U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Wilbert Schisler
Wilbert 'Short' Schisler, age 72, of Roseville, Illinois, passed away at 8:45 p.m. Sunday, April 25, 1999 at home. He was born September 19, 1926, in Industry, the son of Pearl and Mary Katheryn Emig Schisler. He married
Betty Willis on July 3, 1948, in Monmouth. Surviving are his wife; one son, Dave Schisler, Raleigh, North Carolina; one daughter, Stacy Scott, Tempe, Arizona; five brothers, Lewis Schisler, Robert Schisler, and Gerald Schisler, all of Monmouth, Donald Schisler, Avon and Charles Schisler, Galesburg; three sisters, Dorothy Griffin, Rock Island, Betty Clark, Phoenix, Arizona and Marilyn Jo Johnson, Monmouth, and one grandson. He was preceded in death by his parents, one daughter and two brothers. He was reared in Industry. He also lived in Smithshire, Swan Creek and Roseville. He was an Army veteran of World War II. He operated a waste management business. He was a member of Lawson-Babbitt American Legion Post 614, Roseville. Graveside services were held at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Roseville Memorial Park cemetery with Rev. Maurice Midgley officiating. Corman Memorial Home, Roseville, was in charge of the arrangements. Memorials may be made to Roseville Ambulance Service and to American Legion Post 614.
Billie Paulus
Billie D. Paulus, age 60, of Avon, passed away at 6:33 a.m. Wednesday, April 28, 1999, at Galesburg Cottage Hospital. Born August 17, 1938, in Afton, Iowa, to Leonard and Gladys Wilson Paulus, he married
Dorothy Ford on August 20, 1957, in Creaton, Iowa. She survives. Also surviving are two sons, Ronald of Avon and Donald of Long Grove, Iowa; two daughters, Cindy Paulus of Avon and Donna Paulus of Downs; one sister, Paula Alverson of Hacienda, California; and six grandchildren. One brother preceded him in death. He was a farmer. He also was a truck driver for Dohrn Trucking and Maytag Corp. He was a member of the Harmony Masonic Lodge. Graveside services were held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Avon cemetery with Rev. Jon Prain officiating. Corman Memorial Home was in charge of the arrangements. Memorials may be made to Avon Community Summer Vacation Bible School.
Denice Newell
Denice 'Denny' Newell, 65, of Macomb, died at 4:24 a.m. Saturday, May 8, 1999, in McDonough District Hospital. She was born Nov. 20, 1933, at Saginaw, Mich., to Malcom J. and Isabel Reinhart McMullen. She married
Robert W. Newell on June 22, 1957, in Saginaw, Mich. He died May 14, 1996. She is survived by her sons, Daniel of Nashville, Tenn., Peter of Waverly, Iowa, Gregory of San Francisco, Calif., and Michael of Chicago; a daughter, Amy of Macomb; four grandsons and one granddaughter. She was a graduate of Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, Wis. She taught English in Wisconsin and Michigan in her early life and was a substitute teacher at St. Paul’s School in Macomb. She was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church where she was a Catechist and taught in the RCIA Program. She was a member of St. Paul’s Women’s Guild and served on the Advisory Board of Catholic Social Services. She was also a Birthright volunteer. Services were Tuesday in St. Paul’s Catholic Church with Father Richard Pricco officiating. Burial was in St. Paul’s cemetery. Memorials may be made to St. Paul’s Church.
Thomas Sailer
Thomas C. Sailer, an Illinois native who flew with the Flying Tigers in World War II and for Air America in Vietnam, passed away April 27, 1999, in Knob Hill Convalescent Center. He was 80. He was born July 14, 1918, in St. Augustine, Illinois, the son of Clare T. and Margaret Kennedy Sailer. He married
Zena Flayer in 1949 in Shanghai, China. Surviving are his wife; one daughter, Peggy Malcolm, Andover, MO; one son, Douglas Sailer, in Luxembourg; three sisters, Kathleen Boone, St. Augustine, Betty Sailer, Des Moines, Iowa, and Virginia Pica, Fort Washington, MD; one brother, Philip Sailer, Rock Island, Illinois; two grandsons, and nieces and nephews. He was graduated from Avon High School in 1937. He attended Army Air Force School at Texas A&M; University. Mr. Sailer’s career as a pilot included service with Gen. Claire L. Chennault’s Flying tigers, an American volunteer force that fought the Japanese in World War II, and flying in Vietnam for Air America. Air America, reputed to be a commercial service, was widely reported to be financed by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Sailer was stationed in Saigon when it fell to the Communists in April 1975, and flew one out of the last plane loads of refugees to Hong Kong. Mr. Sailer’s story was told in an article in the April 21, 1985 edition of The Washington Post Magazine. It said, in part: 'On April 28, I was sitting around my apartment-on Cong Ly Street-with nothing much to do. 'That night there was an attack on the airport. My apartment was on the sixth floor of the building and out the window I could see out near Tansonnhut and it was just a sea of flames out there.I had several Air America pilots over for dinner that night and several of them said that they thought they’s never see their aircraft again. 'That night we watched the shelling of the city from the roof of my apartment building. My building was supposed to be a rescue point if it ever got really bad. And that night we thought it was getting pretty bad. We sat around and talked until pretty late in the night. And the other pilots said they thought it would be best if they stayed at my place that night. So they did. 'We got up the morning of the 29th, and we were sitting around the table having breakfast, when all of a sudden we heard a chopper approaching..Now the big evacuation was on. As we heard that chopper coming in, we ran out the door and up to the roof. He had already landed there. And he told us, 'We’re getting out. Right now. Bring one bag.' We were told that all hell had broken loose at the airport. They had been shelled and bombed and sniped at an now some of the Vietnamese were stealing our choppers and taking off in them. Everything was going. 'They dropped us off on the ground next to a C-46 and told us to get on board. We did just that.We scrambled onto the plan, started the engines and just started rolling..When I taxied out onto the runway, I saw a line of C-130s all ablaze and people lying dead on the ground around them. Then, as I was coming up the nearest intersection, here came a little French car. It pulled up right in front of me, just like he was preparing to ram. And a Vietnamese major got out. He signaled to me that he wanted to go out with us..My copilot, a kind of hot-headed guy, said, 'I’m going back and shoot that guy. He’s a deserter.' And I said, 'Ah, hell. Let’s take him. It’s all over here anyway.' And we threw the ladder down for him and he came on board.. I could have left him there, I suppose. But I really thought we should take him. At the moment it seemed like the right thing to do.. 'We took off toward the west because of a westerly wind at the time. Then I turned and headed southeast toward the nearest water. The main thing was to get over the water, so we would be safe from ground fire and SAMs. My last look at Vietnam was through broken clouds as we turned. I looked down and it looked peaceful. Then I headed for Hong Kong.' Mr. Sailer’s family moved later to San Francisco. He retired from flying in 1984. Cremation was accorded. A memorial will be held later.
Wilma Lucile Teel
Wilma Lucile Teel, 81, a former employee in a former Macomb store, died May 6, 1999 at Rushville. She had lived in Industry and was a resident of a Rushville nursing home. Teel had lived in the Industry area most of her life. She had been employed 21 years at the Macomb P.N. Hirsh retail store, in the drapery department. Services were Monday in the Clugston-Tibbitts Funeral Home at Macomb. Burial was in the Industry cemetery. Memorials may be made in her memory to the Wilma Teel Memorial Fund.
Lois M. Geltmacher
Mrs. Lois M. Geltmacher, 88, of 230 W. State St., Good Hope, died Thursday, May 6, 1999, at 2:27 p.m. in McDonough District Hospital at Macomb. She was born on Feb. 17, 1911, in Macomb, the daughter of Henry T. and Orral Conger Lusk. She married
Harry T. Geltmacher on July 3, 1933, in Edwardsville. He died March 21, 1998. Survivors include sons, Harold of Bolivar, Mo., and Larry of Ponte Verde Beach; five grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and one brother, Ray Lusk of Good Hope. She was preceded in death by one brother, James 'Jay' Lusk. She taught school in rural Good Hope and was a member of the Good Hope Order of the Eastern Star. Graveside services were Saturday in the Good Hope cemetery with the Rev. Ron Green officiating. Sargent-Worthington Funeral Home handled the arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Good Hope Rescue Squad or McDonough District Hospital.
Margaret Dowell
Margaret J. Dowell, 77, of Swedenberg Road, Knoxville, passed away at 8:10 p.m. Friday, May 7, 1999, at Galesburg Cottage Hospital in Galesburg. Born August 2, 1921, in Akron, Colorado, to Frances and Faye Berry Lyon, she married
George E. Dowell on September 23, 1945, in Galesburg. He survives. Also surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Rick (Carolyn) Varner of Berwick and Mrs. Jim (Judy) Rutledge of Galesburg; two sons, Kenneth of Lathrup Village, Michigan, and James of Spokane, Washington; one brother, Robert Lyon of Kent, Ohio; six grandchildren; one step grandchild; two great grandchildren and one great grandson. She worked at Rock Island Arsenal during World War II. She then worked at the Knox County Nursing Home in the crafts department. She was a member of United Methodist Church in Knoxville, Knoxville United Methodist Women and the Ruth Wiertzema Circle. She also was a member of New Horizons of Knoxville and the Western Illinois Antique Car Club. She was a volunteer at In-Touch in Galesburg. Services were held Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday at Hurd-Hendricks Funeral Home in Knoxville with Rev. David Hultberg officiating. Burial was in the Knoxville cemetery. Memorials may be made to her church elevator fund.
Brenda Schreffler
Brenda Schreffler, age 49, of 807 East Hail Street, Bushnell, Illinois, passed away at 5:38 p.m. Tuesday, May 4, 1999, at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Born November 1, 1949, in St. Joseph, Missouri, to John and Mardella Reed Goad, she married
Harry Schreffler on January 14, 1966, in Prairie City. He survives. Also surviving are her mother of Bushnell; one son, John of Bushnell; two daughters, Mrs. Bill (Misty) Morey of Marietta and Mrs. Chad (Angie) Sharp of Prairie City; two granddaughters; one brother, Larry Goad of Canon City, Colorado; two nephews; and one niece. She was preceded in death by her father, one granddaughter and one step granddaughter. She worked at Bridgeway in Macomb for several years. Services were held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Martin-Hollis Funeral Home with Rev. Norman Waligora officiating. Burial was in Bushnell cemetery. Memorials may be made to Bethphage Homes.
Mary E. Nicoli
Final rites for Mary Evelyn Nicoli, 68, Downing, MO, were held Saturday, May 8, at 10:30 a.m. at Norman Funeral Home, Downing. Rev. Larry Smith, pastor of the Downing Christian Church, officiated and interment was in the Brock cemetery, north of Memphis, MO. Mrs. Nicoli died Wednesday, May 5, 1999 in Boone County Hospital, Columbia, MO. A daughter of William Ernest and Vira Mae (Story) Mincks, she was born July 14, 1930 near Bloomfield, IA. She married
Bob Nicoli, September 11, 1948, who survives. She also leaves: two children, Mrs. Larry (Linda) Larkin of Roseville and James Hugh Nicoli of Memphis, MO; six grandsons, Mike Larkin of Maryville, MO, John and Bill Larkin of Roseville, James Nicoli of Kirksville, MO, Scott Nicoli of Keokuk, IA, and Ron Nicoli of Keosauqua, IA; eight great-grandchildren; a sister, Carol Ann Redman of Ottumwa, IA; five brothers, Bill Mincks of Kimberling, MO, Jack Mincks of Bloomfield, IA, Donnie Mincks of Knoxville, IA, and Larry Mincks of Bloomfield, IA; several nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and many friends. Mrs. Nicoli worked in the custodial department at Monmouth College for almost 10 years. She and her husband moved to Downing, MO in May of 1994, where she worked for a time in grocery stores there and in Memphis. She was also employed as a cook for the Downing Head Start Program and the Scotland County Nutrition Site. While in Roseville, she attended the Baptist Church.
Cleo Smith
Cleo M. Smith, 82, of Avon, passed away at 1:50 p.m. Sunday, May 9, 1999 at St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg. Born August 17, 1916, in Greenbush to Clete C. and Eunice Trulock Smith, he married
Irma Hutchings on February 17, 1940, in Kahoka, Missouri. She survives. Also surviving are one son, Jim 'Corky' of Houston; one daughter, A. Sue Baxter of Park Forest; four sisters, Wanda Sandburg of Abingdon, Mary Louise Baker of Galesburg, Jane Wall of Avon and Beverly Majors of Stockton; six grandchildren; and nine great grandchildren. One brother, one grandson and one great-grandson preceded him in death. He worked for American Sanitary from 1940 to 1955. He then worked for Gale Products for 26 years before retiring. Funeral services were held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Corman Memorial Home in Avon with the Reverend Jon Prain officiating. Burial will be at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Babbitt cemetery Association.
Mary Ruth Rexroat
Mary Ruth Rexroat, 76, of 7760 N. 1200th Road, Colchester, died at 4:12 p.m., Sunday, May 9, 1999, in McDonough District Hospital. She was born Oct. 25, 1922, in Macomb, the daughter of Adolph and Mary Strickland Hare. She married
William G. 'Bill' Rexroat on Sept. 3, 1946, in Macomb. He survives. She is survived by a son, John Rexroat of Colchester; a daughter, Teresa Rexroat of Macomb; four grandchildren; brothers, Jim Hare of Bella Vista, Ark., and Lee Hare of Macomb, and sisters, Martha Hare of Tucson, Ariz., and Margie Peitzmeier of Metropolis. She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers and three sisters. She worked for Illinois Porcelain, Sears, and Montgomery Wards in Macomb, and retired from WIU as a payroll clerk. She was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church and the McDonough County Genealogical Society. Arrangements were handled by Dodsworth-Piper-Wallen Funeral Home. Services took place Wednesday in St. Paul’s Church with Father Richard Pricco officiating. Burial was in Oakwood cemetery. Memorials may be made to St. Paul’s Church or the McDonough County Genealogical Society.
Hilda M. Swindle
Hilda M. Swindle, 79, a former Macomb resident, died Wednesday, May 5, 1999, in Tucson, Ariz. She was born May 19, 1919, in Scottsbluff, Neb. She married
the Rev. Cecil L. Swindle in 1943. He survives. She is also survived by sons who graduated from Macomb High School, John (Sandra) of Honolulu, Hawaii, James (Gail) of Houston, Texas and Timothy (Kerry) of Tucson, Ariz.; sisters: Olina Kingman of Scottsbluff and Regina Seligh of Wichita, Kan., and four grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, and a sister, Clara Muehlberger. Following her marriage, Mrs. Swindle was a homemaker. She and her husband served at the First Christian Church in Macomb from 1963 to 1979. She earned a B.A. degree from Hastings College in 1940, graduating with honors. She also taught math and science in schools at Bayard, Berwyn and Indianola. Arrangements were by Bring’s Broadway Chapel in Tucson, Ariz. Graveside services were Monday in Bayard. Memorial contributions can be made to the Salvation Army or the Alzheimer’s Association.
