Recent Obituaries: Richard W. ‘Dick’ Sowers

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Richard W. ‘Dick’ Sowers

Richard W. ‘Dick’ Sowers, 91, of Bethany, passed away at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at Aspen Creek in Sullivan with his family by his side.

A Celebration of Life service will be 11:00 a.m. Monday, December 13, 2021 at the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan with Pastor Chip Sanders officiating. Visitation will be one hour before the service. Following the service military rites will be conducted by the Bethany American Legion.  Burial will be at a later date in the Marrowbone Twp. Cemetery, Bethany. Memorials are suggested to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church or the Bethany American Legion. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net.
Mr. Sowers was born on January 10, 1930 at Greenup, Illinois, the son of Hobert and Bertha Hutson Sowers.  Dick worked for and retired from the Village of Bethany. He was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Bethany, the Bethany American Legion and was a lifetime member of the VFW.
Dick was a woodcarver, loved camping, fishing and playing cards. He proudly served in the U. S. Army during the Korean conflict and had participated in the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. and that trip meant a lot to him.
Dick married Wanda Tipsword on August 21, 1954 at Toledo, Illinois and she survives. Also surviving are his children Steve Sowers (Melody) of Bethany and Nancy Mueller (Gene) of Bethany; six grandchildren; sixteen great grandchildren; one great-great granddaughter and a sister Pat Hayden-Titus of Greenup.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Pete, Kenny, Jim, Randy and Bill and one sister Betty.

The Sowers family would like to extend a special thanks to the Aspen Creek Staff for the wonderful care given to Dick during his stay there.

Recent Obituaries: Peggy Shipman

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Peggy Shipman

Peggy Shipman, 87, of Harrison, Arkansas, formally of Sullivan and Lovington, went to her heavenly home on Monday, December 6, 2021 at North Arkansas Regional Hospital in Harrison.

A Celebration of Life service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 11, 2021 at the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan with Pastor Mike Fender officiating. Visitation will be one hour before the service. Burial will be in the Greenhill Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or the donor’s choice. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net.
Peggy was born on February 23, 1934 in Moultrie County, Illinois, the daughter of Earl and Nettie (Slover) Freese, who preceded her in death. Peggy graduated from Sullivan High School in 1952. She married the love of her life, Larry Shipman on September 19, 1957. They were married for 62 wonderful years and their life was full of adventure and fun. They were always together, spent winters in Texas, and enjoyed time with family and friends. Larry preceded her in death on July 23, 2019.

Peggy is survived by her daughter and son in-law, Debbie (Shipman) and Kevin Olinger of Wisconsin, her sister Nancy (Freese) Hostetler of Pennsylvania, niece Tammy (Hostetler) Royer of Pennsylvania, and a host of dear friends and family.

Obituaries 12-8-2021: Gwendolyn Peiper

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Gwendolyn Peiper

Gwendolyn Ruth Peiper (née Newbould) passed away peacefully October 30, 2021. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a gifted and inspiring piano teacher to students of all ages and levels, committed to the musical and personal development of each student, building technical proficiency, musical appreciation, reading skills, musicianship, and confidence in public performance. Read More

Recent Obituaries: Glen Ray

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Glen Ray
Glen Ray, 68, of Sullivan, passed away at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday November 23, 2021 in Carle Hospital in Urbana.

Celebration of Life services will be 11:00 a.m. Wednesday December 1, 2021 in the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan with Pastor Steve Meyer officiating.  Visitation will be Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. until service time.  Burial will be in the Greenhill Cemetery in Sullivan.  Memorials are suggested to the Lake Shelbyville Fish Habitat Alliance or to the Lakeside Baptist Church in Sullivan.  The family kindly suggests masks and social distancing for the visitation and services.
Glen was born January 2, 1953 in Decatur the son of Henry M. and Alberta May Harl Ray.
He had worked at Firestone in Decatur, Kaiser Chemical in Sullivan, Trailmobile in Mattoon, Illinois Department of Transportation at the Sullivan Shed from 1984 to 2009 and he worked for Earl Walker Company in Sullivan.  Glen had also helped farmers Eric Shuman and Mike Bone. Glen was a member of the Lakeside Baptist Church.  He was a avid outdoorsman.  He loved fishing, hunting, trapping, camping in Southern Illinois and going to Wyoming.  He loved to prank people and visit at Faststop for coffee with his friends Bob Emel and Cheryl Coddington and go fishing at the river with Terry Lane.  He was an avid CUBS fan.  Glen was a great father and grandfather.  He married Jane Funk on July 13, 1985 in Sullivan.
Surviving are his wife Jane of Sullivan; children Heath Ray of Sullivan, Jeremy (Autumn) Ray of Sullivan, Patricia (Mike) Carter of Charleston, Chad (Brandi) Vail of Champaign and Mark (Sarah) Vail of Mattoon; grandchildren Grace Ray, Matthew Ray, Joe Carter, Abby Carter, Elexa Vail, McKinzie Ray, Logan Ray and Briannae Saunders.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Mark Ray, sister Becky Emel and half-sister Matina Wiggins.