March 2020

Beryl Tullis, 87, of Ottawa passed away on March 20, 2020 at the Ottawa Pavilion.

Private family services will take place at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa. Burial will be at Oakwood Memorial Park. A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date.

Beryl was born on September 5, 1932 in Plymouth County, Iowa to Willis John and Ora Fern (Woodley) Tullis. He married Madeline M. Corliss on June 2, 1962 in Chicago. Beryl was a civil engineer and worked of the Illinois Department of Transportation. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Ottawa, the Rod and Gun club, and a Monday night Golf Club at Senica’s Oak Ridge. Beryl wintered at High Chaparral in Casa Grande Arizona, and loved his time spent there, especially listening to the bands and riding his four-wheeler.

He is survived by 3 children, Linda (Mike) Pubentz, of Ottawa, Cheryl Ann Damron, of LaSalle, and Steven Beryl (Georgia) Tullis, of LaSalle, 5 grandchildren, Ryan Michael, Katherine Marie and Jenna Christine Pubentz, Jacob Ryan Damron, and Jessica Lynn Peterson, and 3 sisters Norma Philips of Merrill, IA, Verda Frahm, of Mapleton, IA, and VerJean (Ben) Luense, of Springfield, MN.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Madeline on August 7, 2006, and a brother Lowell Tullis.

He was laid to rest in the Garden of the Last Supper.

Judith M. Swiggett, 81, of Morris passed away Friday, March 20, 2020 at Park Pointe in Morris.

Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park. Ottawa Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.

Judy was born September 25, 1938, in Ottawa to Orville and Hazel (Norris) Decker. She married Lenard Guy Swiggett on July 28, 1957 in Morris. Judy was a beautician and owned Hairline Harmony in Morris for several years.

She is survived by her daughter, Deborah (Mick) Ross of New Ulm Minnesota; two sons, Jeff (Claudette) Swiggett of Morris and Kevin (Joanne) Swiggett of Houston, TX; five grandchildren, Melanie (Chris) Zierman, Daniel (Kelsey) Swiggett, Samantha (Colin) Goerdt, Leeann Swiggett, and Johnathan Swiggett; seven great-grandchildren; her brother, Donley Decker of Ottawa; and her sister, Sharon Swiggett of Lockport.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:9‬.

She was laid to rest in the Garden of Prayer.

Wallace “Bud” Hougas, 90, of Ottawa, passed away Wednesday March 18, 2020.

Private family services will be held. He will be entombed at Oakwood Memorial Park’s Shrine of Rest Mausoleum. Ottawa Funeral Home & Crematory has been entrusted with arrangements.

Bud was born February 7, 1930 to Wallace and Catherine (Gretencord) Hougas. He married Lee A. Datti on September 3, 1976.

He was a WWII Army Veteran. He was retired from Libby Owens Ford in Naplate.

He is survived by his wife, Lee; his daughters, Cheryl L. (Jim) O’Brien, and Cathy R. Hetelle; grandchildren, great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and his beloved Golden Retriever, Rusty.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, David W. Hougas; and a great-granddaughter.

He was laid to rest in the Sanctuary of Memory.

Judy Allen, 82, of Ottawa, IL, passed away Friday, March 20, 2020 at her home.

Private family services will be held. Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park. Ottawa Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.

Judy was born September 21, 1937, in Ottawa to Maynard and Marie (Kozuch) Seward. She married Gary Allen on May 25, 1957 at St. Patrick’s Church in Ottawa; he passed away October 10, 2003. She graduated from Covel Creek District 141 , a one-room country school, and Ottawa High School. She had been employed by Montgomery Ward, McDonald’s Merchandising Co., and K-Mart. She had been a Cub Scout den mother, a picture lady at Shabbona School, and was on the Advisory Board at Bridge Senior Center. She was part owner of Allen Racing Enterprises.

She is survived by two sons, Jay (Pamela) Allen of Utica, Marty (Joyce Hughes) Allen of Ottawa; granddaughter, Megan Allen of California; brother and sister-in-law, Thomas Paquette of Ottawa, and Gloria Pryde of LaSalle. Judy was preceded in death by her husband, Gary; her brother, Thomas, in 1951; and her parents.

She was laid to rest in the Garden of Psalms.

Darlene Vargo, 79, of Ottawa, IL, passed away Saturday March 14, 2020 at Ottawa Pavilion.

Private Funeral services will be on Wednesday, with Rev. David Kipfer officiating. Arrangements by the Ottawa Funeral Home . Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park.

Darlene was born January 9, 1941, in Ottawa, IL, to Orville L. and Lillyan E. (Hoffman) Grooms . She married Richard Vargo on January 3, 1956 in Iowa. He died in 1998.

She was a member of St. Columba Church, Women of the Moose, Catholic Daughters of America, Altar & Rosary Society, American Legion Auxiliary, volunteer as Mrs. Santa, for Halloween/recycling .

She is survived by her two Daughters, Sue (Craig) Manning, Sharon (John) Simpson, her Son Richard (Julie)Vargo; ten grandchildren Kevin, Sarah, Brandy, Courtney, Emily, Jennifer, Eric, Megan, Nicholas, Allison; and great grandchildren; one sisters, Florence Robinson.

Darlene was preceded in death by her husband, and parents, sisters Betty Thrush, Margery Norton, Alice Cavaletto, Ethel Nixon and her brother Sonny Grooms.

Pallbearers will be Kevin Brandy, and Sharon Simpson, Craig Teske, John Wheat, and Eric Manning.

She was laid to rest in the Garden of Prayer.

Dickson Ross “Dick” Shipman, 84, of Ottawa, entered fully into the presence of his loving Lord and Savior Sunday evening, March 8, 2020 at his home, surrounded by his loving family. During his last days, up to the moment of his passing, his loved ones comforted him with sharing memories, prayer, and praise songs.

A Celebration of Life will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 16, 2020 at Crossbridge Community Church of the Nazarene, with Rev. Sherry Stevenson, and Rev. Colen Willis, officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Memorial Park. Visitation will be at the church, one hour prior to the service. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.

Born on July 30, 1935 in Maryville, MO, Dick was the son of Leslie H. and Katherine (Williams) Shipman. He married Carolyn Stohl on February 7, 1954 at Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church in Ottawa. He is survived by Carolyn, the love of his life; daughters Leslie (Tom) Ziel, of rural Marseilles, Carla (Colen) Willis, of Colorado Springs, CO, and son Dirk (Linda) Shipman, of Normal, IL; grandchildren Wahku Ziel, Amery Ziel, Kinsey (Chad) Link, Trevin (Julie) Ziel, Chapin (Ashley) Ziel, Stener (Stephanie) Ziel, Luke (Kristall) Willis, Caroline (Peter) Clark, and Tyler (Kristina) Willis; great grandchildren Cerise Ziel, Deklan, Kemimayla and Nahela Ragan, Teagan and Ryker Cole, Hudson, Hendrix, and Harley Link, Reid, Graham, and Olive Ziel, Bjorn Ziel, Tyten and Aylith Ziel, Colter and Carianna Willis, Brayden, Emma, Noah, and Allie Clark. He is also survived by Gary and Mary Jo Stohl, brother-in-law and sister-in-law and their children.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a grandson Soren Pelkey Ziel and great grandson Nicholas Lane Ragan.

Dick attended Washington School on Ottawa’s east side and graduated from Ottawa Township High School, where he was an outstanding athlete, excelling in football and track. He attended Culver Military Academy, (where he was known as “midshipman Shipman”) and Butler University. He was a founding member of Faith Lutheran Church and later, a member of Crossbridge Community Church of the Nazarene.

He loved the outdoors and especially enjoyed walking in the woods with his family. He also enjoyed fishing, family vacations at dude ranches, and golf. His hobbies included reading, sudoku, and crossword puzzles. Dick was passionate to maintain his health and fitness and could be seen daily on his many mile walks throughout Ottawa.

He loved spending time with Carolyn at Casa La Mesa in San Diego and with family at Sleeping Pine Cabin on Round Lake near Ponsford, MN, and with family in Colorado Springs.

Dick built his father’s shoe business, Leslie’s Shoes, from two stores to a corporation that grew into many locations throughout the Midwest and California. He also owned Dickson Clothing Store in Ottawa.

Dick loved to talk to others about faith in Christ and he had a heart for those in need.

He was laid to rest in the Garden of the Ten Commandments.

Duncan Edward MacKay, 89, of Ottawa, passed away on Tuesday morning, March 10, 2020 at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa.

Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, 2020 at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa, with Rev. Dave Zehrung, Pastor of Grace Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Memorial Park. Visitation will be 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, at the funeral home.

Duncan was born on August 24, 1930 in Hopkinton, MA, to Elmer and Alice (Kimball) MacKay. He was a US Army Veteran, serving in Germany from 1948 to 1952. He made signs and visual aids for military training, and served with the division boxing team. Duncan married Barbara McFarland on August 9, 1953 at Prairie Flower Bible Church in Webb City, MO. He attended Grace Baptist Church.

He loved his family dearly and immensely enjoyed his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He retired from Libbey-Owens Ford in 1992 and was self employed as a sign maker. He enjoyed drawing and taught classes on woodburning as well as illustrating for books and various other publications.

Duncan is survived by his wife, Barbara, two children, Mark (Jan) MacKay, of Utica, and Rhonda (Rick) Moore, of Ottawa, 9 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a son, Max MacKay, and 10 siblings.

Pallbearers will be: Ryan MacKay, Casey MacKay, Mark Moore, Dale MacKay, Jerry MacKay, Brent Moore, Jeff Moore, and Trent MacKay.

He was laid to rest in the Garden of the Last Supper.

Gordon B. Lowery, 90, Watuaga, TX, passed away peacefully in his home February 27, 2020. He was born November 16, 1929 in Ottawa, Illinois to Richard and Blanche Lowery.

He is survived by his sister Beverly Fisher, wife, Dorothy Monroe Lowery, children Natali (Scott) Ehrhart, Jean (Bret) Phillips, Dyann (Matthew) Lundberg, grandchildren Jennifer (Dave) Heubel, Tasha Bumgarner, Brittany (Stephan) Schaeper, Luke Phillips, Letah Lundberg, Colton Phillips, and Miles Lundberg, great grandchildren Tyler Houser, Emma Lee Houser, Noah Heubel, and Lilabeth Skodachek and nephews Timothy (Bertha) Fisher, Matthew and Andrew Lindenbaum and nieces Mary Lindenbaum and Cheryl Fisher and their families.

He was preceded in death by his brother-in-law Harry Fisher, granddaughter Bethany Gosnell, and nephew Robert Fisher.

Gordon and Dorothy met in 1950 and married on October 18, 1952. Gordon bravely served his country in the Korean War as a medic in the Army 3rd Infantry Division. Following his service in the Army, Gordon operated his own businesses in auto body repair and outdoor sport vehicle sales for many years. He was a multi-talented musician and played the drums and violin in a band when he was young. He enjoyed the outdoors and spent a lot of time with his family boating and snowmobiling. He later worked in auto sales until his retirement at age 78.

Following his retirement he and Dorothy moved to the Fort Worth, TX area to be near family. Gordon was a loving, giving, and caring husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather that lived a very long and full life. He was generally a quiet, selfless man that was adored by many. He had a dry sense of humor that would often catch friends and loved ones off guard. He was committed to his strong Lutheran faith and loved spending time with family and friends. He enjoyed participating in reunion groups with other veterans. He was an active member of the Outpost Harry Survivors Association, 3rd Infantry Division, Audie Murphy Outpost #35 and the Korean War Veterans Association, Chapter 215 of Texas.

He was a very strong and hardworking man who fought through numerous health issues late in his life. He insisted on getting his driver’s license renewed at age 90 while recovering from a broken hip. He strolled into the DMV with a walker and an oxygen tank sporting his beloved Korean War veteran baseball cap and strolled out with a valid license and a smile on his face.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Gordon’s name to the Korean War Veterans Association, Chapter 215, General Walton H. Walker, Texas.
Visitation: Friday, March 6, 2020, 4-7pm Burkhart-Eighner Funeral Home, Sandwich, IL
Funeral: Saturday, March 7, 2020, 10am Salem Lutheran Church, Sandwich, IL, with Rev. Wayne Derber officiating. Internment following funeral at Oakwood Memorial Park, Ottawa, IL.

He was laid to rest in the Garden of the Ten Commandments.

James (Jim) Stone, 59, of Ottawa, IL, passed away on February 24, 2020 at his home.

Memorial Mass will be at 10:00am on Monday, March 2nd at St. Patrick’s Church with Father Caster officiating. Visitation will be 2-4 pm on Sunday, March 1st at Ottawa Funeral Home.
Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park .

Jim was born September 24, 1960, in Ottawa, IL, to Allen and JoAnn (Backos) Stone.

Jim worked for years as a machinist at Meaden Precision Parts in Burr Ridge. He then worked for the City of Ottawa in the Street Department, until his retirement. Jim loved going for bike rides on his Harley and was a huge Green Bay Packer fan. Jim was a devoted father and loving grandfather…his family meant the world to him.

He is survived by his father Allen Stone; daughter, Kristie (Marco) Leal, grandchildren Abbett, Henleigh, and Rooney Leal, sister Beth (Dean) Haseman of Wisconsin, brother John (Janet) Stone of Ottawa, and several nieces and nephews.

James was preceded in death by his mother JoAnn and brother Thomas.

He was laid to rest in the Garden of Inspiration.

Dale Tomberlin, 74, of Seneca, IL, passed away on February 22, 2020 at Morris Hospital in Morris, IL

Funeral Services will be on 3:00 pm Friday February 28, 2020 at the chapel in the Oakwood Memorial Park, with Rev. Duane Kaufmann officiating. Visitation at the chapel will be one hours before the services. Entombment will be at the Shrine of Rest Mausoleum in Oakwood Memorial Park. Osborne-Nelson Funeral Home in Seneca was entrusted with Dale’s arrangements.

Dale was born May 3, 1945, in Charleston, IL to Fred and Mary (Moffett) Tomberlin. He married L. Marie Vernoy on May 15, 1965 in Seneca, IL

He is survived by his 3 Children; one son, Frank (Marcy) Tomberlin of Marseilles, IL. two daughters, Wanda (Ed) Williams of Colorado Springs, CO and Jaimie Blackburn of Seneca, IL.

Four Grandchildren; Sean (Britini) Tomberlin, Bartlesville, OK, Christina Hanson, Germany; Tanya and Angela Williams, both of Colorado Springs, CO. Four Great Grandchildren: Cooper, Rimington, Grayson & Brayden Tomberlin

He was proceded in death by His parents, his wife, their fur-baby Sugar Rose, An older sister Loretta and husband Wayne Gallup, his younger sister Peggy Tomberlin, and his son-in-law Albert Blackburn.

He was laid to rest in the Sanctuary of Devotion.