Spencer James Atherton

Spencer James Atherton, 22, of Lanark, died Thursday, August 16, 2012 at Rockford Memorial Hospital.

Born June 19, 1990 in Roseville, CA he was the son of Kurtis A. and Susan S. (Spencer) Atherton.

A 2008 graduate of Eastland High School, he attended Highland Community College and was planning to attend NIU in the fall.

Spencer was working at Wal-Mart in Freeport.

Surviving is his fiancé, Cassandra Green of Dixon; his parents of Lanark; his sister, Jessica E. Atherton (Jared Green) of Dubuque, Iowa; his paternal grandparents, James and Julia Atherton of Freeport; his aunt & uncle, Kathleen and Jay Leary of Freeport; cousins, Shannon and Rodney Pritchett, Noan Haring, Owen Haring, and Seth Pritchett of Rochelle, Nathan and Layla Atherton and Dylan Atherton of Lanark; cousins and other family members in Illinois and California; and his beloved dog, Dewars.

He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Priscilla E. Spencer and Douglas A. Spencer; his uncle, William D. Spencer; and his cousin Lathan A. Atherton.

Cremation rites have been accorded.

A memorial service will be held 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at Walker Mortuary in Freeport.

There will be a gathering for family and friends 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, August, 20th, 2012 at Walker Mortuary in Freeport.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to a memorial established in Spencer’s name or the charity of your choice.

Please view the Family Guest Book and sign the condolence page at www.walkermortuary.com

Gregg A. Carroll

Gregg A. Carroll, 61 of Lake Carroll, formerly of Marengo, passed away at his home with his family by his side.

Gregg was born October 30, 1950 in Belvidere, Illinois, the son of Thomas and Ila Mae (Smith) Carroll Jr. He grew up in Marengo and graduated from Marengo Community High School. He was united in marriage to Donna L. Farner on November 29, 1975 in Union. The couple made their home in Marengo, and Gregg worked as a Union carpenter for over 42 years. He was also the Business Representative for Local 2087, retiring in 2010. He loved coaching his son’s Little League and daughter’s softball teams. In more recent years, he cherished time with his grandchildren, golfing, and fishing. He and his wife, Donna moved to Lake Carroll in 2010.

He is survived by his loving wife, Donna, his daughter, Jamie (Dave) Zaban of Kenosha, Wisconsin, his son, Brent (Anna) Carroll of Cary, his grandchildren, Jack & Ben, Kendra & Kylie, his mother, Ila Mae Carroll and his brother, Thomas Carroll III both of Genoa, his sisters, Janice (Dennis) Hoftender of Belvidere and Judy (Dave) Tischhauser of Genoa.

Visitation will be held from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 26th and the funeral service at 10:30 a.m. on Monday all at DeFiore-Jorgensen Funeral Home, 10763 Dundee Road, Huntley. Burial will be in Marengo Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Lake Carroll Fishing Club, the FHN Hospice of Freeport or the Jimmy V. Foundation for Cancer Research. For more information please call, or online condolences can be directed to www,defiorejorgensen.com

Mildred Cave Siedenburg

Mildred Cave Siedenburg, 97, died August 23 at Good Samaritan Home in Mt Carroll. She was born at the family home in Leaf River Township, Ogle County, Illinois, on June 30, 1915, to John M. and Maren Johnson Cave. She graduated from Leaf River High School as valedictorian of the class of 1933. After a year of college at North Central College Naperville, she transferred to Huntington College, Huntington, Ind. Her typing skills earned her 25 cents an hour in the library before her 1937 graduation with a double major in English and history, with a minor in French.

Her teaching career began at Silver Creek, a one-room school in Rockvale Township in Ogle County, where her own school years had begun. She also taught at Excelsior school near Savanna for one year and in Savanna City Schools for 25, with 19 of those in art. After retiring, she taught three years at Carroll County Christian School, Mt. Carroll, which brought her back to a love of the one-room-school teaching environment.

On Oct. 12, 1940, she married Loyal G. Siedenburg of Savanna, and they raised five children on their farm northwest of Mt. Carroll. Mildred was a long-time member of Woodland United Brethren Church and then Center Hill United Brethren Church, both near Mt. Carroll. She remained affiliated with the U.B. Church through the Rockford Kilburn Ave Church following her husband’s death in 2008 but was more easily able to attend First Baptist Church in Mt. Carroll.

Mildred began and led the Echo Valley 4-H Club for 25 years, pioneered the first joint ag/home economics club in Illinois, and was recently named to the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame. She was a member of the Freedom Unit of Home and Community Education or HCE, which began as Home Bureau, and to which she was committed for over 70 years. Mildred was a Master Gardener, with expertise in Illinois wildflowers. Her favorite activities included camping, reading, gardening, mowing, and editing Loyal’s weekly Comin’ thru the Rye column for the Northwest Illinois Farmer.

She was preceded in death by her husband Loyal, her parents, sister Marie Van Brocklin, brothers-in-law Leo Van Brocklin, Alvin Siedenburg, and Paul Siedenburg, and sisters-in-law Virginia Siedenburg and Gladys Siedenburg.

Survivors include children Delight Howes and husband Dave, Wabash, Ind.; Robert Siedenburg and wife Mary, Champaign; Richard Siedenburg and wife Cathy, Savanna; Joy Schafer and husband Randy, Haxtun, Colo.; and Merry Epperly and husband Roger, Unionville, Mo.; grandchildren Joe Siedenburg, St. Joseph, Ill.; Amy Hanon and husband Bruce, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.; Jolene Friedmann, Mt. Carroll; Naomi Schafer, Holyoke, Colo.; and Joshua Schafer and wife Brechen, Aurora, Colo.; great-grandchildren Diana and James Siedenburg, St. Joseph, Ill.; Nate Hanon, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.; and Colby and Bella Friedmann, Mt. Carroll; brother-in-law George Siedenburg and wife Marion, Savanna; sister-in-law Minnette Siedenburg, Des Moines IA; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, August 28th, at 11:00 a.m. at the Mt Carroll Church of God. Visitation is set for 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 27th, at the Frank-Law-Jones Funeral Home, Mt Carroll. Online Condolences and memorials may be left for the family at www.lawjonesfuneralhome.com

Memorials may be given in Mildred’s honor to the Caroline Mark Home of Mt. Carroll.

Lester Earl Miche

Lester Earl Miche, 88 yrs. old, a lifelong farmer of Pearl City, IL passed away Thursday evening, Aug. 23, 2012 at the Lena Living Center, where he had resided for the last 16 months. He was born Feb. 23, 1924 at Pearl City, the son of Oscar and Edna (Edler) Miche, and was a Graduate of Pearl City High School.

He was a 32nd degree member of the Pearl City Masonic Lodge, where he was a life member, a member of the Freeport Consistory, and a member of the Lanark United Methodist Church.

He was most proud of being one of the first from Illinois to participate in the first (1953-1954) International Farm Youth Exchanges (I.F.Y.E.). He visited for over five months with twenty-six farm families in Australia, where he met his wife, Lila. They were married in Toronto, Canada on Jan. 14, 1955. He and his I.F.Y.E. sisters, Audrey East of Indiana and Diana Hansen of Minnesota and his I.F.Y.E. brother, Jerry Morel of Wyoming have kept in close contact ever since. He hosted their 40 th anniversary at his home. He and his wife hosted many of his host families over the years and also many international visitors.

He served on committees and boards that benefited his children’s lives: Association for The Handicapped, was a Cubmaster, served on Boy Scout Boards, was a volunteer for the Salvation Army, Meals on Wheels, and was a mentor to children in church sponsored reading and math programs.

In the years after driving a school bus for many years as well as farming the centennial farm all his life, he and his wife enjoyed traveling worldwide, visiting Australia several times as well as 22 other countries. Several times they were hosted by families who had stayed with him through the years.

Another project of great care for Lester were his visits to the church’s missions, Red Bird near Beverly, KY, Rose Bud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the Inner City of Chicago, and West Virginia all felt his help to a better life from his hands.

Surviving are his wife of fifty-seven years, Lila, of Pearl City, two sons, Leland (Linda) Miche of Mt. Pleasant, TX. and Richard Miche of Boston, MA and his daughter, Alison Miche , a resident of Gordon Jones Terrace in Lanark, Il. , three grandchildren, Spencer, Hunter, and Kendall, all of Mt. Pleasant, TX.

Also Surviving is a sister, Vietta (Lawrence) Scheider of Freeport, two nieces, Sally and Ida, two nephews, Grover and Phillip, cousins, Opal Offenheiser, Ronald Edler, Judy, and a special cousin, Verla (Mervin “Johnny”) Lobdell, many neighbors and friends.

Services will be at 10:30 AM on Monday, August 27, 2012 at the Lanark United Methodist Church in Lanark, Il. with Pastor Hyang Sook Choi officiating. Burial will be in the Zion Cemetery near Pearl City. Friends may call at the Lanark United Methodist Church from four to seven pm. on Sunday, where Masonic Services will be held at 7:00 P.M. A memorial has been established in his memory in lieu of flowers.

Arrangements are being handled by the Offenheiser-Schwarz Funeral Home in Pearl City.

Allen Arthur Haas

Allen Arthur Haas, age 83, of rural Savanna, Illinois, died Tuesday, August 21, 2012, suddenly at home. Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 25, 2012, at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Savanna. Burial will follow in St. Peter’s Lutheran Cemetery, rural Savanna. Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, August 24, 2012 at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Savanna. A memorial fund has been established for Savanna Ambulance and Fire Departments in Allen’s memory.