Obituaries

Apple River

Harold J. Gallagher, 96

Harold J. Gallagher, 96, of Apple River passed away on Friday, September 20, 2024, at Liberty Village, Freeport, with family by his side. He was born December 20, 1927, in Warren Township to William and Mary (Bourquin) Gallagher.

Harold married Ilene M. Dittmar on January 15, 1949, at The Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. She proceeded him in death on March 14, 1986. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church where he had served as an elder and trustee.

Harold worked at various jobs during his lifetime including Illinois Central Railroad, Atwood Manufacturing while also farming, and IL State Highway Dept. at Stockton for 21 years before retiring in 1991. He enjoyed visiting with family and friends, playing euchre, mowing, painting, going to auctions, dancing at Hideaway Acres and spending time at the Casinos with his companion of 33 years, Winnifred Luke, who passed May 13, 2024.

He is survived by his sons: Mark (Mary) Gallagher, Rock City, Greg (Joanne) Gallagher, Apple River, and his daughter Marcia (Ken) Thompson, Freeport; six grandchildren: Chris (Larissa) Gallagher, Jeremy Gallagher, Shaun (Anne) Gallagher, Erin (Gary) Conaway, Derek (Angel)Thompson, Ashley (Sam) Jorgenson, and eleven great grandchildren. He was proceeded in death by his wife, four brothers: Francis, Laverne, Leo, and Orville, and one sister Alberta.

Private family service will be held. Burial will take place at Elmwood Cemetery in Warren. A memorial fund has been established in his name.

Special thanks to the staff at the memory unit at Liberty Village for their care and compassion during his stay. Condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.leamonfh.com.

Lanark

Robert L. Plock, 87

Robert L. Plock, age 87, of Lanark, IL, passed away September 18, 2024 at Allure Nursing Home, in Mt. Carroll, IL. A funeral service was held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, September 24 (on what would have been Bob’s 88th birthday), at Law Jones Funeral Home, in Lanark. Visitation took place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., before the service. Burial will follow at Lanark Cemetery.

Bob, a lifelong farmer, was born on the family homestead in rural Lanark, on September 24, 1936, to Roy and Lila (Harter) Plock. He had quite the interesting young life, alongside his brother, Bill. They attended Eastwood Country and Maple Grove schools before going to school in Lanark. Bob and Bill were inseparable in their boyhood years. They played together, got into some trouble together, and worked together, often-times in their small shop on the family farm. A farmer through and through, Bob never stopped his shop work. One of his last projects, before his health started to deteriorate, was to build a new shop on his family farm, where he restored a few of his old tractors. If only his brother Bill could have seen it before he passed!

On March 23, 1957, Bob married the love of his life, Evelyn Lego, at Cherry Grove Church. From this union came two sons, Duane and Mark. Early in their marriage Bob and Evelyn moved to one of the other family farm houses as they started their lives together. This home, along with his family home where he was born, and later in life moved back to with his family, were the only homes Bob ever knew.

He loved that land, and more importantly, he loved the people who cared for it before him, and will continue, now that he’s gone from this Earth. At a very young age, Bob demonstrated a love for animals, mainly dogs, cats, and horses. This love translated to strong bonds with his cattle, as he would often treat them more like pets, than livestock. Because of this, he never had a mean steer! He always looked forward to his trips out west, to buy livestock, and made many friends out there.

Bob was a hard-working man who took his responsibilities seriously. He loved his wife and family dearly, and was always ready to help anyone who needed it. When he would take some time to himself, one of his favorite things to do was to ride with his friend Keith Wall, in the old Wall family semi-trucks. And true to Bob’s work ethic and helpful nature, it wasn’t long before he was driving those trucks for the Wall family.

Bob will be dearly missed by his wife of 67 years, Evelyn; two sons, Duane Plock, of Lanark, and Mark Plock, of Sigourney, IA; grandchildren, Justin Plock, Jim (Holly) Plock, and Nicole Plock, all of Lanark; great-granddaughter, Andrea Stevens; and sister-in-law, Lorraine Plock. Bob is preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Lila, and his brother William Plock.

Freeport

Everett E. Hawley, 75

Everett E. Hawley, age 75, of Freeport, IL. formerly of Stockton, IL. presumed dead Feb 19, 1976 and verified deceased Sept. 2024

He was born in Greenville, Il. on December 22, 1901 to the late Edwin B. and Carrie (Hilliard) Hawley.

E.E. married Etha Teeter on April 26, 1929 in Southern IL. He was a graduate of Greenville high school and a college graduate of University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in 1926.

Following graduation, he was employed by Purina Feeds in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Later he came back to farm in Stockton, IL. with his family for many years. He was employed by the Federal land bank as a loan officer and owned E.E.Hawley Realty in Freeport, IL.

He was a man who valued community, family, and the simple joys of life. He spent time on the Mount Juliet school board in Jo Daviess county, as their president. He served as the Stevenson County FSA Supervisor for many years, and later as the Secretary-Treasurer of the National Farm Loan Association showing his passion for supporting local farmers and agricultural development. He was a member of the Woodbine church and enjoyed the service with his wife and young son.

At home, E.E.’s true happiness was found on the farm where he worked, side by side, with his wife, Etha, and alongside with their son Ed, and his wife, Florence. He was especially proud to see his grandsons, Andy and Mark, growing up to love the farm as much as he did. He enjoyed taking the entire family out for dinner at their favorite spots -Terrapin Ridge supper club and Bishops, one of Rockford's finest restaurants. If he wasn’t spending time farming, E.E. loved to hunt with his son, Ed while enjoying the quietness of nature. E.E. also had a mischievous streak, especially when it came to his grandsons. He was known to surprise them with bottles of orange soda pop, an unexpected treat that became their little secret. “Don’t tell your mother,” he would whisper with a wink!

Everett is survived by his son, Edwin ( dear friend Marian) Hawley of Freeport, Il .; grandson, Andrew ( Leslie) Hawley of Stockton, Il .; grandson, Mark ( Terese) Hawley of Stockton, Il .; his great grandchildren , Robert ( Amy ) Hawley of Stockton, Il .; Bridget ( Elliott) Peach of Madison, Wi .; Steven( Kourtney Heun) Hawley of Stockton, Il .; Brock ( Nichole) Hawley of Columbus, Wi .; Sara Hawley of Normal Il .; his great, great grandchildren Alayna , Elizabeth and Violet , Audra and Dean.

He was proceeded in death by his parents Edwin B. and Carrie H. Hawley, his wife Etha Hawley , his sister Evelyn Hawley , his baby sister Emily Hawley, and his daughter-n-law Florence Hawley

Services were held Saturday, September 28, 2024 at Hermann Funeral Home in Stockton, IL. Visitation was at 2 pm., with a service at 3 pm. Following the service there was a small private family burial at Ladies Union Cemetery in Stockton, IL.

A heart-felt thank-you goes to the fisherman who noticed the car in the Pecatonica river and also a heart-felt thank-you goes to the Winnebago County law enforcement agency for the recovery of the bones of Everette and Clarence Owens. Special thank-you to all of our friends , families and strangers who have offered prayers and support over the many years as the search continued for Everette and Clarence.

A memorial fund will be set up for a missing persons organization.

Lena

Karen L. Macomber, 82

Karen L. Macomber, 82, of rural Lena passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at Javon Bea Hospital in Rockford, IL after a long battle with cancer and Parkinson’s. She was born on May 3, 1942, to George and Edna Obert in rural Orangeville, IL. She graduated high school from Orangeville in 1960 and went on to attend Illinois State University. Karen married David Macomber on June 9, 1963, and together they raised four children.

Karen was proud to be a farmer’s wife and to help wherever she could. She was known for her pink hat and pink petunias. She spent many hours tending to her flower beds, lawn and pool. Flower arranging was a passion of Karen’s. She worked at DeVoe Floral in her younger years and had her own arrangement area in her house. Karen also enjoyed traveling and got to explore many places, including Alaska and Israel.

Karen was very active in different organizations and her church. She was a member of the Afolkey Grace Evangelical Congregational Church, where she played the organ for over 50 years and was an adult Sunday school teacher. She was also a former member of the Freeport Garden Club and Stephenson County Home Extension as well as helped the Harlem Helpers 4-H Club. David and Karen enjoyed going to their card club every month and visiting with their friends. She was also very proud to have hosted the very first Ag Breakfast in Stephenson County in 1986.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years David Macomber of Lena, IL; four children: Jeffrey Macomber of Clarence, IA, Lisa (Jim) Pick of Loves Park, IL, Michael (Domoni) Macomber of Lena, IL, and Stephanie (Jeremy) Flynn of Lena, IL; six grandchildren: Matthew (Alicia Klees) Macomber, McCall (Chris Garcia) Macomber, Hailey Pick, Austin (Rachel Huwe) Pick, Laurel (Kyle) Wolff and Jace Flynn; three brothers: Gaylon (Jeanne) Obert, Gary (Ann) Obert and Steve (Jan Mitchell) Obert; brother-in-law Bart (Pam) Macomber and numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents, two sisters-in-law (Janet Obert and Barb Woessner) and brother-in-law Karl Woessner.

Funeral services were held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at the Afolkey Grace Evangelical Congregational Church on Afolkey Road in Dakota, IL. A visitation was from 4:00-7:00 PM on Friday, September 27, 2024 at the Afolkey Grace Evangelical Congregational Church, and again from 10:00 AM until time of services at the church Saturday morning. Burial will take place at Cedarville Cemetery in Cedarville.

Memorial donations may be made to Rock River Bible Camp and Rockford Rescue Mission. Condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.leamonfh.com.