June 2021

Thomas C. Hoxie, age 55 of Marseilles, passed away Friday, October 10, 2014 at OSF St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria.

Memorial services will be held at 6:00 p.m. Friday, October 17, 2014 at Gladfelter Funeral Home with Reverend Duane Kaufman officiating. A dinner will immediately follow at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Ottawa. Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. till 6:00 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Thomas was born October 26, 1958 in Ottawa, the son of Charles and Barbara (Hellman) Hoxie. He married Denise Gedye March 23, 1996 in Ottawa. Surviving are his wife, Denise of Marseilles; his mother, Barbara Hoxie of Ottawa; his children, Christopher (Brandy) Hoxie of Coal City and Jessica Jones of Seneca; his grandchildren, Michael and Alexis Hoxie, Emmalee Hill-Hoxie, and Braiden Jones; two brothers, Robert (Leslie) Waggoner of Elburn, IL and James Hoxie of Marseilles; sister, Lynn (Joe) Casassa of Chesapeake, VA; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father.

Thomas was a pipefitter with Local 597.

He was laid to rest at Oakwood Memorial Park in the Shrine of Rest in the Sanctuary of Seasons.

Dean Spears, 87, of Ottawa, IL, passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, April 11th. Funeral Services are at 6 pm. Thursday, April 18, at Ottawa Funeral Home, with Robert Housby officiating. Visitation will begin at 4pm, prior to the service, with burial in Oakwood Memorial Park at a later date, after cremation.

Dean was born January 5, 1932, in Kinsman, IL, to William and Loretta (Wright) Spears. He grew up in Streator, and played football for the Streator High School Bulldogs. He raised his family in Ottawa, retired from L.O.F. glass company in 1985, and made many friends over the years as a popular bartender at many local establishments, including proprietorship of ‘Deno’s’, just west of Ottawa, with his wife, Shirley,

An avid league bowler and card player, we’ll never forget his hearty “UNO!”, and enthusiastic self-congratulations after executing a successful “loner” in Euchre! Not widely known, Dean was Ottawa’s most faithful Clearing House Sweepstakes participant. He was an avid Chicago White Sox fan. He enjoyed playing the lottery and although he never hit “the big one”, he was a slugger to his family, with many home-runs to his credit.

He is survived by one sister, Pauline Mroczek of Streator, IL; two sons, Gary Spears (Josephine) of Streator and Jones Norman (Riccardo) of Campton Hills, IL; three daughters, Sheila Riley of Tovey, IL, Kristi Spears of Jefferson City, MO, Toni Ingram (Chris) of Whitsett, NC; three step-daughters, Janet Brown (Larry) of Fairbury, IL, Cherri Snell and Linda Mennie of Ottawa, IL, and two step-sons, David Mennie and Danny Mennie of Ottawa, IL; and was surrounded by loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

Dean was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Shirley, and three siblings; Lillian, Eugene, and Eileen.

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

Rita Schaibley, 87, of Dayton, IL, passed away Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at her son’s home.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am Friday, June 4, at Ottawa Funeral Home, with Pastor Bill Clark officiating. Visitation will be from 10:00 to 11:00 am at Ottawa Funeral Home. Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park.

Rita was born June 2, 1933, in Ottawa, IL, to William and Francis (Conkle) Cupples. She married Frederick Schaibley in 1953.

Rita worked as a waitress at the Hickory House and later worked at Peltier Glass Co.

She is survived by her son, Kevin (Sandra) Schaibley; her two grandchildren, Melissa and Kevin Jr.; her two great grandchildren, Isabell and Logan; her brother, Robert Cupples; and two sisters, Beverly Smith and Judy Armstrong.

Rita was preceded in death by her husband, parents, one brother and a sister.

Pallbearers will be family.

She was laid to rest in the Garden of Hymns.

Stanley Slovinski, 93, of Ottawa passed away Monday, May 31, 2021 at his home.

Private family services will be held. He will be buried at Oakwood Memorial Park. Ottawa Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.

Stanley was born December 8, 1927, in Naplate to Charles and Catherine (Lubischeck) Slovinski . He married Irene Ernst on September 1, 1950 in Ottawa; she passed away November 24, 1984.

Stanley was a member of the United States Army, serving during WWII. He retired from LOF as a welder. In his younger years, Stanley enjoyed jogging, weight lifting, and caring for his acreage. He spent his time cutting grass and moseying around his yard admiring his walnut and fruit trees.

He is survived by three children, Linda (David) Reed Jordan of Ottawa, Jerry (Bonita) Slovinski of Naperville, and Cindy Cook of Ottawa; five grandchildren, Kelsey (Derek) Kulp, Natalie Slovinski, Wesley, Brittany, and Dustin Cook; and three great-grandchildren, Lucille, Timothy, and Riley.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, three sisters, Mary, Josephine, and Alice; and six brothers, Luadig, Joseph, Victor, Lawrence, Fred, and John.

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

Debra J. Loughridge, 64, of LaSalle, formerly of Ottawa, passed away on Monday evening, November 23, 2020 at her home.

A burial will take place on a later date, at Oakwood Memorial Park. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.

Debra was born on February 14, 1956 in Ottawa to Gerald and Rose Marie (Brucki) Linn. She worked as a waitress for nearly 20 years and also worked as a home health nurse for OSF. Debra married William Loughridge on October 15, 1991 in Las Vegas. She always put her family first. Debra enjoyed the beaches in Florida and playing cards and also loved dogs. Some of the best memories of Debra included her holiday gatherings, and her cooking.

She is survived by three children, Rebecca Rose, of Ottawa, Matthew Rideout, of LaSalle, and Christie (Michael) Stridde, of Ottawa, five grandchildren, Jeramiah, Jasmine, Joslyn, Bradley, and Tyler, a brother David Linn, of Ottawa, a sister Penny Hellman, of Ottawa, and a cousin Carolyn Reynolds, who she went with to Florida for many years. Carolyn made her life happier, and they loved celebrating holidays with family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Bill, and a brother Jerry Linn.

She was laid to rest in the Garden of Prayer.

Vicki (Chevalier) Mayberry, 73, of Ottawa, passed away on Sunday, May 23, 2021 at her home, surrounded by her family.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa, with Rev. William Clark, officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, at the funeral home.

Vicki was born on September 13, 1947 in Ottawa to Robert and Helen (Hellmam) Chevalier. She was a graduate of Ottawa Township High School, class of 1965, and John and Louis Beauty School in Aurora. Vicki married Leonard Mayberry on January 16, 1987 in Ottawa. She was the owner and operator of Vicki’s Cleaning Service. Vicki was a member of the VFW Auxiliary and the American Legion Auxiliary.

She is survived by her husband, Leonard; a son, Larry “Dewey” (Trisha) Gould, Jr of Ottawa; a step-daughter, Kimberly (Jared) Webb of Blue Ridge, TX; eight grandchildren; two great granddaughters and two great grandsons; a sister-in-law, Becky Mayberry of Ottawa; and a niece Sarah Mayberry.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Pallbearers will be Caleb, Gannon, Noah, and Marcus Gould, Thomas McDonnell, Jay Aicher, and Jaxon and Jared Webb. Honorary Pallbearers will be Craig Godwin, Brian Wasilewski, Sarah Mayberry, and Shayna Franzetti.

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

Donna Fae Wright 79, slipped away from this earthly life on February 24, 2021 at her residence with her children nearby. She had been compassionately cared for at Caregivers Inn in Dardenne Prairie, MO for the past year.
Donna was born on September 18, 1941 to Sharon (Timmons) and Leroy Aden in Eustis, Nebraska. Her formative years were spent in Seneca, Illinois with her mother, adoptive father Howard Nickerson, siblings and friends. After high school Donna moved to Joliet, Illinois. She married Roger W. Wright, raised her two children, and remained a long time resident there. She was a faithful employee at Caterpillar Tractor until her retirement in 1991.
Surviving Donna are her daughter Dawn (Kurt) Haldeman of Dardenne Prairie, Missouri and her son Tony (Rachel) Wright of Mobile, Alabama; brother Doug Nickerson and sister Pam Mikulich; granddaughters River (Don) Fisher, Blisse Stanford, Breille (Clay) LaMothe and grandsons Rieve, Brenz and Thayer Stanford, Bryant (Beth), and Weston (Jessica) Haldeman. She is also mourned by numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Donna was preceded in death by her parents, twin sister DeAnn Krebs, brother Nels Nickerson and longtime companion David Steen.
Family, friends and colleagues will remember her enjoyment of dancing, bowling and of course bingo! She was a generous soul with a lovely smile who could often be found driving others to appointments and lunches. Donations in her name may be made to ITN Gateway of St.Charles an organization that provides transportation to seniors, or any charity of your choosing.
A graveside committal service will take place at Oakwood Memorial Cemetery in Ottawa, IL on May 29, 2021 at 11am. An opportunity to visit and reminisce with family will follow at the main shelter @ Buffalo Rock State Park with lunch provided. If possible, please inform the family that you will be attending.

She was laid to rest in the Garden of Devotion.

James A. Eichelkraut, 90, formerly of Ottawa, passed away Saturday, May 22, 2021 at his home in Des Moines, Iowa.

Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at the Mueller Funeral home, Ottawa. A private graveside will be in Oakwood Memorial Park, Ottawa.

James was born December 27, 1930 in Ottawa to Fred and Mathilda (Dunnum) Eichelkraut. He was a graduate of Ottawa Township High school and Illinois Valley Community College. Jim worked as a salesman for Keebler’s. He married Sylvia Hemken on June 25, 1961 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Chenoa. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, CHO Auxiliary.

He is survived by his wife, Sylvia; two children, Craig (Minnie) Eichelkraut of Huntsville, AL and Gail (Tim) Smith of Urbandale, IA; four grandchildren, Shannon O’Connor, Joel Eichelkraut, Adam Eichelkraut and Dustin Smith; 3 step-grandchildren, Kimberly Hooper, Kara Hooper and Jackie Lewis; and three great-granddaughters, Payton, Jolene and Oakley.

He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Fred Eichelkraut, Jack Rensch and Richard Eichelkraut; and two sisters, Jane Ohme and Marge Diehl.

Pallbearers will be his grandchildren.

He was laid to rest in the Garden of Devotion.

Terry C. Yost 77 of LaSalle passed away with his wife near him. on May 24 at 8:49 AM. A funeral service will be Saturday May 29 at 11 in the Burgess Funeral Home in LaSalle. Pastor Steve Adamson of the Faith Church in Peru will officiate. Burial will follow at Oakwood Memorial Park in Ottawa. Full military rites will be accorded. Visitation will be in the funeral home on Saturday from 10 until the time of services.
Terry was born in Mendota on December 7, 1943 to Ralph and Helen (Landon) Yost.
He served his country through the branch of the Army.
He married Donna Gagliardo on November 14, 1970 at St. Patrick Church in Ottawa.
He was employed by Walmart Distribution in Spring Valley for 15 years in the maintenance department.
He loved the outdoors by enjoying the sport of fishing, gardening; especially working with the rose bushes, and his koi pond. He was an avid Bear fan for many of years. Decorating for all the holidays gave him great joy. He cherished the times he spent with his family and friends. He adored his time with his grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years
2 Sons: Mike (Angie) Yost of Champaign Il. and Jeff (Summer) Yost of Denton Texas
4 Grandchildren: Kaleb, Ronin, Grace and Eva.
2 Sisters: Pam (Jose) Herrera, and Diana (Steve) Hill.
2 Brothers: Duane (Sue) Yost, and Tom Yost.
Several nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by: his parents, 2 Sisters: Mary Fischer, and Nathalie Ann in Infancy.

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