Read through the obituaries published in today's edition of the The Pantagraph.
Howard Bell, 96, of Normal, passed away Monday (Jan. 7, 2019) at Heritage Health, Normal.
Howard was born Nov. 9, 1922, in Bloomington, a son of Harry and Blanch Lovelle Bell. They preceded him in death. He married Aretha Mae Sims in 1948, and Elaine Ruby Cooper in 1967. Both preceded him in death. He was also preceded by his sisters, Kathern Evans and Bernyce Taylor.
Surviving Howard are his son, Nathaniel L. (Carol) Sims, Bloomington; daughter, Farah Whitfield, Jacksonville, Fla.; stepsons, Ted (Jean) Pierre, Vancouver Island, Canada; Owen (Marial) Pierre, Vancouver, Canada; grandchildren, Celeste (Leon) Thomas, Bloomington; Priscilla (John) Ziller, Bloomington; Lindsay Pierre; great-grandchildren, Storm Sims, Leon Thomas Jr. and Nathan Thomas, Bloomington; special niece, Patricia Shipp, and seven other nieces and nephews; five special cousins.
Howard was a member of the Wayman AME Church, serving as the member of many church boards. He was a founding member of the Black History Club in Bloomington. He was the foster parent of 75 children over 25 years. Howard served in the United States Army in World War II. He then retired from the United States Post Office in 1986. Howard was very proud of all of his family and his country.
His funeral will be at noon Saturday at East Lawn Funeral Home, 1002 Airport Road, Bloomington. Visitation will be at 11 a.m. Saturday prior to the service. Cremation will be accorded.
Howard will be laid to rest in the Garden of Good Shepard at East Lawn Memorial Gardens, Bloomington.
Condolences may be shared with the family at eastlawn-bloomington.com.
Miguel J. Schwarz, 74, of Bloomington, passed away at 11:28 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 6, 2019) in Normal.
Miguel was born Oct. 23, 1944, in Mexico. He was previously married to Eunice Schwarz. During their marriage they had two children, Esau and Vasthi. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother.
Surviving are his son, Esau (Liz); his daughter Vasthi; three grandchildren, Azariah, Daniel and Christian; and two sisters, Araceli and Alma.
Miguel was a generous man who gave to others without a second thought. He was funny, great at soccer, loved to dance, and was a master storyteller. He will be greatly missed by those who loved him.
As he wished, Miguel was cremated. A celebration of life is planned for attendance by family and close friends. Remembrance may be made in the form desired by family and friends.
Kawin R. Blunier, 62, of Eureka, passed away at 1:04 a.m. Wednesday (Jan. 9, 2019) at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria.
He was born Jan. 5, 1957, in Peoria, to Vernon and Verda Hodel Blunier.
Survivors include two brothers, Ted (Donna) Blunier and Myron (Elaine) Blunier, and one sister, Lola (Stan) Stoller, all of Eureka; one sister-in-law, Joyce Blunier, Princeville; many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Dale Blunier.
He worked at Blunier Implement for 35 years. Prior to that he worked at A.O. Smith Harvestore for eight years.
He was a convert at the Eureka Apostolic Christian Faith Church, 662 County Road 1575 E, Eureka, where his funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday. Ministers of the church will officiate. Visitation will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Argo-Ruestman-Harris Funeral Home, Eureka, and from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Monday before the service at the church. Burial will be in the Roanoke Apostolic Christian Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Eureka Apostolic Christian Home or Eureka Fire and Rescue.
Condolences and tributes may be sent to the family at argoruestmanharris.com.
Davenport, Steve, 10 a.m. at Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton.
Fowler, Claude "Clyde," 1 p.m. at East Lawn Funeral Home, Bloomington.
Gibson-Thompson, Marguerite, 11:45 a.m. at Memorial Park Cemetery, Clinton.
Scott, Billie, 10 a.m. at Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington.
James M. Clark, 74, of Mackinaw, passed away Tuesday (Jan. 8, 2019) at Unity Point Methodist Medical Center, Peoria.
Jim was born Feb. 26, 1944, in Peoria, to William E. Clark and Margaret S. Fleming. They and one brother, John, preceded him in death.
Jim is survived by one brother, Jerry (Carol) Clark, Green Valley; two nieces, Kristen Clark Flanders, Miami; Jennifer Clark, Topeka; two nephews, Brad and John Clark, Pekin.
Jim had retired from GTE in Bloomington-Normal. He was a member of the NRA. He was a lifelong Illini and Chicago Bears fan, enjoyed horses, reading and watching westerns, working around his homestead and going to auctions.
Visitation will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Haensel Funeral Home, Mackinaw. Funeral will follow at 3 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Pastor Judith Guy will officiate. Burial will be at Mackinaw Township Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Mackinaw Rescue Squad, P.O. 195, Mackinaw, IL 61755.
Condolences may be made at www.haenselfuneralhome.com.
Linda Yang, 92, of Normal, also known as Hsueh Pao-Ya, passed away Thursday (Jan. 10, 2019) at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Normal.
A private family service will take place in Davenport, Iowa.
Linda was born June 6, 1926, in Fu-Ching City, Fu-Kien Province, China. She married Yang Chin-Shun in 1946, and they were married for 42 years. He preceded her in death in 1988. She was also preceded in death by her parents and a younger brother.
Linda is survived by her six children, Peng-Mei Yang, George (Nina) Yang, Nancy (Nico) Piena, Fred (Jin Meizheng) Yang, Steve (Lie-Shiu) Yang and Shen (Dan) Dirkes. She is also survived by eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Linda lived in various places around the world, including China, Japan, Taiwan and the United States. She was a very hard worker and a very caring, loving and supportive mother and grandmother.
The family wishes to thank the staff at the Loft Rehabilitation & Nursing, Normal, for the care provided to Linda during the last four years. They are also grateful for the hospice team and the medical staff at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Normal.
Thomas F. Sams Sr., 89, of St. Charles, formerly of Normal, died Tuesday (Jan. 8, 2019) in Winfield.
Tom was born July 20, 1929, in Springfield, to Foster Sams and Leta Longest Sams, and was the youngest of 10 children. He married Shirley Needham on June 6, 1954, in Springfield. They moved to Normal in 1958.
He worked for GTE for 45 years. After his retirement, he worked part-time as a courtroom clerk at the McLean County Law and Justice Center for 22 years. He then moved to Wheaton, and then St. Charles, to be closer to his sons, Tom Sams Jr. and Greg Sams. He enjoyed classical music, crossword puzzles and spending time with family.
In addition to his sons, he is survived by his daughters-in-law, Debora Sams and Jennifer Cerven; his granddaughters, Jennifer Sams (Michael Mallek), Elizabeth Sams and Eleanor Sams; his great-grandson, Theodore Sams; a brother-in-law Dennis Morrow; and numerous nieces and nephews. His wife, Shirley, predeceased him in 2004, shortly after their 50th wedding anniversary.
A memorial service is set for 4 p.m. Friday at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, St. Charles, with visitation at the church one hour before the service. A memorial service also will be planned for Normal in the spring. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the music program at Wesley United Methodist Church, Bloomington, where he and his wife were long-term members.
