News

Helen Glenda Piek, of Edwardsville, died Friday, Sept. 14. She was 67.

A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Piek entered a doctoral program at the University of Iowa and completed one year of study before accepting a position in fall 1991 as a Suzuki cello instructor at SIUE. She received her permanent green card in 1996 and became a U.S. citizen in 2004. Glenda taught cello in Edwardsville and St. Louis until 2010.

A memorial service is planned for Sunday, Dec. 30 in Edwardsville with place and time to be announced. Irwin Chapel is managing the arrangements.

A complete obituary is available at irwinchapel.com.

Richard “Dick” Lee, of Brookings, South Dakota, died Saturday, Nov. 10 at the United Living Center in Brookings. He was 83.

A Belleville native, Lee taught journalism at SIUE from 1961-66. He earned a master’s in journalism from SIUC and a doctorate in mass communications from the University of Iowa. He was the head of South Dakota State University’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication for 24 years.

Memorials may be directed to McCrory Gardens or to the Richard and MaryJo Benton Lee Scholarship at the SDSU Foundation.

A complete obituary is available in the Brookings Register.  

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville community is mourning the loss of student Gavin Twitty, of Highland, who passed away Saturday, Nov. 10 from an automobile accident. He was 22.

A Hillsboro native, Twitty was a student in the Water Quality Control Operations Program at the Environmental Resources Training Center (ERTC).

Visitation is from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14 at St. Louis Catholic Church in Nokomis with funeral service to follow at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 15 at the church.

Stiehl-Dawson Funeral Homes is managing the arrangements. A complete obituary is available at stiehldawsonfh.com.

The following is a list of resources available to members of the campus community:

On-Campus

• To support acceptance, coping, and grieving, short-term options are available through Counseling Services, co-located with Health Services in the lower level of the Student Success Center (adjacent to the Morris University Center), suite 0222. By calling x-2842, Psychotherapists are available for the following:

­   Crisis Support

­   Individual Therapy

­   Attend on-campus memorial events

­   Facilitate group, classroom, or team discussions/debriefings

Local Community Resources

• NAMI
• Heartlinks

John Hoehn, of Granite City, died Sunday, Sept. 16 at Stearns Nursing and Rehab in Granite City. He was 80.

An Alton native, Hoehn served as SIUE superintendent of disbursements for 20 years before his retirement in 2002.  

A celebration of John’s life will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday Sept. 25 at Gray Funeral Home in Wood River. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at act.alz.org.

A complete obituary is available at grayfuneralhomeinc.com.

Dean E. Cody, of High Ridge, Mo., died Friday, July 20 at his residence. He was 68.

A Hammond, Indiana native, Cody held a PhD in philosophy and was a faculty member at SIUE as an associate professor/acquisitions librarian, as well as an Emeritus Faculty Association member.

Memorial donations may be made to the General Scholarship Fund at SIUE or Open Door Animal Sanctuary, 6065 Duda Rd., House Springs, MO 63051.

A complete obituary is available at stlfuneral.com.

Edmond Leroy Schmulbach, of Fairview Heights, died Wednesday, Aug. 22 in Swansea. He was 80. 

He was a counselor for the Educational Talent Search Program at the SIUE East St. Louis Center from Feb. 7, 1996-Oct. 31, 2005. 

 Valhalla Gaerdner Holten Funeral Home in Belleville handled the arrangements. 

A complete obituary is listed in The Edwardsville Intelligencer.

Jeannie Kittrell, nee McCarty, of Edwardsville, died Tuesday, Aug. 14 in hospice. She was 91.

A Birmingham, Ala. native, Kittrell served as a professor and later chair of the English Department with the SIUE School of Education, Health and Human Behavior. An accomplished ragtime and jazz performer, she retired from performing in 2008.

Memorials are appreciated to the SIUE Foundation, Jean Kittrell Archives & Scholarship. Memorials in her honor will be split between the College of Arts and Sciences and Library Information Services. Lovejoy Library is home to the Ragtime and Jazz Archives, to which Kittrell donated many items.

A complete obituary is available in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  A more complete story detailing Kittrell’s career is in The Syncopated Times.

Cheryl Madson, of Glen Carbon, died Thursday, Aug. 9 at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. She was 63. 

She began working at SIUE on June 19, 1972 and was the University Park office administrator. She retired April 30, 2009. 

Saksa Mateer Funeral Home in Edwardsville handled the arrangements.

A complete obituary is listed in The Edwardsville Intelligencer.

Janet Torrisi-Mokwa, of St. Louis, died Monday, July 23. She was 58.

Torrisi-Mokwa earned a master’s in industrial/organizational psychology from SIUE in 1993.

Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, July 26 at The Lupton Chapel in University City, Mo. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 27 at the Church of St. Michael and St. George in Clayton, Mo.

Memorials may be made to the Humane Society of Missouri and the World Pediatric Project.

A complete obituary is available in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville community is mourning the loss of student Brian Brunk, of Brownstown, who passed away on Friday, May 18. He was 23.

An Effingham native, Brunk was a junior majoring in biology in the College of Arts and Sciences.

A private service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations and/or memorials may be sent to Second Chance Animal Rescue at 835 Sunset Dr., Vandalia, IL 62471; or Liberty Christian Church Youth Groups at 1593 E. 2300 Ave., Brownstown, IL 62418.

Counseling services are available to students by calling 650-2842 or visiting the Counseling Health Services Office in the Student Success Center lower level adjacent to the Morris University Center.

Charles Alvin “Al” Wentz, Jr., of Edwardsville, died Thursday, June 21. He was 82.

Wentz earned a master’s of business administration from SIUE in 1986. He supported multiple scholarships at SIUE, served on the School of Engineering’s Advisory Board and was a member of the School of Business’s Dean’s Society.

Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. Monday, June 25 at Weber and Rodney Funeral Home in Edwardsville. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 26 at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Edwardsville.

A complete obituary is available in The Edwardsville Intelligencer.

JoAnn White, of Edwardsville, died Wednesday, June 6 at her home. She was 82. 

White started working at SIUE on June 2, 1969. She retired on Aug. 31, 2002 as a secretary III in Facilities Management. After that, White began working for the University as Extra Help in a clerical capacity in the Department of Music and in the offices of Counseling Services, Health Services and the Service Center until Aug. 1, 2007. 

Visitation will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 16 and service at 12:00 p.m. at New Horizon Community Church, 3315 Summit Ave., in East St. Louis. 

Arrangements are being handled by Harrison Funeral Chapel and Cremation Center in Alton. 

A complete obituary is listed in the Alton Daily News.com.

Paul Michael Patrick McNamara, of East St. Louis, died Wednesday, May 30 at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was 71.

McNamara received a bachelor’s in geography in 1974 and a master’s in city and regional planning in 1981, both from SIUE.

Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 5, at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Troy. Burial will be in Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Belleville.

Saksa Funeral Homes handled the arrangements.  

A complete obituary is listed in the Edwardsville Intelligencer. 

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville community is mourning the loss of junior School of Education, Health and Human Behavior student Kendall Douglas, who passed away early Monday, May 14 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. She was 20.

An O’Fallon, Mo. native, Douglas was an elementary education major in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior, and a member of Delta Phi Epsilon sorority.

Visitation is 3-8 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at Hutchens-Stygar Funeral Home located at

5987 Mid Rivers Mall Dr. in St. Charles, Mo. The funeral service will follow at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 20 at Hutchens-Stygar.

A complete obituary is available at hutchensfuneralhomes.com.

Counseling services are available to students by calling 650-2842 or visiting the Counseling Health Services Office in the Student Success Center lower level adjacent to the Morris University Center.

Cynthia Nordstrom, of Peru, formerly of Worden, died Wednesday, April 11 at Illinois Valley Community Hospital. She was 54.

Nordstrom was a professor of psychology at SIUE from August 2000 until November 2015.

Ottawa Funeral Home is handling arrangements, and a complete obituary is available on its website.

Memorials may be directed to Pet Project, Inc.

Sandra “Sandy” Lynn Goodman, of O’Fallon, died Monday, April 16 in her home. She was 69. 

Goodman had worked in SIUE Dining Services as a cashier since Oct. 12, 1998 until the time of her death.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19 at Sutherland-Garnier Funeral Home in Centralia. Visitation will be at 4 p.m. Thursday until the time of service.

A complete obituary is listed on the funeral home website.

Keith Dahms, of Brighton, died Sunday, April 1. He was 51.

Dahms was a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.   

Services were held on Saturday, April 7, at Ortmann-Stipanovich Funeral Home in Creve Coeur, Mo.

Marjorie Ann Barban, born in Harrisburg, died Saturday, March 24 at Alton Memorial Hospital. She was 81. 

Barban earned a master’s in elementary education from SIUE in 1994. 

A prayer service will begin at 4 p.m., followed by visitation until 8 p.m. today at Gent Funeral Home in Alton. A mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 28, at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Godfrey. Burial will be at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Godfrey. 

A complete obituary is listed in the Alton Daily News.com.

Marion M. Lampe, DMA, of Edwardsville, died Thursday, Feb. 15. She was 89. 

Lampe was an emerita music professor in the College of Arts and Sciences. She also served as head of the Keyboard Department. Lampe was employed at SIUE from Sept. 16, 1969-Aug. 31, 1984. 

Visitation will be at 3 p.m. Friday, April 20 at First Presbyterian Church, 3601 Ridgeview Road in Edwardsville. A memorial service will follow at 4 p.m. 

A complete obituary is listed in The Intelligencer.

Ken Flach, a 2008 inductee to the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame, has passed away at age 54.
 
According to ubitennis.net, Flach passed away due to complications with Bronchitis and pneumonia.
 
“SIUE Athletics is mourning the loss of one of its finest former tennis players,” said SIUE Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Hewitt. “Ken Flach was a tremendous individual and doubles player at SIUE and was responsible for bringing great recognition to the tennis program.”
 
Flach, who came to SIUE from Kirkwood High School in St. Louis, captured three consecutive individual NCAA Division II singles titles from 1981 to 1983. As a teammate, he won two NCAA Division II doubles titles in 1982 and 1983 with different partners and advanced to the finals with a third different partner in 1981.
 
After leaving SIUE, he joined SIUE teammate Robert Seguso to capture four Grand Slam titles professionally with two at Wimbledon (1987 and 1988) and two at the U.S. Open (1985 and 1993). He also won a mixed doubles Grand Slam at the French Open and Wimbledon. Flach was inducted into the St. Louis Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998.
 
Flach and Seguso, who represented the United States in Davis Cup play from 1985 to 1991, also won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville community is mourning the loss of freshman College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) student Bryce Sheffer, who died from injuries sustained in an ATV accident on Thursday, March 8 near his home in Morganfield, Kentucky. He was 19.

Sheffer was a freshman on the Cougars wrestling team. He was able to wrestle unattached through the 2017-18 season, compiling a 10-6 record, while winning six of his last seven matches in open events at 141 lbs. Sheffer enrolled at SIUE after wrestling for Cougars alum Robert Ervin at Union County High School. 

“It was an honor and a privilege to have Bryce as part of our program,” said Jeremy Spates, SIUE wrestling head coach. “We are deeply saddened by his loss and would like to express our heartfelt sympathies to his family and friends. He always will be a part of our team.”

Visitation is 2-7 p.m. Sunday, March 11 and 9 a.m. until service time on Monday, March 12 at Whitsell Funeral Home in Morganfield. Funeral services follow immediately at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Ann Catholic Church.

Counseling services are available to students by calling 650-2842 or visiting the Counseling Health Services Office in the Student Success Center lower level adjacent to the Morris University Center.

Robert Malone, of Edwardsville, died Saturday, Feb. 24 at St. Louis University Hospital. He was 84.

Malone was a professor in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Design from September 1970-May 2001. He was instrumental in numerous Departmental efforts and served as the Head of Printmaking. The University Museum owns a number of Malone’s artworks, as well as hundreds of prints from the SIUE Print Edition series which he developed and directed for many years.

Weber & Rodney Funeral Home is handling arrangements. No services are scheduled.

A complete obituary is available here.

Melvin P. Weber, of Teutopolis, died Saturday, Feb. 24 at HSHS Hospital in Springfield. He was 63.

An Effingham native, Weber earned a bachelor’s in business administration/professional accounting in 1977 from SIUE’s School of Business.

The Swengel-O’Dell Funeral Home, of Neoga, managed the arrangements.

A complete obituary is available in the Press Mentor.   

Larry Duckworth died Saturday, Feb. 17 at Evelyn’s House in Creve Coeur, Mo. He was 81.

A Charleston native, Duckworth earned a master’s in education, counselor education/school counseling from SIUE in 1971.

Visitation will be from 5-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20 with funeral service immediately following at Pitchford Funeral Home in Wood River. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at Rest Haven Memorial Gardens in Mattoon.

A complete obituary is available in the Alton Daily News.    

Barbara C. Martin nee Stogsdill, of St. Jacob, died Wednesday, Feb. 7 at Anderson Hospital in Maryville from complications of pneumonia. She was 78.

A Raymond native, Martin was a School of Nursing faculty member who taught at SIUE full-time from 1982-2002, and then part-time for another 5-6 years. A U.S. Air Force veteran, she was noted for her love for and devotion to the nursing profession and her students.  

A celebration of life service will be held from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17 at the American Legion Hall in Troy.

Richeson & Aebischer-Richeson Funeral Homes is managing the arrangements.

A complete obituary is available at richesonfh.com.   

John Peecher, of Pearl, died Tuesday, January 23 at his home from natural causes. He was 67.

A Pearl native and alum of East Alton Wood River Community High School, Peecher served SIUE as assistant director of development from 2002-07 for the College of Arts and Sciences, and was coordinator of the Arts & Issues series during that time. He left SIUE to become a development director at the University of Chicago.

A small family funeral is being planned for later in the spring in Pearl.

Weber and Rodney Funeral Home in Edwardsville is managing the arrangements.

The SIUE community is mourning the loss of Noah Hays, of Waterloo, who died Thursday, Jan. 25 in Monroe County. He was 19.

Hays was a freshman in SIUE’s College of Arts and Sciences.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Noah Hays’ family and friends as they face this tragedy,” said SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook. “It is heartbreaking for everyone who knew Noah.”

Visitation is from 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30 at Christ Community Lutheran Church in Columbia. A memorial service will follow immediately at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the church.

Quernheim Funeral Home in Waterloo is managing the arrangements.

Roberta Bux Bosse, PhD, of St. Louis, died Monday, Jan. 22. She was 80.

Bosse was an Emerita English professor in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26 at Bopp Chapel in Kirkwood, Mo. Funeral service is 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27 at St. Francis de Sales Church in St. Louis.  

D. Marie (Foiles) Millitello, of Brighton, died Sunday, Jan. 21 at Eunice C. Smith Home in Alton. She was 84. 

Millitello earned a bachelor’s in elementary education in 1971 and a master’s in special education in 1974, both from SIUE. 

Visitation will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Brighton. Services will follow at 10:30 a.m. 

A private burial will be held at Rose Lawn Memory Gardens in Bethalto. 

Paynic Home for Funerals in East Alton is in charge of the arrangements. A complete obituary is listed in RiverBender.com.

Ruth Ann Klaus, of Maryville, died Monday, Jan. 22 from pancreatic cancer. She was 66.

A Granite City native, Klaus earned a bachelor’s in education/English from SIUE in 1973.

Visitation is 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, at Sunset Hill Funeral Home in Glen Carbon. A prayer service will be held before the visitation at 3:45 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 25, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alton.

A complete obituary is available here.   

Robert Dean Stuart, of Edwardsville, died Wednesday, Jan. 17 at Kapalua Golf Course in Maui, Hawaii. He was 78.

A Granite City native, Stuart earned a master’s in educational administration from SIUE in 1967. In 1991, Stuart was named Edwardsville superintendent of schools and remained in that position until his 1996 retirement.

Visitation will be at Saska Mateer Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 26, from 3-8 p.m. On Saturday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m., a visitation at the First Presbyterian Church of Edwardsville will be immediately followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m.

A complete obituary is available in The Intelligencer.   

Terrence “Terry” M. Stuchlik, of Beatrice, Neb., died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017, in Alton. He was 75. 

Stuchlik earned a bachelor’s in geography in 1965 and a master’s in geography in 1968, both from SIUE. 

Visitation will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 20 at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Seward, Neb., with burial following at Seward Cemetery. 

Memorial contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to Masses or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. 

Zabka Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. A complete obituary is listed in the Seward County Independent.