Eva A. Ruth
Final rites for Eva A. Ruth, 86, Roseville, were held Tuesday, April 27, at 10 a.m. at Corman Memorial Home, Roseville. Interment was in Roseville Memorial Park Cemetery. Mrs. Ruth died Sunday, April 25, 1999 at 4:15 a.m. in St. Mary Medical Center, Galesburg. The daughter of David and May Alspaw Green, she was born September 27, 1912 in Littleton. She married Clarence E. Ruth, July 2, 1930, in Macomb, who passed away January 14, 1998. Her parents and a brother also preceded her in death. She leaves: a son, Robert Ruth of Dallas; two daughters, Eleanor Coulter and Virgene Goff, both of Roseville; two sisters, Lois McMullen and Lucille Perrin, both of Fair Oaks, CA; eight grandchildren and 15-great-grandchildren. A homemaker, Mrs. Ruth worked in a fruit packing plant in California for several years, and attended the Roseville Christian Church.
Dan G. Williamson
Dan G. Williamson, 68, of 12261 Oak Croft Trail, Laurinburg, NC, passed away on Thursday, April 22, 1999, at Duke Medical Center. Holy Eucharist was celebrated on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Laurinburg, NC with Vicar Jane Bruce officiating. Born April 22, 1931, in Hermon, IL, the son of the Otis and Mable Hedley Williamson. He married Jacqueline Luper. She survives. Also surviving are three sons and their wives, Todd and Lourdes Williamson of Washington, DC, Eric and Karen Williamson of Laurinburg, and Hans and Kim Williamson of Glen Ellyn, IL; a sister, Catherine Lagnese of Abingdon, IL; a brother, Tom Williamson of Richmond, VA,; seven grandchildren: Daniel, Lauren, Alexandra, Matthew, Aaron, Christopher and Richard. He was preceded in death by his parents. He was a graduate of Avon High School, the Caterpillar Apprentice program, and Bradley University. Dan retired from Butler Manufacturing after 35 years of service. He was a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church. He was also an engineer for the John Blue Cotton Blossom Railroad, a hobby for several men, who do restoration work. Memorials may be made to: St. David’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall Building Fund, Azure Court at Covington St., Laurinburg, NC 28352 or the John Blue Cotton Blossom Railroad, P.O. Box 187, Laurinburg, NC 28353.
John Wilcoxen
John T. Wilcoxen, age 78, of Galesburg, formerly of Viola, passed away at 8:50 p.m.Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Knox County Nursing Home in Knoxville. Born March 12, 1921, in Fulton County to Arnold and Maggie Barker, he married Lena Mae Mason on October 18, 1941, in Kahoka, Missouri. He later married Marilyn Lee Ebbert on July 29, 1959, in Bryant. She passed away July 30,1997. He also was preceded in death by one son, Jerry Wilcoxen, four brothers and five sisters. Surviving are four daughters, Sharon McDonald and Sandra Ward, both of Canton, Ruth Fluke, Berwick and Rita Hofer of Seaton; 11 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; one brother, Hubert of Knoxville; and two sisters, Leona VanHouten of Knoxville and Charlotte Mayberry of Bryant. An employee of John Deere Plow and Planter in Moline for 21 years, he retired in 1984. He attended Viola United Methodist Church. Funeral services were at 1 p.m. Friday at Murphy-Sedgwick Memorial Home in Canton with Rev. Jay Cowell officiating. Burial was in Apple Cemetery in rural Lewistown. Memorials may be made to Knox County Nursing Home.
Marie Hawk
Marie R. Hawk, age 83, of Roseville, passed away at 5:55 a.m. Wednesday, April 28, 1999, at Community Medical Center in Monmouth. Born February 24, 1916, near Smithshire in Warren County to Roscoe F. and Minnie Caroline Hall Ross, she married Harry A. Hawk, on October 20, 1934, in Roseville. He preceded her in death on July 8, 1982. She was also preceded in death by one grandson, three sisters and three brothers. Surviving are two sons, Leroy of Avon and Rick of Moline; one daughter, Mrs. Ivan (Linda) Martin of Raritan; nine grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren and two sisters, Norma Hollenberg of Roseville and Marjorie Markley of Knoxville. She was a member of Asbury Methodist Church. Services were held at 1 p.m. Friday at Asbury Cemetery. Corman Memorial Home in Roseville was in charge of the arrangements.
Miriam Darlington
Miriam Howe Wilson Darlington, born December 6, 1920 in Cambridge, Mass., passed away Thursday, April 29, 1999 in her home in Niles, Ohio, of complications from severe pneumonia. Miriam the wife of Dr. Oscar G. Darlington, retired Dean of Liberal Arts at Ohio Northern University, married December 31, 1938, celebrated a 60th wedding anniversary this past December 31, 1998, with all nine children and their families being present. Miriam, taught at home by her parents, Rev. Arthur E. Wilson and Louisa Spear Wilson, attended Radnor High School in Wayne, Pennsylvania, finishing in 1938 at the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. As a girl she was an excellent pianist in Massachusetts as a concert pianist and composer. She wrote extensively for national parenting magazines while her children were little. The Darlingtons are parents of nine children, Helen Scalzi, in Colorado; Dawn Tallman in Champion, Ohio; Mahlon, violinist in Ames, Iowa; Phoebe Reed in Kenton, Ohio; Lynette DePaoli an artist in Verona, Italy; Gerbert a clergyman in Lima, Ohio; Eunice Hutson, co-owner of Eagle Publications, Macomb, Illinois, publishers of the Abingdon Argus, Avon Sentinel, Roseville Independent and Macomb Eagle; Emily-Jane Stuart in San Antonio, Texas; Bernice Brady in Saugerties, New York. Miriam Darlington owned and operated Darlington’s Bridal Shop in Niles, Ohio since 1988, and for twelve years before that in Lima, Ohio, custom making countless special dresses. She always told the brides, “It’s not how you look, but what you say at the altar that’s important," and looked at her talent as a gift from God to minister to others. She was a Republican precinct poll worker, member of the D.A.R., The Research Club, First Presbyterian Church in Niles and Gideons International Auxiliary. A sister, Phoebe Wilson is deceased. She has 16 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. One grandson is deceased. A memorial service for family and friends was held Monday, May 3 at 2 p.m. in the Niles Presbyterian Church on Robbins Ave. The family request material tributes go to the Trent Hutson Memorial scholarship fund in care of Holeton-Yuhasz Funeral Home, W. Park Ave., Niles, OH 44446.
Barbara Janes
Barbara D. Janes, age 85, of 550 East Carl Sandburg Drive, Galesburg, passed away at 7:06 a.m. Saturday, May 1, 1999, at Seminary Manor Nursing Home. Born July 27, 1913, in Avon to Dr. Ernest E. and Frances Ross Davis, she married Fred L. Janes on June 2, 1937, in Avon. He passed away March 29,1980. Two brothers and two sisters also preceded her in death. Surviving are three daughters, Julia Eyre, of Oak Run, Elizabeth Peterson of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Jennifer Ross Janes Lowe, of Minot, North Dakota; and four grandchildren. She attended Duke University, Millikin University in Decatur and Western Illinois University in Macomb. She was a member of Universalist Church in Avon, the Portia Club of Avon and the Avon Public Library Board. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Cremation was accorded. Hinchliff-Pearson-West Galesburg Chapel was in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to Avon Public Library or to Habitat for Humanity.
Denice Newell
Denice “Denny” Newell, 65, of Macomb, died at 4:24 a.m. Saturday, May 8, 1999, in McDonough District Hospital. She was born Nov. 20, 1933, at Saginaw, Mich., to Malcom J. and Isabel Reinhart McMullen. She married Robert W. Newell on June 22, 1957, in Saginaw, Mich. He died May 14, 1996. She is survived by her sons, Daniel of Nashville, Tenn., Peter of Waverly, Iowa, Gregory of San Francisco, Calif., and Michael of Chicago; a daughter, Amy of Macomb; four grandsons and one granddaughter. She was a graduate of Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, Wis. She taught English in Wisconsin and Michigan in her early life and was a substitute teacher at St. Paul’s School in Macomb. She was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church where she was a Catechist and taught in the RCIA Program. She was a member of St. Paul’s Women’s Guild and served on the Advisory Board of Catholic Social Services. She was also a Birthright volunteer. Services were Tuesday in St. Paul’s Catholic Church with Father Richard Pricco officiating. Burial was in St. Paul’s Cemetery. Memorials may be made to St. Paul’s Church.
Thomas Sailer
Thomas C. Sailer, an Illinois native who flew with the Flying Tigers in World War II and for Air America in Vietnam, passed away April 27, 1999, in Knob Hill Convalescent Center. He was 80. He was born July 14, 1918, in St. Augustine, Illinois, the son of Clare T. and Margaret Kennedy Sailer. He married Zena Flayer in 1949 in Shanghai, China. Surviving are his wife; one daughter, Peggy Malcolm, Andover, MO; one son, Douglas Sailer, in Luxembourg; three sisters, Kathleen Boone, St. Augustine, Betty Sailer, Des Moines, Iowa, and Virginia Pica, Fort Washington, MD; one brother, Philip Sailer, Rock Island, Illinois; two grandsons, and nieces and nephews. He was graduated from Avon High School in 1937. He attended Army Air Force School at Texas A&M University. Mr. Sailer’s career as a pilot included service with Gen. Claire L. Chennault’s Flying tigers, an American volunteer force that fought the Japanese in World War II, and flying in Vietnam for Air America. Air America, reputed to be a commercial service, was widely reported to be financed by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Sailer was stationed in Saigon when it fell to the Communists in April 1975, and flew one out of the last plane loads of refugees to Hong Kong. Mr. Sailer’s story was told in an article in the April 21,1985 edition of The Washington Post Magazine. It said, in part: “On April 28, I was sitting around my apartment-on Cong Ly Street-with nothing much to do. “That night there was an attack on the airport. My apartment was on the sixth floor of the building and out the window I could see out near Tansonnhut and it was just a sea of flames out there.I had several Air America pilots over for dinner that night and several of them said that they thought they’s never see their aircraft again. “That night we watched the shelling of the city from the roof of my apartment building. My building was supposed to be a rescue point if it ever got really bad. And that night we thought it was getting pretty bad. We sat around and talked until pretty late in the night. And the other pilots said they thought it would be best if they stayed at my place that night. So they did. “We got up the morning of the 29th, and we were sitting around the table having breakfast, when all of a sudden we heard a chopper approaching..Now the big evacuation was on. As we heard that chopper coming in, we ran out the door and up to the roof. He had already landed there. And he told us, “We’re getting out. Right now. Bring one bag." We were told that all hell had broken loose at the airport. They had been shelled and bombed and sniped at an now some of the Vietnamese were stealing our choppers and taking off in them. Everything was going. “They dropped us off on the ground next to a C-46 and told us to get on board. We did just that.We scrambled onto the plan, started the engines and just started rolling..When I taxied out onto the runway, I saw a line of C-130s all ablaze and people lying dead on the ground around them. Then, as I was coming up the nearest intersection, here came a little French car. It pulled up right in front of me, just like he was preparing to ram. And a Vietnamese major got out. He signaled to me that he wanted to go out with us..My copilot, a kind of hot-headed guy, said, “I’m going back and shoot that guy. He’s a deserter." And I said, “Ah, hell. Let’s take him. It’s all over here anyway." And we threw the ladder down for him and he came on board.. I could have left him there, I suppose. But I really thought we should take him. At the moment it seemed like the right thing to do.. “We took off toward the west because of a westerly wind at the time. Then I turned and headed southeast toward the nearest water. The main thing was to get over the water, so we would be safe from ground fire and SAMs. My last look at Vietnam was through broken clouds as we turned. I looked down and it looked peaceful. Then I headed for Hong Kong." Mr. Sailer’s family moved later to San Francisco. He retired from flying in 1984. Cremation was accorded. A memorial will be held later.
Lois M. Geltmacher
Mrs. Lois M. Geltmacher, 88, of 230 W. State St., Good Hope, died Thursday, May 6, 1999, at 2:27 p.m. in McDonough District Hospital at Macomb. She was born on Feb. 17, 1911, in Macomb, the daughter of Henry T. and Orral Conger Lusk. She married Harry T. Geltmacher on July 3, 1933, in Edwardsville. He died March 21, 1998. Survivors include sons, Harold of Bolivar, Mo., and Larry of Ponte Verde Beach; five grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and one brother, Ray Lusk of Good Hope. She was preceded in death by one brother, James “Jay” Lusk. She taught school in rural Good Hope and was a member of the Good Hope Order of the Eastern Star. Graveside services were Saturday in the Good Hope Cemetery with the Rev. Ron Green officiating. Sargent-Worthington Funeral Home handled the arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Good Hope Rescue Squad or McDonough District Hospital.
