William "Bill" E. Bergren
(April 6, 1921 - September 16, 2012)
U.S. Veteran
KEWANEE - William “Bill” E. Bergren, 91, of Kewanee, passed away at 11:20 PM, Sunday, September 16, 2012 in the emergency room at Hammond-Henry Hospital in Geneseo.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM, Friday, September 21 at Rux Funeral Home in Kewanee.
Deacon Martin VanMeltebeck will officiate.
There will be no visitation.
Burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, where military rites will be accorded by the Kewanee Veterans Council.
Memorials may be directed to the Hillcrest Home in Geneseo.
Bill was born April 6, 1921, in Kewanee, the son of Roy and Rose Bergren.
He married Betty Jean King on August 9, 1941 in Kewanee.
Survivors include his son, James (Mary) Bergren of Kewanee, and grandsons, Scott (Rochelle) Bergren of Aiken, SC, and Jeff Bergren of Schaumburg, IL; brothers, Tom (Donna) Bergren of Kewanee, and Roy (Donna) Bergren of Florida; sisters, Doris Dybdal of Kewanee, Bea Hintz of Florida, Rose (Joe) Smith of Florida, and Eileen Heltemes of Washington.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty, daughter, Connie Jean, and sister, Fran Ostrowski.
Bill served in the Navy during WWII.
Following his retirement from Illinois Power Company, he and Betty, with daughter, Connie, spent many winters in Mission, TX, where they enjoyed the activities offered in their trailer park.
They also spent many weekends camping at Johnsons Sauk Trail Park in Kewanee.
Virgil E. Hockgraver DVM
(August 24, 1937 - January 27, 2015)
U.S. Veteran
WILLIAMSFIELD- Virgil E. Hockgraver DVM, 77, of Williamsfield, died at 10:15 AM, Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at OSF St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria.
A Celebration of Life Open House will be held from 1:00-4:00 PM, Saturday, January 31st at the Williamsfield American Legion.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to the Wounded Warrior Project, the Guardian Angels (Galesburg Chapter), or the Galesburg Rescue Mission.
Rux Funeral Home in Williamsfield, is in charge of arrangements.
He was born August 24, 1937 in Adams County, IL the son of Ray and Eunice (Harris) Hockgraver, who both preceded him in death.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Nancy Ruth Peacock, his three daughters, Valerie (Tom) Hockgraver of Great Mills, MD, Cinda (Patrick) Garst of Peoria, and Melissa (Eric) Withrow of Tyndall AFB, FL, several siblings including Joyce (Ray) Constable of Colorado, and Donald (Phyllis) Hanawalt of Canton, six grandchildren, Scotty (Amy) Garst, Samantha (Jason) Ayers, Kristen Garst, Ulrich and Leif Withrow, and Gabriel Oakley, and three great-grandchildren, Aiden and Aaron Mohr and Gehrig Ayers.
“Doc” Hockgraver graduated from Quincy High School in 1954 and enrolled in Quincy University, Kansas State University, and Drake University, before attending the University of Illinois, where he earned his B.S. in Liberal Arts and Sciences in June 1960 and his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1964.
He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army’s Veterinary Corps.
For 47 years, he passionately healed and helped animals while owning and operating the Williamsfield Veterinary Clinic.
He held memberships in the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Society of Phi Zeta, the American Legion, and the Willi Club.
A lifetime member of the University of Illinois Alumni Association and the NRA, he also was a proud member of the Williamsfield Breakfast Club, where he valued the fellowship and coffee.
He enjoyed going to auctions, having breakfast in Brimfield, on Sundays and especially loved spending time with his family.
His distinctive laugh and sense of humor will not be forgotten.
His family would like to thank the excellent OSF St. Francis Medical Center staff for their outstanding and compassionate care of “Doc.”
George S. Pickering
(September 15, 1944 - January 23, 2015)
Kewanee - George S. Pickering, 70, of Kewanee, died at 6:20 PM, Friday, January 23, 2015 at the Kewanee Care Home.
Graveside services will be held at 2:00 PM, Wednesday, January 28 at Evergreen Memory Gardens in rural Kewanee.
Rev. Joe Schmidt will officiate.
Visitation will be held from 12:30 -1:30 PM at Rux Funeral Home in Kewanee.
Memorials may be directed to the First Christian Church in Kewanee.
He was born September 15, 1944 in Burns Twp., IL, the son of Orville Leonard and Marcella W. (Buchanan) Pickering.
Survivors include a cousin, Joyce C. (Jim) Pickering Price of Wyoming, and his friends, Steve and Pam King and their family.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
George attended Wethersfield schools.
He was a longtime grain and livestock farmer in Galva Twp.
He was a member of the First Christian Church.
He thoroughly enjoyed farming, taking care of the hogs and chickens and milking the cows.
He was often seen walking and visiting with people at Wal-Mart.
Abishai Israel
(March 9, 1920 - November 2, 2014)
U.S. Veteran
KEWANEE - Abishai Israel, 94, of Kewanee, died at 5:30 AM, Sunday, November 2, 2014 in the emergency room at OSF Saint Luke Medical Center in Kewanee.
Funeral services will be held at 1:30 PM, Friday, November 7 at Rux Funeral Home in Kewanee.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the services at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Evergreen Memory Gardens in rural Kewanee, where military rites will be accorded by the Kewanee Veterans Council.
Memorials may be directed to the family for a memorial to be established.
He was born March 9, 1920 in Atlanta, GA, the son of Charlie and Elizabeth (Bryant) Borders.
He married Elisheba Simpson on March 17, 1943.
She survives, as do four sons, Elihu Israel of California, and Nathan (Keasher) Israel, David (Chyrl) Israel and Ruben Israel, all of Kewanee, two daughters, Hadassah Smith of Mantica, CA, and Michal Israel of Kewanee, seventeen grandchildren and thirty-seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Claud Borders, two sons, Harold and Jeremiah Israel and a grandson, Revilo Israel.
Abishai graduated from high school and went on to tailoring school.
He served his country in the Army during WWII.
He had worked as stockman at John Deere in East Moline.
He was a member of the Hebrew House of Israel.
David "Dave" M. Vandemore
(October 23, 1934 - September 20, 2012)
KEWANEE – David M. “Dave” Vandemore, 77, of Kewanee, died at 8:45 AM, Thursday, September 20, 2012 at Hammond-Henry Hospital in Geneseo.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 AM, Monday, September 24 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Celebrant will be Rev. Anthony Bernas.
Visitation will be held from 3:00-6:00 PM, Sunday, September 23 at Rux Funeral Home in Kewanee, with a rosary being recited at 5:30 PM.
Burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
Memorials may be directed to the Henry County Humane Society.
He was born October 23, 1934 in Cambridge, the son of Peter and Emma (Fleming) Vandemore.
He married Joyce M. Swickert on September 6, 1958 in Kewanee.
She survives, as do two daughters, Barbara (William Shadden) Lemanski of Kewanee, and Rebecca (Robert) Conner of Moline, a sister, Mary Kristan of Des Plaines, IL, four step-grandchildren, Sarah (T.J.) Riley, Aaron (Jennifer) Conner, Joe (Stef) Conner and Cole Conner and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Charles.
Dave graduated from Kewanee High School in 1952.
He served his country in the Illinois National Guard.
He worked as a welder at Kewanee Boiler for 46½ years, until his retirement in 1999.
He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
He enjoyed dogs, bowling, gardening, reading, watching TV, sitting on the swing outdoors and especially his family.
