Obituaries

Apr 23, 2026

Sharon Rae Carter, age 78, of Effingham, Illinois, formerly of Vandalia, passed away on Thursday, April 23, 2026. She was born on March 8, 1948, in Sterling, Illinois, to Harold Cecil and Hazel (Addair).

Sharon married Garry Carter on December 19, 1970. They shared nearly 52 years of marriage before his passing on September 27, 2022. Sharon was a dedicated CNA...

Apr 22, 2026

Betty Rose Worker, 94, passed away on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at Pana Health and Rehab, in Pana, IL.

Betty was born April 25, 1931, the daughter of James and Rose (Bauerle) Sanders in Fayette County, IL. She married William Roy Worker on February 25, 1951, in Ramsey, IL. They shared a wonderful 36 years together before his passing on April...

Apr 19, 2026

Wanda Kay Berner, age 73, passed away Sunday, April 19, 2026, at Effingham Healthcare and Senior Living in Effingham, IL.

Wanda was born October 27, 1952 the daughter of Wilbur LeRoy Burner and Norma Jean (Lambert) Berner in Pana, IL.

She is survived by her brother; James Berner, sister-in-law; Helen Stanley, and several nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her...

Apr 13, 2026

Linda Lou Mabry, age 87, of Vandalia, IL passed away Monday, April 13, 2026.

Linda was born July 7, 1938 in Ramsey, IL, the daughter of Marvin Sanders and Thelma (Durbin) Sanders. She married Larry Dean Mabry on July 24, 1955 in Vandalia, IL. Linda was affiliated with the First Christian Church in Vandalia, and worked for many years in her...

Apr 12, 2026

John Charles Hampson, Sr., age 77, of Ramsey, Illinois, passed away on Sunday, April 12, 2026. He was born on May 12, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York, to Charles and Dorothy (Magalinski) Hampson.

John married Ann Marie Shimkus on October 2, 1979. John proudly served his country in the United States Army for several years. He worked as a dry wall...

Apr 9, 2026

Shirley J. Frick, age 89, of Glen Carbon, Illinois, passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at Meridian Village, with her loving family by her side.



Born on December 17, 1936, in Wolf Creek, Illinois, Shirley was the cherished daughter of the late John and Carrie (Mann) Williams. On July 29, 1955, she married the love of her life, Rev....

Apr 7, 2026

Carolyn Dee Koonce, age 77, of Vandalia, Illinois, passed away on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at her home. She was born on February 10, 1949, in St. Elmo, Illinois, to Jay Dee and Lara Effie (Vaughn) Harnden.

Carolyn married Sam Koonce on March 7, 1981 in Vandalia, IL. Together they shared 45 years of marriage. Carolyn retired from Brockway, as an...

Apr 4, 2026

Kenneth Steven "Steve" Lay, age 77, of Ramsey, Illinois, passed away on Saturday, April 4, 2026 at his home surrounded by family. He was born on October 7, 1948, in Vandalia, Illinois, to Kenneth and Shirley (Marsh) Lay.

Steve married Jennifer (Frailey) Lay on October 6, 1996. His hobbies included golfing and duck hunting. Over the years he taught science and...

Apr 2, 2026

Mary Ann Miller, age 83 of Ramsey, IL passed away Thursday, April 2, 2026 at her home in Ramsey, IL. 

She was born April 2, 1943 in Vandalia, IL, the daughter of Glen Maurice and Marjorie Craigie (Campbell) Stombaugh. She married Larry Miller on August 27, 1966 in Vandalia, IL. Mary taught art at Cowden-Herrick schools, and also taught history and...

Mar 20, 2026

Beril Carl Gillman, age 86, of Ramsey, Illinois, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 20, 2026. He was born October 17, 1939, in Hillsboro, Missouri, to the late Richard and Lucille (Huskey) Gillman.

Beril was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend. He was united in marriage to Linda Warner Gillman on June 27, 2018,...

Mar 6, 2026

Billie Michelle Ward, age 33, of Vandalia, IL passed away Friday, March 6, 2026 at St. Johns Hospital in Springfield, IL.

Billie was born July 14, 1992 the daughter of Bill Ward and Tina (Hill) Ladner in Centralia, IL. Billie loved to cook and watch anything true crime related. She was a free spirit and kind soul....

Mar 5, 2026

Elden "Gene" Eugene Hicks, age 88, of Vandalia, IL passed away Thursday, March 5, 2026 at his home in Vandalia, IL.

He was born January 5, 1938 in Ramsey, the son of M.W. "Shug" Hicks and Ruby C. (Spires) Hicks.

Gene as most people knew him, enlisted in the US Army from 1959 to 1960....

Mar 3, 2026

Sharon Elaine Wright passed away after a brief illness on March 3, 2026, surrounded by family in Boulder City, Nevada. Sharon was born in Pana, Illinois on August 6, 1942, the youngest child of Hubert and Vivian Horsley. She was born 5 minutes after her twin brother. She grew up in Vandalia, Illinois and graduated from Vandalia Community High...

Mar 2, 2026

Frank Edward Roeder Jr., beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend, passed away peacefully in March 2026 at the age of 87.

Born on March 23, 1938, Frank grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where he attended Normandy High School. As a young man, he worked as a caddy at Bellerive Country Club—an experience that shaped his strong...

Feb 28, 2026

Lloyd Eldon Hall, age 88, of Taylorville, IL, passed away Saturday, February 28, 2026 at his residence in Taylorville, IL.

Lloyd was born October 15, 1937 in Ramsey, IL the son of George Hall Sr. and Arla Edith (Harlan) Hall. He served his country honorably in the US Army and was owner and operator of the family...

Feb 22, 2026

Debra Lin "Debbie" Stortzum, age 64, of Ramsey, IL passed away on February 22, 2026.

Debbie was born March 20, 1961 in Flora, IL the daughter of James and Shirley Pierson. She married Charles "Chuck" Stortzum on April 3, 2004. Debbie was a retired educator for Ramsey School. She was very family oriented and she loved her...

Feb 18, 2026

Debra "Deb" Jean Endres, 71, of Vandalia, IL passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at SBL Fayette County Hospital Long Term Care, in Vandalia, IL.

Deb was born June 26, 1954, the daughter of Donald Arnett and Shirley (Quigley) Arnett in DuQuoin, IL. She married Jeff Endres on August 17, 1974,...

Feb 18, 2026

Shirley F. Brown, 77, of Ramsey, Illinois, passed away peacefully on February 18, 2026 at Sarah Bush Lincoln Fayette County Hospital surrounded by her loving family.

She was born on May 8, 1948. Shirley was the youngest of eleven children born to Alva Kaiser and Clara (Cearlock). Growing up in a large family shaped her warm, caring...

Feb 11, 2026

Kelly F. Lash, age 59, passed away Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, IL.

Kelly was born March 9, 1966 in Pekin, IL. Her parents are Nancy (Carr) and John Burris. She was a hard worker, putting in 30 years at the Poly-Pak factory before retiring. Kelly spent many years with...

Feb 7, 2026

Annabelle Sanders, age 100, formerly of Shobonier, IL passed away Saturday, February 7, 2026 at Lutheran Care Center in Altamont, IL.

Annabelle was born September 22, 1925 the daughter of George Edwin Lowis and Alice Florence (Durbin) Lowis in Morrisonville, IL. She later married Howell Augusta Sanders on January 15, 1948 in Farmersville, IL. He passed June...