Edna Goss
Edna Marie Goss of Sullivan, age 90, passed peacefully with her children at her bedside on Friday, December 28 at Mason Point in Sullivan, Illinois. Edna was born August 16, 1928, to Anson and Bertha Kauffman Miller, of Arcola, Illinois. Edna married Charles Goss Jr. of Nappanee, Indiana August 20, 1950, and for 68 years Edna and Charles lived life on the farm, raising five children, teaching them to love the Lord and a strong work ethic. Read More
•January 2, 2019•
An American Red Cross blood drive will be held 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Friday, January 11 in the Okaw Valley High School gym in Bethany. Any healthy individual, age 16 through 75, who meets weight requirements may donate blood. Donors should eat a healthy meal and drink an extra 16 oz. of water and fluids before donating, and they must bring identification showing a picture and a signature.
All blood types are needed, especially Types 0- and 0+. Every 2.5 seconds someone needs blood; a friend, a family member, or maybe even you. The need is real. By donating at this blood drive, you are helping one or more graduating senior earn a scholarship. You can save up to 15 minutes when you donate blood by using RapidPass! Visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass for more information.
The drive is sponsored by the Okaw Valley High School Student Council. For more information or to make an appointment, contact Okaw Valley High School at 665-3631. An appointment may also be made online at www.redcrossblood.org. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Grace Waelde
Grace Ellen ‘Gracie’ Waelde, 74, of Sullivan, passed away at 9:55 a.m. Saturday, December 29, 2018 at her home.
Celebration of Life services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Sullivan First United Methodist Church with Pastor Charliam Renner officiating. Visitation will be from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday evening at the Sullivan First United Methodist Church. Entombment will be at a later date at Greenhill Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Luke Waelde’s College Education Fund. Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net
Mrs. Waelde was born November 11, 1944 in Canton, Ohio, the daughter of Ward and Dorothy Morgan Bell. Gracie graduated with honors in 1980 from Georgia Southwestern College. She retired from teaching kindergarten at Bethany Grade School. In 2004 Gracie received the ‘Education Is The Key’ award from the Illinois Regional Office of Education. Gracie loved social media and spending time with her family especially her grandsons. She was a member of the Sullivan First United Methodist Church and was active in the Women’s Fellowship and Yoga group. In high school she was a Worthy Advisor of the Rainbow Girls. Gracie married John Robert Waelde on June 13, 1964 in Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Survivors include her husband John Robert ‘Bob’ Waelde; son Mark (Lynn) Waelde of Sullivan; daughter Jennifer (Josh) Rilying of Springfield; grandsons Luke Waelde of Sullivan, Dylan Burnett of Charleston and Austin Minnigerode of Sullivan; brother Jim (Amy) Bell of Metairie, Louisiana.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Edna Marie Goss
Edna Marie Goss, Sullivan IL, age 90, passed peacefully with her children at her bedside on Friday, December 28, at Mason Point, Sullivan, Illinois. Edna was born August 16, 1928, to Anson and Bertha (Kauffman) Miller, of Arcola, Illinois. Edna married Charles Goss Jr. of Nappanee, Indiana on August 20, 1950 and for 68 years, Edna and Charles lived life on the farm, raising 5 children, teaching them to love the Lord and a strong work ethic.
Leaving family to cherish her memories are her husband Charles, and her children Donald Goss (Beverly) of Mattoon, Illinois, Robert Goss’ wife, Karen of Sullivan, Illinois, Lyle Goss (Esther) of Findlay, Illinois, William Lynn (Bill) Goss (Geneva) of Salem, South Dakota, Lori Goss Plank (Jim) of Sullivan, Illinois; 17 grandchildren: Erin Goss Brooks and her husband Frank of Richmond Heights, Missouri, Madeleine Goss Powers and her husband Cory of Shelbyville, Illinois, Charles W. Goss of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Broderick Goss of Sullivan, Luke Goss and his wife Heidi of Sullivan, Lisa Goss of Sullivan, Steve Goss and his wife Hannah of Harrington, Delaware, Brenda Goss Bankes and her husband Aaron of Medford, Wisconsin, Cheryl Goss Meyer and her husband Tom of Salem, South Dakota, Melissa Goss Fitzjarrald and her husband Christopher of Palmer, Alaska, Kimberly Goss of Mattoon, Illinois, Shelbi Plank Swartzentruber and her husband Jeremy of Arthur, Illinois, Spencer Plank and his wife Tayler of Omaha, Nebraska, Micah Plank and Magdalen Plank of Indianapolis, Indiana, Isaiah Plank and Ian Plank of Sullivan, Illinois. 12 great-grandchildren: Sydney Dehart, Elana, Olivia, Liam, Iliana Krutsinger, Celia, Avery, Oliver, Camille Goss, Lucy Goss, Judah and Gavin Swartzentruber. Special care given by Sharon Goss, Viola Jess, Betty Helmuth and the First Collins Nursing staff of Mason Point.
Edna loved to prepare a home cooked meal for her family—mashed potatoes covered with a chunked beef gravy was a requested specialty! She also loved to work outside, especially mowing the huge lawn on the farm. While her children were young, Edna had an “Egg Route” in Mattoon for which her 1,000 laying hens provided the eggs. In later years, Edna graduated with her CNA certification from Lake Land College and was employed through LincolnLand Home Care as a Caregiver. Edna’s grandchildren brought her much joy and would delight in giving tractor rides or watching them play in the enormous playhouse she created from cardboard for inside the house and the ‘Kinderhaus’ she created outside under a big tree!
Celebrating Edna’s heavenly homecoming are her parents, one infant sister, and her son Robert Goss.
Edna’s kindness and respect for others, her devotion to family, her love for Jesus, and her gentle way of caring for others will live on for generations.
Celebration of Life services will be 10:00 a.m. Monday, December 31, at Sunnyside Mennonite Church, Rt. 133, Chesterville, Illinois with Pastor Brian Petersheim officiating. Burial will be in the Sunnyside Mennonite Church Cemetery. Visitation will be Sunday, December 30, from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Sunnyside Mennonite Church. Memorials are suggested to the donor’s choice. Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net.
George R. ‘Junior’ Harchous
George R. ‘Junior’ Harchous, 86, of Sullivan, passed away at 9:20 p.m. Wednesday December 26, 2018 in his residence.
Celebration of Life services will be 4:00 p.m. Sunday in the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan with John Plummer officiating . Visitation will be from 2 - 4 p.m. Sunday. Burial will be at a later date in the Greenhill Cemetery, Sullivan. Memorials are suggested to Lincolnland Hospice or to the Alzheimer’s Association. View complete obituary and send online condolences to the family at reedfuneralhome.net.
George was born September 14, 1932 in Allenville, the son of George F. and Ila Olive Hoseney Harchous. George graduated from Sullivan High School. He had worked for his uncle, Oliver Myers, at the Shell Service Station in Sullivan. He later owned and operated the Harchous Marathon Station in Sullivan for about ten years. He then began a twenty year career as a police officer for the Illinois Secretary of State. George was a member of the Sullivan Masonic Lodge # 764 AF & AM, the Sullivan Ambucs and the Sullivan Ambucs Big Hat Club, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Sullivan First Christian Church and had attended the Allenville Christian Church and most recently the Mason Point Chapel. George married the love of his life, Janet Marlow on October 11, 1951 and they were married for 65 wonderful years. They loved camping, square dancing and their grandchildren. For seven years they took their camper to Weslaco, Texas for the winter. They had many friends.
Surviving are his children Jennie Harchous of Sullivan, Joe (Sandy) Harchous of Allenville and Tracy (Kyle) Cochran of Lunenburg, Massachusetts; grandchildren Ashley Cochran, Seth Cochran, Lindsay Cochran all of Lunenburg, Massachusetts, Josh (Sarah) Cole of Sullivan, Kaci (Kyle) Crafton of Lovington; great grandchildren Madisyn, Alivia, Emmalynn and Greyson Crafton and Makenzie and Rachel Cole; step grandchildren Crystal (Chris) Keepes of Clarksville, Tennessee, Heather (Chris) Graham of Lexington, Kentucky and Stephanie (Kyle) Finney of Sullivan, a niece and several nephews..
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Janet and sister Betty Moutria.
•December 26, 2018•
Paige McLaughlin, a senior at Sullivan High School, was the first place winner in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy essay contest.
McLaughlin will receive $100 for first place from VFW Post 6410 who sponsored the contest and will go on to compete at the district level.
Since 1947, the Voice of Democracy has been the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ (VFW’s) premier scholarship program. Each year nearly 40,000 high school students compete for more than $2 million in scholarships and incentives. Students compete by writing and recording an audio essay on an annual patriotic theme. This year’s theme is Why My Vote Matters.
•December 26, 2018•
By Trudy Lieberman,
Rural Health News Service
The other day came a lengthy report (https://go.cms.gov/2StPAIu) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing worrisome findings for anyone with a Medicare Advantage plan or anyone thinking about buying one in the future. The findings are also relevant to anyone buying any kind of health insurance this year.
The ominous takeaway? The information given to consumers in the provider directories is deeply flawed, often misleading, inaccurate, and “can create a barrier to care,” CMS said. Imagine choosing a plan based on the information stating your doctor is in the plan’s network, only to find he or she is not and you have to find a new doctor, perhaps in an inconvenient location.
Actually, finding any provider at all may be hard. CMS said that providers were not located at one-third of the addresses indicated in the provider directories. That means if a beneficiary tried to make an appointment with the doctor at a particular location, they’d be out of luck. Government researchers noted that sometimes providers did not work or accept the health plan at any of the locations listed in the directory.
Had the provider ever been part of the health plan’s network? Good question! CMS said this was a “concern.”
About half of the online directories the agency sampled had at least one inaccuracy. The directories included incorrect phone numbers, indications that a provider was accepting new patients when that wasn’t the case, and claims that providers were practicing at locations where they were not.
All these findings, of course, raise the question: Why so many mistakes given how detrimental this bad information can be to seniors? CMS investigated that, too, and found a “general lack of internal audit and testing of directory accuracy among many Medicare Advantage organizations.” The health plans rely on credentialing services and vendor support to ensure directory accuracy, which is not exactly a reliable method, the agency concluded.
