LILLIE (WOODIN) SCHRINER
, 75, passed away about 7:45 this morning at her home on East Pearl St. She had been bedfast the past two months. Tenative arrangements for Thursday afternoon at Trinity Lutheran Church Rev. Walter E. Koepf will officiate and burial will be in Lanark Cemetery. Formerly Lilile Alice Woodin, she was born at Fremont IL May 14, 1864. Her husband the late Wesley Schriner passed away in 1932. She is survived by a son Wesley of Brookville and two grandsons. Mrs.Schriner was a member of the Lutheran church. (From Larry Reynolds)
DOROTHY MAE (MERCHANT) SEILER
, age 86, of Savanna, Illinois, died Friday, December 12, 2008 at Big Meadows Nursing Facility in Savanna. Funeral Services will be held 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at the First United Methodist Church in Savanna, with Reverend Larry Thomson officiating. Burial will be in the Lanark Cemetery, Lanark, Illinois. Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monday, December 15, 2008 at the First United Methodist Church in Savanna. A memorial fund has been established in Dorothy’s memory.
Dorothy was born July 27, 1922 in Elroy, Illinois the daughter of Charles Frank and Edna Erna (Miche) Merchant. She graduated from Freeport High School. Dorothy married Howard Duane Seiler on May 17, 1947 in Decorah, Iowa. Howard passed away January 3, 1978 in Clinton, Iowa. She worked for the Savanna Army Depot, Savanna Garment Factory, Clinton Engines in Maquoketa, Iowa, Sabula Speaker Factory in Sabula in Sabula, Iowa, and later worked for the Eaton Corporation as a line worker.
Dorothy was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Savanna. She enjoyed crocheting, flowers, gardening and being with her grandchildren. Most importantly she loved her church and her family.
Dorothy will be dearly missed by her son, Vernon (Nancy) Seiler of Elkhorn, Wisconsin; daughter-in-law, Selene Seiler of Byron, Illinois; two daughters, Sandra (Freddy) Goetz of Savanna, Kathy (Bob) Hull of Olney, Illinois; nine grandchildren; seventeen great-grandchildren.
Dorothy is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Howard; son, Roger; great-granddaughter, Hannah Willis; two brothers and three sisters.
Contributed by Lori Gilbert
REUBEN HARVEY SEITNER JR.
, age 86, of Mt. Carroll, IL, died April 13, 2009, at Good Samaritan Center, Mt. Carroll. A Memorial Service and Celebration of Life will be held 1:00 P.M. Saturday, April 18, 2009, at the First Baptist Church, Mt. Carroll with Reverend Jim Green and Reverend Bob Ziebarth officiating.
Reuben (Bud) was born in Morris, IL, on Dec. 21, 1922, the son of Rev. Reuben H. and Ruth (Hanson) Seitner. The family moved to Mt. Carroll in 1926 when Reuben Sr. became the pastor at First Baptist Church. Bud graduated from Mt. Carroll High School in 1940 where he was active in music, football, and basketball. He attended West Point before attending Coe College.
His education at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA, was interrupted by WWII where he served as a tank driver in Company B, 753rd Tank Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, U.S. Seventh Army. Bud was wounded twice and received two purple hearts and the bronze star for valor. He began the war as a private and finished it as a 2nd lieutenant.
After the war, Bud returned to Coe where he was active in Student Affairs and President of the Student Body. He finished his education at Coe College where he met and married Kathryn Loomis on Jan. 31, 1947. The couple moved to Mt. Carroll upon college graduation where Bud's career included being an agent for Equitable Life Insurance, teaching and working for Shimer College, and eventually owning and operating Seitner Chevrolet, Buick, and Pontiac. In addition he worked at Campbell Center, was on the Mt. Carroll Cemetery Board and the Foster Court Board of Directors.
Music was an important part of both Bud and Katie's lives. Bud directed the 7 Last Words, Messiah, choirs at First Baptist Church, Lutheran Church, and Methodist Church. He was dedicated to Katie's musical performances where he could be found back stage "holding her purse."
Bud (Papa) enjoyed music, his yard, his pipe, and his dogs--always Cocker Spaniels. He proudly supported and followed the athletic careers of his grandchildren wherever they played.
Bud was a 63 year member of the American Legion and a life long member of the First Baptist Church serving on various church boards.
Bud was preceded in death by his parents and wife Kathryn. Bud will be dearly missed by daughters, Sarah (James) Wheeler, Susie (Davis) Ostrum; four grandchildren, Stephanie (Brian) Wurster, Mary Kathryn (Joe) Hansen, Clayton Ostrum, Colton Ostrum; 3 great-grandchildren, Andy and Emily Wurster, and Reuben (Ben) Hansen; one sister, Elizabeth (Betty) Phillips of Silver Springs, Maryland; and several nieces and nephews.
Contributed by Lori Gilbert
CAROLYN ANN (BALLAS) SIEVERT
, age 85 of Mt. Carroll, Illinois died January 10, 2009 at Good Samaritan Nursing Home, Mt. Carroll. A Funeral Mass will be held 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at SS John and Catherine Catholic Church, Mt. Carroll, with Father Dennis Atto as Celebrant. Visitation will be held 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at the Frank-Law-Jones Funeral Home in Mt. Carroll.
Carolyn was born February 28, 1923 in Savanna, Illinois, the daughter of John D. and Lucy (Basile) Ballas. She attended St. John the Baptist Catholic Grade School in Savanna. Carolyn graduated from Savanna High School with the Class of 1941. She married Robert Sievert on April 25, 1942 in Savanna.
Carolyn was a homemaker and a devoted mother to her children. She and her husband, Bob, owned and operated Sieverts in Mt. Carroll from 1947 to 1988.
Carolyn was a member of SS John and Catherine Catholic Church and the Ladies Society of the Church. Most important to Carolyn was family and friends. She was an avid Notre Dame fan, enjoyed watching sports, boating, golfing, playing bridge with her friends, and watching her daytime stories.
Carolyn will be dearly missed by her family, friends, and all who knew her. She leaves her husband, Bob, of Mt. Carroll; two daughters, Lucia Sievert of Long Beach, California and Michelle Sievert of Appleton, Wisconsin; two sons, Robert "Bobby" Sievert of Mt. Carroll and Ronald "Ronnie" Sievert of Sedona, Arizona; five grandchildren, Katie (John) George of Salida, California, Kelly (Harold) Tanalepy of Sacramento, California, Larry (Christy) McNertney of Hughson, California, and Trevor and Matthew Pearce of Appleton, Wisconsin; and six great grandchilren. She is preceded in death by a dear daughter, Joan her parents, three brothers, and one sister.
Contributed by Lori Gilbert
HAZEL (SCHLEUNING) SPITTLER
, 31, of Mount Carroll died at 11 a.m. Sunday at St. Francis Hospital, Freeport, where she had been a patient. (Her date of death was April 23, 1939.) Funeral rites were conducted Wednesday afternoon at Frank Bros. funeral home in Mount Carroll. The Rev. James A. Foard, pastor of the Mt. Carroll M. E. church, officiated and burial was in Ladies Union Cemetery in Stockton.
Hazel Schleuning Spittler was born May 21, 1907 in Chadwick, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Schleuning. Surviving are her father, husband, two daughters, Alice and Ruth; four sons, Robert, Francis, Richard and John, all at home; three sisters, Mrs. Viola Mapes, Mrs. Luella Aurand, both of Stockton; and Mrs. Lolita Blish of DeKalb; and one brother, Harold of Stockton.
Contributed by Alice Horton
KENNETH CHARLES STEEN
, age 80, formerly of Mt. Carroll, Illinois, died Wednesday, July 6, 2005, at St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois. Funeral Services will be held 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 11, 2005 at the Frank-Law-Jones Funeral Home, Mt. Carroll, Illinois. Pastor John Moe of Temple Baptist Church, Rockford, Illinois will officiate.
Burial will take place at Oak Hill Cemetery in Mt. Carroll, Illinois with Military Rites by the Mt. Carroll American Legion Post. Friends may call from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Sunday, July 10, 2005 at the Frank-Law-Jones Funeral Home, Mt. Carroll. Memorials may be given to the family to be used for Juice for Jesus or the Temple Baptist Church building fund in Rockford, Illinois.
Kenneth was born November 30, 1924 the son of Charles and Mae (Cook) Steen in Des Moines, Iowa. On December 28, 1946, Kenneth married Helen Randecker in rural Mt. Carroll. He attended Mt. Carroll schools and received his G.E.D. Kenneth was in the United States Navy during World War II, he served on the USS Thurston, an attack transport ship. Kenneth took part in the invasion of Normandy during the war.
He attended Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tennessee, graduating in 1959. Kenneth dedicated his time to Rescue Mission Work all around the United States until 1975. Kenneth and Helen moved to Tallahasee, Florida where he worked for the Sherriff's Department, retiring in 1986. In 2002 they moved to Rockford, Illinois.
Kenneth enjoyed golfing, and had a great love for dogs. He was a member of Temple Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois and the International Union of Gospell Missions in Kansas City, Kansas. He was a member of the Rockford American Legion Post #1207.
Kenneth is survived by his wife, Helen; four sons, Alan Steen of Columbus, Ohio Steven Steen of Columbus, Ohio, Paul (Rita) Steen of Rockford, Illinois, and John (Tina) Steen of Sunbury, Ohio; two daughters, Janelle (Roger) Haas of Elizabeth, Illinois and Barbara (Bill) Mulford of Bolingbrook; twenty-two grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren.
Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Charles Steen, a daughter in-law, Anne Steen; one brother, Harold Steen and a sister in infancy, Lillian Steen, and a step-father, Mark Nicklas.
IDA OLIVA (TAYLOR) STEPHENSON
- Former York Resident Dies In California At Age Of 102
Mrs. Ernest Whitney received a message this week telling of the death Dec. 25 of her aunt, Mrs. Ida Stephenson of El Cajon, Calif. Mrs. Stephenson, who had observed her 102nd birthday last May, died at midnight Christmas day in an El Cajon hospital where she had been a patient for two days, during which time she had been in a coma.
Funeral services were held in Alpine, Calif., with burial in the Alpine cemetery beside her husband and a son.
Ida Oliva Taylor was born May 19, 1852, in Kane county, Illinois, near the present town of Palatine, daughter of Alonzo and Diane Barber Taylor.
The following fall the family moved to York township in Carroll county where they lived for a time at the settlement known as Bluffville, located at the point of the bluffs northeast of Thomson. Mr. Taylor was employed on the N. D. French farm.
The family later purchased a farm three miles north of Thomson and here the parents spent the rest of their lives.
Ida received her education in he country schools and later attended the old Fulton College. After this she taught school in Whiteside and Carroll counties until about 1886 when she went to North Dakota and took up a claim in that newly-opened territory. Here she also taught school for a time.
On Dec. 30, 1888, she was married to William S. Stephenson, a former resident of Thomson and of Chadwick. (Mr. Stephenson was a nephew of Dr. Snow, one of the early residents of the Chadwick community.)
In 1892 Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson disposed of their property in North Dakota and went to Alpine Calif., where they farmed for many years. Mr. Stephenson died in 1941, and soon after that his widow sold the farm and purchased a home in El Cajon where she has since been cared for by her daughter, Mrs. Lena Williams.
Until a few years ago when she fell from her chair and suffered a broken hip, she had been quite active. She retained her memory to a remarkable degree and having gained her "second sight" was able to read without glasses, but was unable to walk.
She united with the York Baptist church in her youth, and after going to California became a charter member of the Alpine church.
Surviving are her daughter; a son, George Stephenson of Coronado, Calif.; a grandson, Roy Stephenson; a great grandson, and several nieces and nephews.
A son, Hugh, died years ago while a student at the University of California, and a grandson, Frank Williams, was killed in World War II when his plane was shot down in Belgium
Contributed by Pat Juon - Thomson Review 13 January 1955