchin; his brother and sister in-law, Keith and Bev Houchin, and bother in-law Gerald Houchin, and two grandsons in infancy.

Pallbearers will be Brett, Kyle and Zach Wallace, and Keith, Kirk, and Kris Houchin.

Memorials may be directed to A Time 4 Paws, a no-kill animal welfare organization. Donations may be sent to PO Box 2982, Crossville, TN, 38557; or on their website, atime4paws.org.

Steve has been laid to rest in the Garden of Inspiration.

Beverly C. Stayton, 85, of Marseilles, passed away Monday, March 11, 2019.

Visitation will be from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 14^th at Seals-Campbell Funeral Home in Marseilles.  Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home with Rev. John Patterson of Parkview Baptist Church officiating.  Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park in Ottawa.

Beverly was born on July 29, 1933 in Marseilles to Otto and Grace (Beard) Cave. In 1954, she married Alba “Hack” Stayton of Ottawa, who preceded her in death in 2009.

She was a member of Parkview Baptist Church. She was a loving, devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, whose family was her life.

Beverly is survived by four daughters, Debbie (Mark) Hanson of Bradenton, FL, Donna (Tom) Wallock of Peru, IL, Peggy (Art) Kehoe of Marseilles, and Cheri Dixon of Venice, FL; one son, Ronald (Rhonda) Stayton of Seymour, TN; nine grandchildren; 33 great-grandchildren; and four sisters, Shelley, Audrey, Ina, and Jean.

She was preceded in death by her husband; one son, Alba Eugene; one grandson, Eddie Callahan; two sisters, Neva and Darlene; and one brother, Bob.

Her grandchildren will be pallbearers.

Beverly has been laid to rest in the Garden of Prayer.

Rose C. Plique, 87, of Marseilles, passed away Saturday, March 2, 2019 at LaSalle County Nursing Home.

Visitation will be from 10-11 a.m. Tuesday, March 5^th at Seals-Campbell Funeral Home in Marseilles.  Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home with Rev. Duane Kaufman officiating.  Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park in Ottawa.

Rosie was born on November 12, 1931 in Marseilles to Ira E. and Ida (Bannon) Swartz. In 1951, she married Leon Plique of Marseilles, who preceded her in death in 1990.

She was a member of the Marseilles Methodist Church. Rose and her husband farmed north of Marseilles for many years. She enjoyed playing bingo, loved listening to country western music and always wanted to know what was going on in the lives of those around her.

Rosie is survived by many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband; four brothers, Charles, William, Francis and Ira; one sister, Marie Beyer; and a one sister in infancy.

Memorials may be directed to the LaSalle County Nursing Home.

Rose has been laid to rest in the Garden of Hymns.

Bert O. Leach, 94, of Ottawa, died on Monday morning, February 25, 2019, at his home. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at the Shrine of Rest Mausoleum at Oakwood Memorial Park, with Rev. Paul Robinson, Pastor of Harvest Baptist Church, officiating. Interment will follow with a Flag Folding Ceremony conducted by American Legion Post 33 Veteran’s Group Honor Guard. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service, in the Mausoleum. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.

Bert was born on August 18, 1924 in Bloomington, IL to George and Ethel (Popejoy) Leach. He served in the US Navy Veteran of WWII. Bert married Mary Noland on December 13, 1947 in Gibson City, IL. He retired from Caterpillar in Aurora in 1986, after working there for 21 years. Bert was a member of Harvest Baptist Church, UAW Local 145, and the American Legion Post 33. 

He is survived by a son, Richard “Bud” Leach, of Ottawa, 4 daughters, Beverly Callahan, of Ransom, Kathy (Mike) Gerding, of Ottawa, Janet (Richard) Acuff, of Ottawa, and Rebecca (Terry) Harvey, of Ottawa, 14 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, and a sister, Ethel Marlene Studebaker, of Bloomington. 

He was preceded in death by his wife, on December 27, 2012, a son Roger Leach, a grandson, Casey Leach, 2 brothers, Merle and Daral Leach, 3 sisters, Greta Leach, Virginia Arteman, and Mary Lou Tallon, and a son-in-law, Rudd Callahan. Pallbearers will be his grandsons and great grandsons. 

Memorials may be directed to the Building Fund at Harvest Baptist Church.

Bert has been laid to rest in the Shrine of Rest Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Devotion.