Star-Courier

Maree Anne (M.A.) Fischer passed peacefully from this life on Monday, April 26, 2021. A service celebrating her life will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, May 7th at Charlie Marshall Funeral Home in Rockport. M.A. was born to Ralph and Dorothy (Colwell) Webber on August 31, 1936, in Peoria, Illinois. An only child, she grew up in Toulon, Illinois until 1952, when the family moved to Kewanee. Her magnetic personality made its debut early and, in 1954, she was elected homecoming queen before graduating from Kewanee High School. Her caring soul and wise, maternal spirit were also on display early as, following her mother's tuberculosis diagnosis, she would stay home and care for her until her...

Philip Raymond Kempin, age 84, of Tiger, Georgia, passed away on December 31, 2020. Philip was born November 27, 1936, to Mildred and Ray Kempin, Then in 1958, he graduated Monmouth College with a Bachelor's degree in psychology. He was a member of Theta XChi fraternity. Following graduation, Phil worked as a copywriter and audio producer for several Illinois radio stations, While working at WJRL, Rockford, Illinois, he met and married Gwendolyn Engstrom. Later, Gwen, Phil and son Steven, moved to Tampa, Florida, where he and his business partner opened a recording studio and a 35mm film processing and printing facility. Later. Phil was recruited by General Telephone of Florida to be...

Alice J. Palmer Ramsey, 81, of Shinnston and formerly of Bowie, MD, passed away on Friday, November 6, 2020 at St Barbara's Memorial Nursing Home. She was born November 24, 1938 in Sand Ridge, WV, daughter of the late William David and Esta Poling Palmer. Alice graduated from Calhoun High School. She babysat and did crafts for many years. Alice and her sister Cora wrote and published a book called "It happened in West Virginia." Alice enjoyed reading, doing needlepoint and spending time with her family. She was a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Shinnston. She is survived by her husband, Oscar Ramsey, whom she married on January 28, 1961; two daughters, Carole A Rehm and Kenneth,...

Peter A. Fischer passed peacefully from this life on Saturday, October 31, 2020. A brief service celebrating his life will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, November 20th at Charlie Marshall Funeral Home, Rockport, TX. Pete was born to John Peter Fischer and Isabelle Frances McVay on June 15, 1936, in Bradford, Illinois. The family moved to Kewanee, Illinois where he attended public schools and began to reveal the incredible talent and ingenuity for which he would be known his entire life. He played varsity football, earned the coveted rank of Eagle Scout, and was selected as the Kewanee High School yearbook art editor, a title that afforded him the opportunity to design new diplomas and a...

Almina J. (Lussenhop) Hughes, 89, went to be with her Lord and Savior on August 10, 2020 at her home near Silver Lake, KS. She fought a valiant battle with Alzheimer's. She was born on June 30, 1931, just outside of Morton, MN, to Albert C. Lussenhop and Edna M. Payne. In 1936, the great depression forced them to move to Kewanee, IL to be near family, where she and her five sisters lived and grew up. She attended the Kewanee Public Schools until the end of her sophomore year, when she dropped out in May of 1947. In 1949, after giving her heart and life to Jesus, she knew she had to return to high school and get her diploma in order to effectively serve her Lord and Savior. She...

Phyllis M. (Good) Jones, 94, most recently of Bellevue, Iowa, formerly of Kewanee, Illinois, passed away on Monday, February 10, 2020 at Mill Valley Care Center in Bellevue. Funeral Services will be 10:30 am, Saturday, February 15, 2020 at First Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, conducted by Pastor Shannon Witt, family will greet friends 9:30 am until service on Saturday at the church. Graveside Services will be 10:30 am, Monday, February 17, 2020 at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Perry, Kansas. The family will also have a celebration of life in the spring in Kewanee, Illinois. Phyllis was born September 17, 1925 in Perry, Kansas on the family farm, the daughter of Howard and Alberta (Smalley)...

ROCKY MOUNT - On November 6, 2019, Carol Richards passed peacefully through the gates of heaven. The daughter of Dr. Charles and Mrs. Ruth Fleming, Carol was born on November 17, 1936, in Kewanee, Illinois. When they were both in junior high school, Gerald Richards rode his bicycle past Carol's home so many times trying to capture her attention that he joked about getting sunburned from the street lights. Carol and Gerry became sweethearts at that young age and remained deeply in love and devoted to each throughout their marriage of 61 years. Carol earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University, where she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity. Although Carol never worked...

Bonnie Mae (Mohler) Neice, born on January 21, 1930 in Danville, Illinois, was a sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who had a passion for music and education and an unwavering love for her family and Jesus Christ. The youngest daughter of Daniel H. Mohler and Marinda E. Rush Mohler, she grew up in Galva, Illinois and graduated with honors from Galva High School in 1947 where she played piano and sang in the choir. During high school, she met and later married the handsome Thomas E. (Tommie) Neice on December 23, 1950. After getting married, Tommie and Bonnie lived in several Illinois towns and in 1963 they moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin with their young boys Tom and...