SIUE, Jan. 2012-Dec. 2012; Obituaries
SIUE Mourns Passing of Matthew Felts
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville community today is mourning the death of undergraduate student Matthew Felts, who died Wednesday night after a life-long struggle with a heart condition. The 23-year-old Felts was a heart transplant recipient in 2006.
Felts was a senior psychology major in the SIUE School of Education, and a native of Springfield, Ill. He is the son of Jerry and Rhonda Felts, and he was engaged to Christine Miller. He was scheduled to walk at commencement on Dec. 15.
“Our entire SIUE community sends its condolences to Matthew’s family and friends as this tragedy represents a great loss for our University,” said SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe. “We know that Matthew will be missed by everyone with whom he interacted on campus.”
The family will receive friends for a memorial gathering from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12, at Kirlin-Egan & Butler Funeral Home, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield. A memorial ceremony is set for 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13, at the same location.
Memorial contributions may be made to: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois, 640 N. LaSalle, Suite 280, Chicago, IL 60610 or Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, Attn: Gwendolyn Blakemore, 425 Spring Lake Dr., Itasca, IL 60143.
Pauline Gartshore, 1914-2012; Was Bursar’s Office Employee
Pauline Gartshore, of Taylorville, formerly of Edwardsville, died Tuesday at Taylorville Hospital. She was 98.
A Nilwood, Ill., native, Gartshore, was employed in the Bursar’s Office and retired from that department. There are no services or visitation planned. Condolences may be expressed online.
Dr. John M. Virgo, 69; Was SIUE School of Business Professor
Dr. John Michael Virgo, 69, of Atlanta, Georgia, died Nov. 29. He was a retired professor from the SIUE School of Business.
The family is welcoming friends during a visitation from 6-8 p.m. tonight at Elias-Smith Funeral Home, 727 E. Bethalto Blvd. in Bethalto. Interment will be held at Rose Lawn Memorial Gardens, Bethalto, Ill. at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow.
Online Condolences can be made at www.hmpattersonspringhill.com. More information can be found in Virgo’s obituary through the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Madeline R. Reynolds, 1926-2012; Was Supporting Services Employee
Madeline Reynolds, of Edwardsville, died Tuesday, Nov. 6, at Rosewood Care Center in Edwardsville. She was 85.
A Modesto, Ill., native, Reynolds, was employed in supporting services and retired from that area.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, at Weber and Rodney Funeral Home with services to follow at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9. Family requests memorials to Parkinson’s Disease Association.
Condolences may be expressed online.
Roger D. Kramer, 1961-2012; Was SIUE Journalism Alumnus, Instructor
Roger D. Kramer, originally from Brighton, died Saturday, Nov. 3, at his Belleville home. He was 51.
Kramer earned his degree in journalism through the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville College of Arts and Sciences. He later taught journalism at the University for several years.
An avid bicycler, Kramer, who was a design editor at the Belleville News Democrat, founded the Tour de Donut and the Tour de (Three) Stooges rides.
Visitation is from 4-7 p.m. tonight at Targhetta & Wooldridge Funeral Home in Brighton. A prayer service will take place at 5 p.m.
Services will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Brighton with Father Bill Kessler officiating. Burial will be at Brighton Cemetery. Memorials can be made to the Easter Seals Society. More information is available and a guestbook can be found online.
Thomas M. Diamond, 1967-2012; Was SIUE College of Arts & Sciences Student
Thomas M. Diamond, of Highland, Ill., died Wednesday, Oct. 17, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. He was 45.
Diamond studied geography and climatology in SIUE’s College of Ats and Sciences.
Donations may be made to the Diamond Children’s Education Fund. A complete obituary is available at meridithfuneralhome.com.
Virginia E. Royston, 1920-2012; Was Dean’s Secretary
Virginia E. Royston, of East St. Louis, died Sunday, Oct. 14, at Relais Bonne Eau Hospice in Edwardsville. She was 92.
She was the secretary for the dean of Social Studies for 15 years before her retirement.
In accordance with her wishes, cremation rites were accorded. Memorials are suggested to Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. Online guestbook is available at www.pitchfordfuneralhome.com.
Gene Morgan 1929-2012; SIUE Retiree Dies
Gene W. Morgan, a native of Staunton, died Sept. 2, 2012. He was 83. Morgan retired from the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Police Department. Morgan also worked for the Shell Oil Company and had more than 22 years experience with state and federal law enforcement. Morgan earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SIUE. Visitation and funeral information is available online at williamsonfh.com.
E. Herscher Dies; Was SIUE Professor in Lovejoy Library
Eugene Herscher, who worked at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Lovejoy Library from 1959 until retiring as a professor emeritus in 1988, died July 25. He was 88.
During his time at the University, he managed the merger of more than 100,000 volumes from the Alton and East St. Louis libraries, and brought them to the Edwardsville campus.
Herscher was a member of the Illinois Library Association and past chairman of the Resources and Technical Services section. He also was a member of other St. Louis and Illinois library groups. There will be no visitation or service. Herscher’s obituary is available online through The Edwardsville Intelligencer.
Roy Hughes Dies, Was SIUE Employee
Roy Hughes, a native of Maryville, died July 17, 2012. He was 74.
Hughes worked in the printing department at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for many years. His visitation was held Sunday, July 21 at Weber and Rodney Funeral Home.
More information is available on Hughes’ online obituary.
Jeanette D. Anderson Dies; Was Retired Purchasing Officer
Jeanette D. Anderson, 61, of Maryville, died Wednesday. She was retired from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as a purchasing officer.
A visitation for Anderson will take place from 9:30-11 a.m. Saturday at Meadow Heights Baptist Church in Collinsville. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Edwardsville.
More information can be found in Anderson’s obituary through STLToday.com, the online arm of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Dan R. Salden Dies; Was Professor Emeritus In Speech Communication
Dan R. Salden, 71, of Maryville, died Wednesday. He was a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville professor emeritus in Speech Communication.
A celebration of Salden’s life will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, July 27 at the SIUE Center for Spirituality & Sustainability.
More information can be found in Salden’s obituary, which is located on obitsforlife.com.
Lucille Hopkins Dies; Was SIUE Employee
Lucille Hopkins of Edwardsville died June 4, 2012. She was 96.
A native of Webster Groves, Hopkins worked at SIUE from 1959 to 1982 where she retired as the executive assistant to James Metcalf, controller of the University. Additionally, Hopkins also worked with numerous charitable organizations.
The memorial service was held June 17 at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Edwardsville. A private family burial was held after the service.
Deacon William J. Maurer Dies; Was SIUE School Of Pharmacy Development Director
Deacon William J. Maurer of Troy died Sunday, July 15 at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was 69.
Maurer was the director of development for the SIUE School of Pharmacy. He also had been a deacon, most recently serving as the permanent deacon at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Troy. Maurer is survived by his wife Marcia Maurer, dean of the SIUE School of Nursing.
A visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 18 at the Irwin Chapel in Glen Carbon. Visit the chapel’s website for obituary information and visitation details.
Fred Lampe Dies; Was SIUE Geography Professor
Fred Lampe, of Edwardsville died Sunday, July 1, 2012. He was 77.
Lampe was a professor of Geography for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 1972 to 1992. He also was a member of the Association of American Geographical Society.
Lampe’s visitation will be held from 9:30-11 a.m. Saturday, July 14 at the First Presbyterian Church in Edwardsville. More information regarding the memorial can be found at fpcedw.org or by calling (618) 656-4550.
His obituary can be found through the Edwardsville Intelligencer.
N. Johnsen dies; Was SIUE Urban Planning and Local Government Faculty
Norman Johnsen, 84, of Edwardsville, died July 1 at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. He joined the faculty as a professor in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Social Sciences, teaching earth sciences, geography and planning.
According to his obituary, Johnsen originally was from Mineola, N.Y. He earned a master’s in economics from Syracuse University and moved from New York to Illinois to serve as an urban planner. A member of the area’s community development team, Johnsen assisted in the planning and implementation of SIUE. He was employed by the University from 1955 to 1986, at which time he retired from the institution.
More information is available about Johnsen through an obituary in the Edwardsville Intelligencer. Arrangements were handled by Sunset Hills Funeral Home in Glen Carbon. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Siteman Cancer Institute at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Hope Rescues in Granite City, the fire department of Albertson, N.Y. or the Glen-Ed Food Pantry in Edwardsville.
S. Nair Dies; Was SIUE Associate Professor, Dean Emeritus
Shankar P. Nair, of Ann Arbor, Mich., died Saturday, June 9. He was 86.
Originally from Trichur, Kerala, India, Nair was employed at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 1970 to 1995. He was an associate professor of biological sciences and also served as the dean of University College, which later became part of the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or the National Inclusion Project.
For more information, visit Nair’s online obituary through Nie Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service: niefuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Shankar-Nair/#/Obituary.
Peggy Guiliacci Dies; Was SIUE Financial Aid Counselor
Peggy L. Guiliacci, of Sorento, died April 10, at her home. She was 65. Funeral services were held April 13 at the Sorento Baptist Church with burial in Kirkland Cemetery in Sorento. Perfetti Funeral Home in Sorento was in charge of arrangements.
Guiliacci was a financial aid counselor at SIUE before retiring on Dec. 31, 2011.
Memorials may be made to the Sorento Food Pantry, Sorento Baptist Church or Trinity Baptist Church Building Fund in Gillespie.
Lacy Siddall Dies; Was SIUE School of Education Student
Lacy V. Siddall, a Bethalto native and a student of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, died Sunday, April 22, 2012, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo. She was 21.
Siddall was a junior in the SIUE School of Education, studying Speech-Language Pathology. She graduated from Civic Memorial High School in 2009.
The visitation will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 26, at the Greater Alton Church in East Alton. More information regarding the visitation can be found at thegreateraltonchurch.
Lauren Petersen Dies; Was SIUE Student
Lauren D. Petersen, of Bethalto, died Monday, April 23 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo. She was 19.
Petersen was a freshman at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2011 fall semester, with an undeclared major in the College of Arts and Sciences. Visitation will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at the Greater Alton Church in Rosewood Heights. The funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 27, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Bethalto.
More information regarding the visitation can be found at greateraltonchurch.com.
SIUE Mourns Passing of Sam Bequette
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville community today is mourning the death of undergraduate student Samuel A. Bequette, who died in an accidental drowning Saturday night. The 19-year-old Bequette was a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, and a native of Worden, Ill.
”We are deeply saddened at the loss of a member of the SIUE family,” said chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift. “On behalf of everyone at the University, I wish to extend our sincerest condolences to the Bequette family and all of Sam’s friends and classmates.”
Lesicko Funeral Home in Livingston is handling funeral arrangements
SIUE Foundation Board Member Clinton Rogier Dies
Clinton H. Rogier, of Highland, died Friday, April 13, at Faith Care Center in Highland. He was 92.
Rogier served as president, chairman and a board member of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Foundation and was a recipient of the University’s Distinguished Service Award.
More information is available at spengel-boulanger.com or thetelegraph.com.
Eugene “Gene” Maag Dies; Was SIUE Speech Therapy Professor
Eugue Maag, died Saturday, March 24, at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. He was 86.
A Glen Carbon native, Maag was a retired professor of speech therapy at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served in World War II and the Korean War. He was a member of both the American and Illinois Speech and Hearing Association.
Funeral services were held March 28 at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church in Glen Carbon. More information about Maag is available at theintelligencer.com.
Devere “Nuet” Neutzling Dies at Age 89
Devere “Nuet” Neutzling, of Edwardsville, died Sunday, March 25, 2012 at his residence. He was 89.
While Neutzling was not an official SIUE employee, many people knew him from working with Illinois Bell Telephone and being assigned full-time at the University. Neutzling worked as a communication technician with Illinois Bell Telephone and AT&T for more than 39 years.
Visitation, funeral and memorial information is available at www.weberfuneralhome.com or by calling 618-656-4655.
Herbert Fellhauer Dies; Was SIUE Grounds Employee
Herbert Fellhauer, of Highland, died Sunday, March 18, at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. He was 83.
Fellhauer, a Highland native, was a grounds employee at SIUE from 1976 until he retired in 1987.
Kalmer Memorial Services in Lebanon is in charge of arrangements. Visitation, funeral and memorial information is available at http://www.kalmermemorialservices.com or by calling (618) 622-4900.
SIUE Mourns Passing of John Hutson
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Community today is mourning the death of undergraduate student John Hutson, who died in an automobile accident Thursday night. The 19-year-old Hutson was a freshman in arts and sciences, and a native of Taylorville, Ill.
”This tragedy represents a great loss for our University,” said SIUE chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift. “We know that John will be missed by everyone with whom he interacted on campus. Our entire SIUE community sends its condolences to John’s family and friends.”
McClure Funeral Home in Taylorville is handling funeral arrangements.
M. Puro Dies; Was Emerita Professor of Accounting
Marsha Bell Puro, emerita professor of accounting in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Business, died Monday. She was an SIUE faculty member from 1982 until she retired in 2008.
A graveside service will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery, 9125 Ladue Road.
For more information, visit bergermemorialchapel.com or view Puro’s obituary through Stltoday.com, the online version of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
L. Felkner Dies: Was Dental School Pioneer At Alton
Dr. Larry L. Felkner, retired professor of restorative dentistry and a pioneer faculty member in the SIU School of Dental Medicine, died suddenly Sunday, Jan. 1, during an outing at Queeny Park in Des Peres, Mo. He was 79.
A native of Kansas City, Mo., Dr. Felkner joined the faculty of the dental school at Alton in 1969 as director of educational services and coordinator of the academic program. Before coming to the Alton campus, he had been in dental practice in Kansas City and Europe after also serving two years in the Navy as a base dentist in Frankfurt, Germany. Dr. Felkner also had taught in the department of prosthodontics at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and had been a researcher for the Dentists’ Supply Co. of New York. After retiring from SIUE in 1998, he continued in private practice in Chesterfield, Mo.
He earned a DDS at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry in 1956 and a doctorate in dental education at the University of Pittsburgh in the mid-1960s.
An athlete and adventurer who rode in hundreds of bicycle races in the U.S. as well as several bicycle tours in Europe, Felkner continued to play tennis and squash until he died. He also was known for his work in blocking construction of a golf course at Queeny Park, leading the charge in gathering enough signatures to mount a voter initiative that defeated the proposed golf course in 1986. He was elected to the board of the St. Louis Coalition for the Environment and was a volunteer tutor for St. Louis Oasis.
A memorial party is planned for 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in Queeny Park, 1721 S. Mason Road, Des Peres, Mo. Memorials may be made to the St. Louis Coalition for the Environment.
M. Walker Dies; Was Retired Analyst In ITS
Marsha J. Walker, retired application analyst in Information Technology Services, died Monday, Jan. 16., after a long illness. She was 55.
A School of Business alumna, Walker joined the staff of what was then known as the Office of Information Technology in 1983 as a management analyst programmer. She retired in 2010. During her tenure at SIUE, Walker also was a data processor with OIT/ITS. She was an avid spelunker and a member of Meramec Valley Grotto since 1993. Her friends referred to her as loving horseback riding, traveling and the outdoors.
Visitation will take place from 4-9 p.m. today at Kutis Funeral Home, 10151 Gravois, South St. Louis County. A service is set for 7 p.m. Memorials may be made to any cancer research organization.
J. Brown Dies; Was Early Pioneer In SIUE Engineering Studies
Zissel (Julius) “Zeke” Brown, emeritus professor of electrical engineering and the first chair of that department, died Wednesday, Jan. 11. He was 96. A native of Brooklyn, NY, Brown’s birth certificate noted his first name as Julius, but his family called him by his Jewish name, Zissel, which Army friends would later shorten to Zeke. His parents ran a small grocery store and, according to his son, SIUE Emeritus Music Professor Steve Brown, Zeke and his older brother Milton had a happy childhood.
“In the summers,” Steve Brown said, “they practically lived in their swimming suits, although swimming in Sheepshead Bay involved pushing debris away with every stroke.” Zeke Brown attended the City College of New York, majoring in physics and earning a bachelor of science in 1936. When World War II arrived, he enlisted in the Army Air Force and trained as an anti-radar operator, a training that included graduate studies at both M. I. T. and Harvard.
The practical part of the training brought him to what was then known as Scott Field near O’Fallon, where he met Norma Joseph; they were married on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He was assigned to the B-29 squadron which mounted the first air attack on mainland Japan after the now famous Jimmy Dolittle raid. “The initial sorties, conducted in daylight and without fighter support, were devastating—as many as a third of the planes were lost on a single flight,” Steve Brown said. “After the mode of attack was reconfigured by Curtis Lemay, missions became more effective, though still extremely hazardous.” For his service, Zeke Brown was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, with one oak leaf cluster, and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
After the war, Zeke and Norma settled into a small apartment in Manhattan, and he took a job in the electronics industry. They were regulars at the Café Society in New York’s Greenwich Village, where they became friends with some of the jazz and folk artists of the day. Zeke’s refusal to sign a loyalty oath during the notorious McCarthy Era led to their returning to O’Fallon and moving to a farm north of town where they kept a small herd of buffalo.
At that time Zeke completed a master’s at Saint Louis University in electrical engineering, and then began teaching there. Later, he completed a doctorate at Washington University in St. Louis, and was asked to head what was then known as the engineering division at SIUE in 1965, where he remained until his retirement in 1986.
Steve Brown pointed out that his father was “a dreadful singer (a grade school teacher assigned him the role of ‘listening tenor’),” but also that he loved to listen to music. “My father’s tastes were wide-ranging, but his particular favorites were some of the most complex and pure of compositions: Beethoven’s string quartets.” He was, until almost the very end, a voracious reader. He served on the O’Fallon grade school board, and for many years volunteered at the St. Louis Science Center.
Private services were conducted at Wolfersberger Funeral Home in O’Fallon. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Greenpeace, The Fund for Animals or the Memory Diagnostic Center in St. Louis. Friends and family are invited to a reception in Zeke Brown’s honor at Steve and Liz Brown’s home in O’Fallon at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21.