Obituaries

Stockton

James Charles Arnold, 68

James Charles Arnold, age 68 of Stockton, IL passed away peacefully in his home on January 19, 2022.

Jim was born on July 28, 1953. He is the son of Ralph and Evelyn (Prisk) Arnold. He married Deb (Williams) Arnold on June 24th 1977, in Freeport, IL.

Jim worked at Crum & Forster from 1977-1992. He passed his CPA exam in 1994, after which he worked at Coyle Varland Insurance until 1998. In 1998 Jim started working at Bauer Group Ltd as a CPA, and eventually became a co-owner. Jim retired from Bauer Group Ltd in 2021 to care for his wife. Jim also served many years on the Stockton park board.

Jim loved Rock n Roll, his dogs, being outdoors and most importantly his family. Jim also loved sports, and coached baseball in Stockton for many years.

Jim is survived by his son B. Travis Despain of Fort Worth, Texas; His daughter Aimie Pieper of Fort Pierce, Florida; his son Dylan (Brittney) of Stockton, Illinois, his son Trent (Cassidy) of South Lake Tahoe, California and his 10 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Deb Arnold, his parents, and his son-in-law Jody Pieper.

There will be a visitation on Friday, February 4, 2022 at Hermann Funeral Home in Stockton from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A memorial fund has been established. Condolences may be shared at http://www.hermannfuneralhome.com.

Sylvia J. Holtz, 74

Sylvia J. Holtz, age 74, of Stockton, Illinois passed away on Saturday, January 22, 2022.

She was born November 20, 1947, to Robert and Elly (Dalby) Johnson in Elgin, IL. She married Harold “Paul” Holtz in 1967 and their marriage ended after 39 years. They raised 3 children in Elgin, IL, Fort Worth, TX and Stockton, IL. She has been with her significant other, Bill Signer, since 2006. During Sylvia’s retirement she loved working as a cashier at Sullivan’s Foods in Stockton, IL.

Sylvia loved visiting with her family, playing the video game (Zelda), and spending time with her puppy Henri. Sylvia was an avid sports fan, her favorite teams were The Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Chiefs, (Patrick Mahomes). She enjoyed Facetime with her great grandsons and talking over a cup of coffee.

She is survived by her 3 children- Jill (Michael) Freese of Stockton, IL, Tamara Jacobs of Dublin, TX, Todd Holtz of Stockton, IL; 6 grandchildren- Heather Martin, Cassi (Mark) VanValkenburg, Brandon Martin, Natalie Freese, Delanie Martin, Braden Freese; 2 great grandsons- Jax and Grayson; Significant other: Bill Signer of Stockton, IL; 1 sister- Nancy (Wayne) Smith, 3 brothers – Ralph (Mary) Johnson, Ronnie (Sue) Johnson, and Bobbie (Julie) Johnson , and many nieces and nephews; and dog Henri.

She is preceded in death by her parents; brother-Larry; grandson-Dustin; and great grandson-Roman.

A private family service was held at 12:00 noon on Friday, January 28th, at Leamon Funeral Home in Lena, IL. Officiating was Rev. Robert Phelps. Cremation rites to be accorded.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in her memory. Condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.leamonfh.com

Lena

Mary Brown, 73

Mary Brown, age 73, of Lena, IL passed away on January 22, 2022, with her family by her side at FHN Memorial Hospital in Freeport, IL.

She was born on April 23, 1948 to Orville and Lucille Nolan in Freeport, IL. Mary attended NIU in Dekalb, IL before marrying Dennis Brown on March 2, 1968 in Lena, IL; Dennis preceded her in death on December 15, 2021. Together Dennis and Mary raised two children. Mary and her husband purchased the Lena Shopper’s Guide in 1976 which they owned and operated for 24 years. After they sold the Shopper’s Guide, Mary was a teacher’s aide for Orangeville Grade School for many years before retiring.

Mary’s outgoing and bubbly personality never met a stranger wherever she went. She enjoyed many family vacations and spending time with her amazing family and friends. She loved feeding the birds and always wanted to find beautiful cardinals in her yard. Mary and Dennis loved seeing the Oak Ridge Boys in concert and singing to her favorite acapella groups in the car. Her favorite pastime was attending sporting events of her grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Mary was an active member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lena, St. John’s Women’s Society, and was a long-time member of the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority. Mary was also a past member of the LBPA.

Mary is survived by her children; Laura (Ben) Pearson of Geneseo, IL and Steven (Kali) Brown of Stockton, IL; 4 grandchildren - David, Wes, Veronika, and Vanessa; mother-in-law Gertrude Brown of Lena, IL, 2 brothers - David (Fawn) Nolan, and Dennis Nolan, both of Lena, IL; sister in-law Diane (Dan) Paulsen of Lena, IL, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 53 years, Dennis Brown, her parents, Orville and Lucille Nolan, father-in-law Robert Brown, and sister-in-law Sally Nolan.

Funeral services were held at 12:00 Noon on Saturday, January 29, 2022 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lena, IL. A visitation was from 10:00 AM until time of services on Saturday also at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lena, IL. Burial will be at Lena Burial Park in Lena, IL.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in her memory. Condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.leamonfh.com

Allen Turner, 88

Allen Turner 88, passed away on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 peacefully at his home with his family at his side.

He was born on January 8, 1934, in Freeport, IL the son of Arthur and Florence (Hall) Turner. Allen married Virginia (Helsinger) on April 9, 1955, in Fort Riley, KS. Allen served in the Army 10th Mountain Division Combat Engineers. He spent 2 ½ years in Germany where his son David was born. Allen worked at Kelly Springfield for 28 years.

Allen was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church of Lena. Allen loved working in the garden and sharing it with others, traveling especially on the back roads and spending time with his grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife Virginia of 66 years, 6 children; Deborah (John Blair) Jordan of Stockton, IL, David (Lorraine) Turner of Freeport, IL, Sherry (Jim) Soehnlein of Madison, WI, Peggy (Dan) Korth of Stockton, IL, Stuart (Filomena) Turner of Vacaville, CA and Michelle (Steve) Christianson of Pearl City, IL. 13 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren, 1 sister; Margaret Sass, 2 sister-in-laws; Judy (Phillip) Welty and Sandy Turner.

He was preceded in death by his 2 brothers; Robert and James Turner, grandson; Leo Gerke and great grandson Timothy Jordan.

A memorial service was conducted by Pastor Rick Bader at 11:00 AM on Monday January 31, 2022, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lena with a visitation from 10:00 AM untill time of service. Cremation rites were accorded per Allen’s wishes.

The family would like to thank Pastor Rick Bader and all the members of St. John’s Lutheran Church.

A memorial has been established in his memory. Condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.leamonfh.com.

Thomson

Arla Ruth Miller, 96

Arla Ruth Miller, 96, formerly of Thomson, Illinois passed away January 26, 2022, at Allure Mt Carroll. Arla was born May 20, 1925, in Thomson to Guy and Maude (Curley) Brown. She graduated from Thomson High School, Class of 1943.

Arla married Robert Miller on January 27, 1945, at the Albany, Illinois Methodist Parsonage, officiated by Reverend Doverspike. The ceremony was a double wedding with Lauren (Joe) Mitchell and LeVona Potter. For sixty-three years the couples remained close friends and celebrated milestone anniversaries together.

Together Bob and Arla began a lifelong farming career in Thomson, raising melons before moving to their Lanark farm in 1955. Bob and Arla retired from active farming in 1982 with a continued interest in it and enjoyed going on car rides to see the fields and watching the crops grow.

Arla often joked about being born a town girl, though she would always have farming in her heart. While living in Lanark, Arla was active in the Lanark United Methodist Church, serving as treasurer of the Education Wing Building Fund, United Methodist Women, and promoting the annual church bazaar held for 22 years. Arla will be remembered for her entertaining, cooking and sewing skills. She enjoyed hosting ‘Bob's Annual 1942 Class Reunion’ and the ‘Chicken House’ gang.

In 1996, Bob and Arla left the farm and moved back to Thomson. While living in Thomson, Arla served for many years as a docent at the Thomson Museum and enjoyed sharing the stories of Thomson being the melon capital of the Midwest, the Brown brothers duck hunting on the Mississippi and early Thomson history. Arla was an avid WGN listener, and a great Cubs fan.

Arla will be deeply missed by her daughters, Janie (John) Dollinger of Shannon, Illinois, and Peggy (John) Richard of Polo, Illinois; her son, David (Cari) of North Aurora, Illinois; her grandson, Mark (Shanna) Dollinger of Lanark; two great grandsons, Cooper J and Maddex L Dollinger and many nieces and nephews.

Arla is preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Bob, her parents Guy and Maude Brown, brothers Burrell, Gerald, Harold, Gordon Brown, sister Harriett Brown, and in-laws Fred and Minnie (Weber) Miller.

A private family inurnment will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Lanark United Methodist Church in Arla's honor.

The family wishes to thank the staff of Allure of Mt Carroll for their wonderful and admirable care.