Obituaries

Orangeville

Janice K. Wilson, 69

Janice K. Wilson, age 69 of Orangeville, IL, passed away on January 8, 2020 at her home.

She was born on August 13, 1950 in Freeport, IL, the daughter of Harold and Marilyn (Stamm) Wilson. Janice was a 1968 graduate of Orangeville High School. She received her Degree in Education from Carthage College in 1972. Janice was a teacher at the Pearl City Elementary School for 36 years, retiring in 2008. She was a member of Alpha Mu a retired teacher’s organization. Janice enjoyed knitting, crocheting and making crafts. She was a former member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Rock Grove.

Janice is survived by her sister Carolyn Wilson of Orangeville; cousins- Donna Wilson of Rock City, Darrell Wilson of Wheaton, IL, Neva Wilson of Rockford, IL, Gary Wilson of Lena, Sandy (Duane) Knox of Fort Collins, CO, and Naomi McCool of Freeport; friends Kerry and Tina Schlueter of Dakota.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Brian in 2017, cousins- Delbert Wilson, Dr. V.D. McCool, Donald Wilson, and Fern Wilson.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Noon) at the Cramer-Leamon Funeral Home in Orangeville, IL. Funeral Service will follow beginning at 12:00p.m. (Noon) at the Cramer-Leamon Funeral Home. Officiating will be Rev. Randy Nicholas.

Interment will take place at the Rock Grove Union Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.leamonfh.com

Pearl City

Donald E. Calhoun, 72

Donald E. Calhoun, age 72 of Pearl City (Willow) passed away Wednesday, January 8, 2020 at FHN Memorial Hospital.

He was born in Freeport, IL on January 25, 1947 to the late Elwyn and Evelyn (Glenn) Calhoun.

Don was a 1965 graduate of Stockton High School and farmed his whole life. He had a love for horses which started when he got his first horse at 3 years old. Don enjoyed the Willow Folk Festival, hosting trail rides, and spending time with his family, especially his nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. Most importantly, Don was willing to help everyone and anyone.

He is survived by his sister, Linda (Leonard) Mueller of Lena, IL; his brothers, Roger (Paula) Calhoun of NC and Jim (Diane) Calhoun of Mt. Carroll, IL; his nieces, Amy (Aaron Heitmann) Calhoun, Jamie (Scott) Woodley, Dawn Calhoun and Tammy (Josh) Ehlers; his nephews, Brian (Allison) Calhoun and Doug (Teresa) Mueller; and his 9 great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.

The memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. at Hermann Funeral Home in Stockton. Visitation will be on Friday, January 17, 2020 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. also at the Funeral Home. Interment will take place at Ladies Union Cemetery in Stockton. The family requests no memorials, just come and celebrate Don’s life. Condolences may be left with Don’s family at http://www.hermannfuneralhome.com.

Hanover

James “Jim” “Bucky” Burkholz, 72

James “Jim” “Bucky” Buckholz, age 72, of Hanover, Illinois and a Vietnam Veteran died Friday, January 3, 2020 at the VA Hospital, Iowa City, Iowa with his family by his side. A funeral service was held 12:00 noon Wednesday, January 8, 2020 at the Law-Jones Funeral Home, Hanover followed by burial in Evergreen Cemetery with Full military Rites by the Elizabeth-Hanover VFW and the Stockton American Legion. Visitation was held 10:00 – 12:00 noon Wednesday, January 8 at the Funeral Home. Friends are invited to share in Jim’s life at http://www.lawjonesfuneralhome.com.

Jim was a proud Veteran, loving Father, and a cherished partner and companion. Born September 24, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Paul and Geraldine (O’Conner) Buckholz, Jim grew up graduating from Forestview High School in Rolling Meadows, then spent a short time at UW LaCrosse before enlisting in the US Navy, deployed in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean to work in some of the most dangerous conditions on the U.S.S America and the U.S.S. Forestal Aircraft Carriers flight decks. His experience with military continued throughout his life as he served on numerous firing squads to provide Honors to his brothers-in-arms. He was a member of the Elizabeth-Hanover VFW and the Stockton American Legion.

Jim helped raise a daughter, Sharon, and son Paul. He was a loving father, and grand-father, sharing his passion for sports, particularly his Chicago teams, the Bears, Cubs, Blackhawks and Bulls. He was an avid Notre Dame fan and preferred football to all other sports but golf. Golfing provided a way to share time with friends and be competitive. He shot a hole-in-one once, surprising the whole foursome when they ascended the green.

Jim learned the machining trade as he worked as a young man for Konex, llinois Tool Works. Aim Enterprises, and a few small furniture and brick companies. After his father’s passing, Jim moved to Hanover to take care of his mom. It was here that in 1989, Jim began J & B Machining, fabricating specialty parts for manufacturing companies and the aircraft industry until his retirement in 2017.

Jim will be dearly missed by his daughter, Sharon ( Doug) Killian of Lakemoor, Illinois and his son, Paul (Adena) Buckholz of Burlington, Illinois; two grandchildren, Sandra (Adam) Opatrny and Aidan Buckholz; his brother, Kirk (Patty) Buckholz of Kansas City, Missouri; his friend and companion, Vicky Hastings and her children and grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Jim is preceded in death by his grandson, Riley Buckholz; his sister, Meredyth Coberg; and his parents, Paul and Jerry.

Stockton

Linda P. Lloyd, 86

Linda P. Lloyd, age 86 of Stockton, IL passed away Thursday, January 9, 2020 at home.

She was born in rural Stockton on December 7, 1933 to the late Leland W. and Florence M. (Parker) Pierce. Linda married Donald L. Lloyd. He passed away on February 5, 2005.

Linda was a member of the Universalist Church in Stockton. She had worked as a cook for the Stockton School District for several years and later retired from Atwoods. She loved traveling and wintering in Florida with her husband. Linda also enjoyed birds, flowers, reading, working on puzzles, and visiting with people.

She is survived by her son, David (Lisa) Lloyd of Freeport; her daughters, Tamara (Wiley) Biggers of Rockford, Dawn (Nicholas) Thomas of Hanover and Cindy (James) Witt of Cedarville; her brothers, Leland W. Pierce, Jr. “Bud” of Stockton and Max (Mary) Pierce of Stockton; her sisters, Edith Bauer of Stockton and Mariam Blair of Stockton; her 9 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and sister Elizabeth Herring.

A memorial service was held on Sunday, January 12, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. at Hermann Funeral Home in Stockton. There was a visitation before the service beginning at 1:00 p.m. A memorial fund has been established. Condolences may be shared with Linda’s family at http://www.hermannfuneralhome.com.

Elizabeth

Walter Burrowes Holcombe, 92

Walter Burrowes Holcombe, age 92, of Elizabeth, IL, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, to reside in the place that has been prepared for him.

After a brief visitation beginning at 10AM, a Celebration of Life service was held Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 11AM at Galena Bible Church in Galena, IL. A luncheon followed. Visitation also took place at Law Jones Funeral Home Friday, January 10, from 4-6PM at Law Jones Funeral Home in Elizabeth, IL. Memorials may be given to Share International African Mission and the Galena Stauss Senior Care Community. Family and friends are invited to share in Walter’s life at lawjonesfuneralhome.com.

Walt, known to many as “Burr”, was born January 20, 1927, the second son of Robert F. and Helen V. (Moffett) Holcombe, in Kansas City, MO. He had one older brother, Robert F., Jr. and a younger brother, Thomas R. Holcombe. He moved to the farm in Elizabeth on his 11th birthday, attended one room schools in Derinda and Pleasant Hill (where he was taught by his mother) before attending Hanover High School. They were poor during the Depression but learned valuable lessons of faith, hope, love, and perseverance. He was in the class of 1946 but was drafted to serve his country before graduation. He completed his high school credits for graduation with the Army, before being shipped overseas.

After serving as a paratrooper w/ the Army’s 11th Airborne (187th RTC) in the occupation of Japan, Walt attended college at Kansas State University, graduating with an MS in Geology. On October, 3, 1953, Walt married Marjorie Lois Brown in Topeka, KS and they remained faithful to each other until death parted them, with Marge passing just this past August. They raised 2 children, Elizabeth Helen, born May, 7, 1955, and Robert Thomas, born November, 9, 1957. As a father, Walt was a firm but fair disciplinarian, and was kind, gentle and full of wisdom.

Walt started out as an oil rig geologist in Texas and Oklahoma until the jobs moved overseas. He found work as a draftsman at the Savanna Army Depot in Savanna, IL, and worked his way up to packaging specialist. He ended his working career at the Rock Island Arsenal in 2000, widely known for his ability to solve unique packaging issues involving explosives anywhere in the world.

Walt was a fixture in Boy Scouting in the Quad City (Illowa Council) area for over 50 years as a Scoutmaster, Explorer Post leader, trainer, and mentor, primarily with Troop 6 in Davenport. He guided over 40 young men to the rank of Eagle Scout, and shaped the lives of thousands of other young men and women. A skilled outdoorsman, he led numerous trips to Philmont Scout Ranch in NM, the Boundary Waters in northern MN, and the Rawah Wilderness in CO during his many years guiding Scouting, Venture Crew, and Methodist Youth Fellowship groups. He received many prestigious Scouting recognitions over the years but his focus was always on the young people in his charge, not the awards, and they loved him for it. Many of his former youth maintained contact with Walt well into adulthood.

Walt was a believer in Jesus, having bonded to Christ in his youth. He was raised in a Baptist home, converted to Methodism as an adult, and in his later years attended Galena Bible Church. He always strove to live a clean, God honoring life and set a fine moral example for all to see. In many ways, his life was his witness. Walt was a model citizen, a proud veteran, a strong, courageous individual, a caring husband and father, and a loyal friend. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth O’Toole (Tom), his son, Robert Holcombe (Sarah), his grandson, James O’Toole (Kinal), his nephew, Richard, (Susan), niece Diane, and nephew Robert.

Walt was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Marjorie, his brothers Robert F. Jr. (KIA, 509th Airborne, Belgium) and Thomas R., and his granddaughter Colleen Elizabeth O’Toole.