Obit of Edward Henry Post - July

Visitation for Edward Henry Post, 100, of Crescent City, will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 24, at the Knapp Funeral Home, Watseka, and from 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Crescent City, until the 11 a.m. funeral services. The Rev. Joel Brown will officiate.
Burial will be in St. Peter's Lutheran Cemetery, Crescent City. Memorials may be made to St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Crescent City or to Prairieview Lutheran Home in Danforth. He passed away Monday (July 16, 2012) at Prairieview Lutheran Home.
Edward was born Feb. 8, 1912, in Charlotte, the son of Henry and Gretchen Gerdes Post. He was baptized at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Charlotte, and his sponsors were George and Trintje Rosenboom. He attended Chatsworth  Country School for two years, then moved with his parents to Crescent City, where he attended Crescent City Grade School for six years.
At the age of 14, he was confirmed on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1926, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Crescent City by Pastor Christian Helmreich. His confirmation text was John 15:5: "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing."
Edward worked on his father's farm until 1938, when he was united in marriage on Sept. 25, 1938, in rural Crescent City, to Mona Rabe, the only daughter of Henry and Rosa Rabe. Mona passed away July 26, 2010. The young couple began to farm in the spring south of Crescent City and farmed until he retired in 1972. Edward and Mona moved to their retirement home in Crescent City in 1987.
He was a lifelong member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Crescent City, having served as an usher and a deacon, and on the cemetery board for 25 years. He served as a Crescent Township Assessor in Iroquois County and was a member of Crescent City Senior Citizens, AARP and Men in Mission at St. Peter's Lutheran Church.
Edward is survived by one brother, John Post, of Crescent City; 12 godchildren; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Edo and George; and two sisters, Marie and Angeline.
Please sign his guestbook at knappfuneralhomes.com.

Obit of Mary (Zorn) Petersen

Mary Frieda Petersen, 93, of Ashkum, passed away Friday (Dec. 21, 2012) at Merkle-Knipprath Catholic Home in Clifton.

Mary was born Oct. 16, 1919, in Chatsworth, the daughter of Adolph and Ruth Entwistle Zorn. She married Arnold Rigsby in 1941 in Fairbury, and he preceded her in death in November 2005. She later married Delmer Petersen in April 1976 in Fairbury, and he survives.

Other survivors include three daughters, Carol Haas and Linda (Ervin) VanWinkle, both of Seymour, Tenn., and Ruth (Jim) Winterland, of Fairbury; one son, Dale (Cathy) Rigsby, of Fairbury; one stepdaughter, Ruth (Darryl) Kleinert, of Chebanse; one stepson, Roy (Vicky) Petersen, of Ashkum; nine grandchildren; 18 stepgrandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; 28 stepgreat-grandchildren; and one stepgreat-great-grandchild.

She was preceded in death by her parents; one brother, Paul Zorn; and one grandson, Douglas VanWinkle.

Mrs. Petersen owned and operated the Grand Ballroom in Chatsworth and was a seamstress for the Fairbury Garment Co. She loved sewing, antiques, crafting and fishing.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. Monday until the 1 p.m. funeral service at Knapp Funeral Home in Clifton. The Rev. Dan Shipton will officiate. Burial will be in the Chatsworth City Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Merkle-Knipprath Catholic Home.

Please sign her online guestbook at knappfuneralhomes.com.

Obit of Ruth (Thompson) Shafer

osted on December 14, 2012 by admn-pontiac

Ruth A. Shafer, 95 of Chatsworth, IL passed away at 11:45 am on Thursday, December 13, 2012 at Fairview Haven Retirement Community in Fairbury.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am on Monday, December 17, 2012 at Chatsworth United Methodist Church. Rev. Ivy Silas will officiate. Visitation will be held from 9-10:30 am on Monday at the church prior to the service. Burial will follow services at Germanville Cemetery in rural Chatsworth. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.

Ruth was born July 27, 1917 in Bowen, Illinois a daughter of Charles and Lois (Martin) Thompson. She married Ronald C. Shafer on November 8, 1936 in Chicago. He preceded her in death on January 26, 2009.

She is survived by four sons: Kurt, Greg, Scott (Statta) Shafer all of Chatsworth, IL, and Tod (Donna) Shafer of Channnahon, IL; two daughters: Karen Kamin of Schaumburg and Jill (Frank) Hughes of Ann Arbor, MI; fourteen grandchildren; sixteen great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, one infant grandchild, two brothers, and one sister.

Ruth was a homemaker her entire life and enjoyed spending time with her family.

She was very involved with her church, the Chatsworth Evangelical Church, now known as the Chatsworth United Methodist Church. Ruth was a member there for 65 years, treasurer for 30 years, president of the United Methodist Women’s Club for two terms, a Sunday School teacher, and a member of the church choir.

Ruth was also a member of the Chatsworth Community Choir, the Junior Women’s Club, and served on the Fairbury Hospital Board for many years. She enjoyed traveling and playing board and card games with family members and friends.

Ruth was a loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and aunt who will be greatly missed.

Obit of James J. Hubly

James "Jim" J. Hubly, 85, of Kankakee, died Saturday (Dec. 1, 2012) at his home. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Clancy-Gernon-Hertz Funeral Home, west Kankakee, where funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Rev. Patty Heath will officiate. Interment will follow at Kankakee Memorial Gardens, Aroma Township.

Mr. Hubly was born June 5, 1927, in Charlotte Township, the son of W. Lester and Mary Viola (Monahan) Hubly. He worked for 39 years at Roger's Cartage and was a member of Teamsters Local 179 Retirees Club. He enjoyed playing cards, especially euchre. Jim was always active in his church, serving on the council at Trinity Lutheran Church in Kankakee and as a current member of Our Savior Lutheran Church.

He married the former Ruah K. Lasse on Jan. 27, 1947, at Kewanna, Ind.; she preceded him in death June 27, 2012, after 65 years of marriage. Jim was a lifelong Teamster and appreciated the many kindnesses shown to him over the years as he drove our country's highways. In 1980 a truck driver from California was seriously injured in an accident on Interstate 57. Jim took his bible and visited the trucker in the hospital. Jim and his wife, Ruah, opened their home to the trucker and his wife until they could travel back to California, forging an enduring friendship. Jim firmly believed in passing kindnesses forward.

He is survived by one son and three daughters-in-law, James T. and Paula Hubly, of Limestone Township, Patricia Hubly, of Bourbonnais, and Debra Hubly, of Kankakee; one daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and Dan Petry, of Limestone Township; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Ann and Hal Barnhart and Joan and Bill Penicook, all of Champaign; three sisters-in-law, Dorothy Hubly, of Chatsworth, Ronnie Hubly, of Bloomington, and Patricia Hubly Cutting, of Rockford; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by two sons, Raymond and Matthew; his sister Mary Ruth Donovan and an infant sister; and four brothers, William, Robert, Donald and John Hubly.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of Kankakee Valley. Please sign his guestbook at clancygernon.com

Obit of Mathew Baker

CHATSWORTH — Mathew Baker, 21, Chatsworth, died at 12:40 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 4, 2012) at his residence.

Private family services will be at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Chatsworth with the Rev. Tom Krieger officiating. There will be no visitation and cremation rites have been accorded. Calvert & Martin Funeral Home of Chatsworth is handling the arrangements.

Memorials in Mathew’s name may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice for the needy.

Mathew was born on May 2, 1991, in Chicago, a son of Raymond and Carmen Vega Baker.

He is survived by his parents, Chatsworth; four sisters, Tina Baker, Stacy Baker and Jennifer Baker, all of Chatsworth; and Lisa (Justin) Heald, Chatsworth; and his maternal grandparents, Hector and Estelle Vega, Orlando, Fla. Also surviving are three nephews, Aidan, Cameron and Paul. Mathew was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents.

Mathew was educated in Prairie Central schools and was employed at the Sears store in Pontiac. He was a devoted son, brother and a beautiful boy who was part of a beloved extended family that he cared for deeply.

This obituary may be viewed and guestbook signed at www.calvert martinmemorial.com.