ARTHUR - Fred Thomas Gaffney, 93, of Arthur, died at 7:30 a.m. Monday (Sept. 18, 2000) at the Arthur Home.
The funeral will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at the First Baptist Church in Arthur with Rev. Patrick Murphy officiating. Burial will be in the Arthur Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to the funeral at the church.
The Edwards Funeral Home in Arcola is in charge of the arrangements.
He was born Oct. 20, 1906, in Villa Grove, the son of Givens and Mary Elizabeth (Kennard) Gaffney.
He married Gladys Burmeister in 1935 in Effingham; she died in 1985.
Surviving are one son, James F. Gaffney of McAllen, Texas; one daughter, Peggy Jo Clark of Arcola; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
He was also preceded in death by four brothers and four sisters.
Mr. Gaffney retired from Progress Industries in Arthur; he was a member of Progress Industry's 25 year club.
He was also a member of the First Baptist Church of Arthur and the Order of the Eastern Star, and was a 32nd Degree Mason of the Arthur Masonic Lodge.
Memorial may be made to the Arthur Home.
Charles Kite
OAKLAND - Charles O. "Chuck" Kite, 81, of Oakland, died at 11:54 p.m. Monday (Sept. 18, 2000) at Provena Covenant Medical Center, Urbana.
A graveside service will be 11 a.m. Thursday at the Oakland Cemetery with Pastor Don Funk officiating.
Military graveside rites will be conducted by the Oakland VFW Post 3637. Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Taber Funeral Home in Oakland.
He was born March 11, 1919, in Oakland, the son of Charles E. and Nasho E. Wheeler Kite.
He married Anna L. Waller in 1947; she died in 1994.
Survivors include one daughter, Mrs. Bill (Sandra) Hunt of Indianapolis, Ind., and one grandson.
He was preceded in death by three brothers.
Mr. Kite was a 30-year veteran of the Illinois State Police, retiring in 1975 as a corporal, he was actively involved in farming. He was an army veteran of WW II and a member of the Oakland VFW Post No. 3637, the National Harley Owner Group and the Fraternal Order of Police and Troopers Lodge No. 41.
Merle Miller
HINDSBORO - Ivy Merle Miller, 80, of Hindsboro, died at 6:15 a.m. Tuesday (Sept. 19, 2000) at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center.
The funeral will be 10 a.m. Friday at the Shrader Funeral Home, Arcola, with the Rev. Todd Leathermon officiating. Burial will be in the Bourbon Cemetery. Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
She was born Nov. 10, 1919, in Brownstown, a daughter of Ross and Gladys Townsend Dial.
She married Elwood Miller in 1937; he died in 1996.
Survivors include two sons, Edwin Miller of Dalton City, Terry Miller of Bloomington; one daughter, Mrs. Byron (Jean) Bradford of Hindsboro; one sister, Mrs. Goldia Boyd of Arcola; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by three sisters and two brothers.
Mrs. Miller was a homemaker and member of the Hindsboro Christian Church.
Memorials are suggested to the Hindsboro Christian Church.
Loraine Robinson
MATTOON - Violet Loraine Robinson, 71, of Mattoon, died at 4:14 p.m. Monday (Sept. 18, 2000) at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center.
The funeral will be 1 p.m. today at the Schilling Funeral Home with the Rev. E. E. Elliott officiating. Burial will be in Beals Cemetery, rural Trilla. Visitation will be from noon until service time at the funeral home.
She was born April 16, 1929, in Flint, Mich., a daughter of Leonard and Viola McClure Boothe.
She married Robert D. Robinson in 1949; he survives.
Other survivors include three daughters, Mrs. John (Janet) Butcher of Jefferson City, Mo., Mrs. James (Delores) Brown of Lisbon, Ohio and Mrs. Brad (Bobbie) Coy of Mattoon; three sisters, Mrs. Art (Lillie) Ballard of St. Petersburg, Fla.; Mrs. John (Jean) Jelemensky of Flint, Mich., and Mrs. Louis (Dorothy) Hardenburg of Flint, Mich.; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by one brother.
Mrs. Robinson was a homemaker and a former member of the Oak Grove Baptist Church in Oakland.
Fred Gaffney
ARTHUR - Fred T. Gaffney, 93, of Arthur, died at 7:30 a.m. Monday (Sept. 18, 2000) at the Arthur Home.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete at the Edwards Funeral Home in Arcola.
Carl Ghere
ARCOLA - Carl E. Ghere, 80, of Arcola, died at 11:23 a.m. Saturday (Sept. 16, 2000) at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon.
A memorial service will be 4 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Arcola Cemetery with the Rev. Patricia Jones officiating.
Military rites will be conducted by the Arcola VFW Post 7862.
Edwards Funeral Home, Arcola, is in charge of the arrangments.
He was born Jan. 9, 1920, in Arcola, the son of Perry Ward and Florence (Garber) Ghere.
He married Nelda "Jean" Huff in 1952. She died in 1999.
Surviving are two brothers, Harold Ghere and Bob Ghere, both of Arcola; and three sisters, Joyce Miller of Arcola, Margaret VanCleave of Tuscola and Evelyn Swisher of Martinsville.
He was also preceded in death by one sister.
Mr. Ghere was an Air Force veteran of World War II.
He retired in 1983 from Smith Bros Trucking, after which he worked at the Best Western Prairie Inn, and Paul and Judy's Cards and Coin Shop.
Merlan Myers
ATWOOD - Merlan J. Myers, 72, of Atwood, died at 5:05 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 17, 2000) at the St. John's Hospital North in Springfield.
The funeral will be noon Wednesday at the United Church of Atwood with the Rev. Kenneth Kramer officiating.
Visitation will be two hours prior to the service at the church.
Burial will be in the Cartwright Cemetery, rural Tuscola, with military graveside rites.
Hilligoss Shrader Funeral Home, Atwood, is in charge of the arrangements.
He was born Feb. 27, 1928, in Casey, the son of Clarence and Bernice Wildman Myers.
He married Wanda Mae Oye Randolph in 1953. She survives.
Also surviving are one stepson, Robert Randolph of Springfield; one stepdaughter, Gloria Eaton of Minooka; one brother, Sherm Myers of Princeton, Ind.; one sister, Verleigh Redding of Decatur; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by four brothers.
Mr. Myers was an Army veteran of the Korean War.
He retired from Caterpillar in Decatur, where he was a welder and supervisor for more than 30 years.
He was a member of the James Reeder American Legion Post 770, Atwood; the Atwood Masonic Lodge 651 AF & AM; and the United Church of Atwood.
Memorials may be made the United Church of Atwood, 210 North Main St., Atwood, IL 61913, or the American Cancer Society.
George Sims
YUKON, Okla. - George H. Sims, 93, of Yukon, Okla., formerly of Charleston, died at 10:15 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 14, 2000) at Ranchwood Nursing Center.
The funeral will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Caudill-King Funeral Home. Burial will be in Hurricane Cemetery near Charleston. Visitation will be from noon until service time Wednesday at the funeral home.
He was born March 12, 1907, in Charleston, the son of Hamilton Sims and Sylvia Reed.
He married Dorothy L. Handley in 1926; she died in 1996.
Surviving are one son, Donald Sims of Mossrock, Wash.; two daughters, Juanita Burns of Yukon, Okla., and Marjorie Frieders of Aurora; two brothers, John Sims of Decatur and Russell Sims of Cerro Gordo; one sister, Kathryn Ryder of Charleston; three grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
He was also preceded in death by four brothers, three sisters and one grandchild.
Mr. Sims was a retired construction worker.
Violet Robinson
MATTOON - Violet Loraine Robinson, 71, of Mattoon, died at 4:14 p.m. Monday (Sept. 18, 2000) at the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center.
Arrangements are incomplete at the Schilling Funeral Home.
