Mrs. Virginia Hartsock, 41, of Hurst, was killed Thursday afternoon in a two-car head-on collision on Rt. 149 between Murphysboro and De Soto.

      District 13 State Police headquarters at Du Quoin said Mrs. Hartsock was killed instantly. She was thrown out of her car.

      Jackson County Coroner Floyd Crawshaw said Mrs. Hartsock was thrown 23 feet from the point of impact.

      Police said Mrs. Hartsock's car collided with a car driven by Gilbert A. Meracle, 45, of Herrin. Meracle was treated at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro for minor injuries.

      Police said a passenger in Meracle's car, Glenn Lorbert, 56, Chester, was treated for major injuries.

Eastbound
      Crawshaw said Mrs. Hartsock was eastbound on the De Soto blacktop road after visiting friends and relatives in the Murphysboro area.

      Her car approached the rear of a car driven by Paul Hines, 912 S. 19th St., Murphysboro, also eastbound.

      Hines, a route delivery mand for the Southern Illinoisan newspaper, had slowed his car for a left turn off the road.

      Crawshaw said Mrs. Hartsock apparently swerved her car to the left to avoid the Hines car, and collided head-on with the westbound car driven by Meracle.

      Force of the collision ripped the motor of the Hartsock car loose from its mounting, hurling it 78 feet off the south side of the road, the coroner said.

      Crawshaw set an inquest for Aug. 5 at the Jackson County courthouse in Murphysboro.

      Mrs. Hartsock was a former Murphysboro area resident and also had lived in the East St. Louis area 13 years.

Grand Tower
      She was born April 22, 1923, in Grand Tower, the daughter of Alanzo Jasper and Edna Cleo Smith. She was married Aug. 20, 1962, to Everett Hartsock.

      Mrs. Hartsock leaves her husband; her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Alanzo Smith of Wolf Lake; sons, William Dean Butcher of East St. Louis and Dennis Fay Conroy of Hurst; step-daughters, Mrs. Susan Lee Leek of Dowell, and Miss Claudia Gene Hartsock and Miss Nancy Ann Hartsock, both of Cobden.

      Also: a step-son Dennis Dwight Hartsock of Cobden; sisters, Mrs. Dellah Mezo of East Carondolet, Mrs. Wilma Jean Glasser and Mrs. Ona Maxine Bateman, both of Murphysboro and Mrs. Linda Faye Smith of Wolf Lake; brothers, Lonnie Bernell Smith of Belleville and Mervan Ray Smith of Ware; and one granddaughter.

      Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Meyer-Denny Funeral Home in Murphysboro, with Rev. Harry R. Chasteen officiating. Burial will be in Old Du Quoin Cemetery.