GAINESVILLE, Mo. - Hazel A. Von Behrens, 90, of
Gainesville, Mo., formerly of Mattoon, died July 24, 2001,
at Gainesville Health Care Center.
She was born May 23, 1912, the daughter of Charles V.
Lawhorn and Nancy Butery. She married Albert F. Von
Behrens in 1930; he died in 1999.
Surviving are two daughters, Mary A. Miller of
Hardenville, Mo., and Nancy Butt of Reeds Spring, Mo.;
one brother, William Lawhorn of Mattoon; six
grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
She was also preceded in death by one son, one sister and
one half brother.
Mrs. Von Behrens was a homemaker.
Rex Walden
WEST SALEM - Rex Walden, 79, of West Salem,
formerly of Arthur, died at 6:05 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 1,
2001) from injuries sustained in an auto accident.
The funeral will be 3 p.m. Sunday at the Zion Hill United
Methodist Church in Paradise Township. Burial will
follow in the church cemetery. Visitation will be 6 to 8
p.m. today at the Ingram Funeral Home in West Salem and
from 1 p.m. until service time Sunday at the church.
He was born March 2, 1922, in Charleston, the son of
Walter and Freda Bechtel Walden and the foster son of
Hugh and Rennie Gannaway. He married Elizabeth "Betty"
Stretch in 1947; she survives.
Also surviving are one son, David Walden of West Salem;
three daughters, Susan Shilling of Albion, Janice York of
Mt. Carmel and Linda Kocher of West Salem; two sisters,
Roberta Smith of Mattoon and Verna Papham of
Charleston; 11 grandchildren; and eight
great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by one infant sister and one
infant great-grandchild.
Mr. Walden was a World War II veteran. He was a farmer
and worked at Champion Labs in West Union for 17 years
and was currently employed at Wilson and Wilson
Monument Company. He was a member of the Ebenezer
United Methodist Church of Samsville; American Legion
and VFW, both of West Salem; and the Beekeepers' and
Blacksmiths' associations.
Lenora Wylde
GREENUP - Lenora Wylde, 85, of Greenup, died at 10:45
a.m. Friday (Aug. 3, 2001) at the Cumberland Nursing
Center in Greenup.
The funeral will be 2 p.m. Monday at the Bishop Funeral
Home, Greenup, with the Rev. Tim Schnautz officiating.
Burial will be in the Greenup Cemetery. Visitation will be
2 hours prior to the service at the funeral home.
She was born Dec. 9, 1915, in Willow Hill, the daughter of
Jacob and Flossie Ryland Eubank. She married John
William Wylde in 1940; he died in 1976.
Surviving are one son, Bill Wylde of Greenup; one
daughter, Diana Swinson of Greenup; one sister,
Rosemary Brandenburg of Greenup; two grandchildren;
and one great-grandchild.
She was also preceded in death by two brothers.
Mrs. Wylde was a homemaker. She was a member of the
First Presbyterian Church in Greenup, the Liberty Hill
Home Extension and a 50-year member of the Toledo
Eastern Star 231. She was a past member of the Greenup
Business and Professional Women's Club.
Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church
in Greenup.
Clayton Coffey
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. - Clayton C. Coffey, 67, of
Ocean Springs, Miss., formerly of Mattoon, died Tuesday
(July 31, 2001) in Pascagoula, Miss.
A memorial service will be 7 p.m. Friday at the Ocean
Springs Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes in
Mississippi. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the
Chapel.
He was born in Mattoon, a son of Verless R. Coffey Sr.
and Alpha Perry Coffey. He married Nettie R. Coffey; she
survives.
Also surviving are two sons, Larry Coffey of California
and Mark Gambill of Vancleave, Miss.; four daughters,
Beth Fite of California, Natasha Coffey of Ocean Springs,
Miss., Norah Burt of Birmingham, Ala., and Elizabeth
Berry of Gautier, Miss.; two brothers, Verless R. Coffey
Jr. and Gerald Marvin Coffey, both of Mattoon; and one
sister, Wilma Tucker of Wildwood, Fla.
He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant sister,
Harriet and one sister, Wanda C. Spaulding Schlaiss.
Mr. Coffey was a Navy veteran of the Korean conflict. He
had retired from Litton Industries in 1978. He was a
member of the Gautier United Methodist Church and
member and past officer of the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks Lodge BPOE 2501.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.
EDWARD FULLER
Edward Allen "Ed" Fuller, age 39, of Mattoon, passed
away at 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, August 1, 2001, at 2200
S. 17th Place in Mattoon.
Memorial services celebrating his life will begin at 10:00
a.m. on Saturday at the Schilling Funeral Home with the
Reverend Robert C. Clark officiating. Burial will be in the
Dodge Grove Cemetery.
Ed was born October 27, 1961 in Mattoon, a son of
Charles F. "Bill" and C. Joan Sanders Fuller.
Survivors include two sons, Wesley W. Fuller and Shaun
E. Fuller, both of Mattoon; his mother, C. Joan Sanders
Gravil of Mattoon; one brother, Donnie W. Fuller of
Mattoon; two sisters, Kim A. Brown and husband Doug of
Mattoon and Kelly Houchin and husband Bert of
Plymouth, Indiana; several aunts, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father.
Mr. Fuller was formerly employed at Rural King in
Mattoon and was a member of the Eagles Club in Mattoon.
Memorials gifts in lieu of flowers may be made to Shaun
Fuller for an Education Fund.
Lilly Kanitz
ARTHUR - Lilly Maurine Kanitz, 82, of Arthur, died at
11:55 a.m. Thursday (Aug. 2, 2001) at the Arthur Home in
Arthur.
The funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Arthur
United Methodist Church with the Rev. James Elder
officiating. Burial will be in the Arthur Cemetery.
Visitation will be 9 a.m. until service time at the church.
The Shrader Funeral Home is in charge of the
arrangements.
She was born March 26, 1919, in Douglas County, the
daughter of Walter and Lucy Sefton Smith. She married
Earl W. Kanitz in 1951; he died in 2000.
Surviving are two sisters, Lillian Kanitz of Tuscola and
Rosemary Donaldson of Savoy.
Mrs. Kanitz was a homemaker, and a member of the
Moultrie County Home Extension and the Arthur United
Methodist Church.
Marion Leistner
NEW BOSTON, Ind. - Marion Audrey Leistner, 79, of
New Boston, Ind., died at 10:10 a.m. Wednesday (Aug. 1,
2001) at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Tell City, Ind.
The funeral will be 10 a.m. Saturday at the Trinity United
Church of Christ with the Rev. Paul Jahn officiating.
Burial will be in Trinity United Church of Christ in
Faulda, Ind. Visitation will be 2 to 8 p.m. today and from
8 to 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the Zoercher-Gillick Funeral
Home.
She was born Sept. 16, 1921, in Patesville, Ky., the
daughter of Irvin McDaniel and Ruby Shaw. She married
Elmer G.J. Leistner; he died in 1996.
Surviving are two daughters, Barbara Bobbie Hedinger of
Evanston, Ind., and Norma Ruffner of Yale; two sisters,
Anna Louise Dennes of Englewood, Fla., and Claudette
King of Evansville; and seven grandchildren.
She was also preceded in death by two sons.
Mrs. Leistner had retired from General Electric after 35
years with the company. She had owned and operated a
beauty shop for several years, was a member of the United
Trinity Church of Christ and had been a 4-H leader.
Jack Seibert
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - Jack F. Seibert, 78, of Ormond
Beach, Fla., formerly of Mattoon, died Wednesday (Aug.
1, 2001) at Bridgeview Center in Ormond Beach, Fla.
The Bellevue Cedar Hill Funeral Home in Ormond Beach,
Fla., is in charge of the arrangements.
Surviving are one son, Jack Seibert of Ormond Beach,
Fla.; one daughter, Donna Sue Warren of Walhalla, S.C.;
and one grandchild.
Mr. Seibert was an Army veteran of World War II and had
retired in 1982 as a Brakeman for the Penn Central
Railroad out of Indianapolis for over 50 years.
Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association.
Clayton Coffey
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. - Clayton C. Coffey, 67, of
Ocean Springs, Miss., formerly of Mattoon, died Tuesday
(July 31, 2001) in Pascagoula, Miss.
A memorial service will be 7 p.m. Friday at the Ocean
Springs Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes in
Mississippi. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the
Chapel.
He was born in Mattoon. He married Nettie R. Coffey; she
survives.
Also surviving are two sons, Larry Coffey of California
and Mark Gambill of Vancleave, Miss.; four daughters,
Beth Fite of California, Natasha Coffey of Ocean Springs,
Miss., Norah Burt of Birmingham, Ala., and Elizabeth
Berry of Gautier, Miss.; one brother, Verlis Coffey of
Mattoon; and one sister, Wilma Tucker of Florida.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister.
Mr. Coffey was a Navy veteran of the Korean conflict. He
had retired from Litton Industries in 1978. He was a
member of the Gautier United Methodist Church and
member and past officer of the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks Lodge BPOE 2501.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.
CHESTER COWGER
Chester Laverne Cowger, age 73, of Mattoon, passed away
at 8:35 a.m. Wednesday, August 1, 2001, at the Sarah Bush
Lincoln Health Center.
Funeral services celebrating his life will begin at 1:30 p.m.
on Saturday at the Schilling Funeral Home with the
Reverend Robert C. Clark officiating. Burial with military
rites by the V.F.W. Post 4325 will be in the Campground
Cemetery, southwest of Mattoon. Visitation will be held
from noon until time of service Saturday afternoon at the
funeral home.
Chester was born December 23, 1927, in Lafayette
Township, Coles County, a son of William Francis and
Virgie Merle Rowark Cowger. He married Etta Alleen
Hawn on September 6, 1951, in Morrison, Illinois. She
passed away on March 19, 1994. He was also preceded in
death by one daughter, Brenda Lynn Cowger; one
great-grandchild; two brothers and two sisters.
Survivors include three daughters, Lucy Ridgley of
Mattoon, Marsha Jarvis and husband James of Hillsboro,
Tennesee, and Cindy Humes and husband Mark of Mesa,
Arizona; one brother, Ernest Cowger of Lafayette, Indiana;
three sisters, Vivian "Pearl" Miller and husband Stanley of
Charleston, Clara Dare and husband James of Mattoon,
and Shirley Skinner and husband Arlan of Crete,
Nebraska; five grandchildren, Joseph E. Jones Jr.,
Elizabeth Jones, Angela Benslay, Benjamin Jarvis and
Jesse Jarvis; ten great-grandchildren and one
great-great-grandchildren.
Mr. Cowger was a United States Army veteran, serving
from January of 1946 until his honorable discharge in July
of 1947. Chester was a lifelong resident of the Mattoon
area. He was employed for several years with Brown Shoe
Company and worked for Trailmobile in Charleston, from
which he retired. Chester was a great country music fan.
