Community & Lifestyle

HENRY KRUG III Henry Krug III was unique in many ways, but the most remarkable thing about him was the number of lives he touched while living, by his own choice, the simplest life he could. Born to a modest family, he married his high school sweetheart. Henry served in Vietnam as a member of […]

WILLIAM C. SHEA Remember when the Nazis tried to take over the world? Mr. Shea was one of many who answered the call to prevent that from becoming a reality, as part of the D-day invasion. Remember when you needed gas in your car or the oil checked on your engine? Bill Shea was the […]

CARL VOLKMANN Carl Volkmann died Oct. 11 after a 15-year struggle with cancer. In October 2012, he received an Alumni Award from his alma mater, Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Here is an excerpt from the citation read on that occasion: Carl Volkmann epitomizes the importance of a sense of place. For him, the place […]

ANDREW RICHARD STONE, SR. Andy Stone spent his life working and living on and for the family farm, but he was not your stereotypical tractor-driving, cap-wearing farmer. Not content to rest on the well-established laurels of the Stone Seed Company and Stone Seed Farms built by his grandfather and father, he took the family business […]

CECILE MARIE WOODSON-WHEATLEY My mother was born in Vicksburg, Miss., but she had been a resident of Springfield since the age of 2. Most people old enough may remember her as the daughter of the Hay Homes Legend “Virgin Mary Hamilton” (and yes that was her mother’s real name), who was as known for standing […]

RICHARD ROGER “DICK” MORSE Dick Morse of Springfield was “green” before it was even a thing. The influential architect helped create a community of environmentally conscious designers and participated in the renovation of numerous historic buildings in Springfield, leaving a legacy of revitalization. Morse died on May 28, 2013, at age 69. Richard Roger Morse […]

RILEY GRAHAM SEVERNS Beloved son of Richard and Dana Severns of Rochester, Riley Severns, from the moment he set foot on this earthly blue sphere on Nov. 3, 1997, until his departure for his heavenly palace on Aug. 10, 2013, this young man lived life on his own terms. That generally meant full speed ahead. […]

NORMA JEAN THOMPSON Spending a lifetime as a devoted wife, mother and grandmother is a small snapshot into why my mom is special to me. We shared a special bond. I would start thinking of her and the phone would ring and it would be her calling. I would call her and she would say, […]

  ANN ELIZABETH SEFCIK WOOLSEYAnn Ann rushed in where others feared to tread, whether it was leaving the comfort of the familiar for places unknown, or climbing a fence to rescue Bounce, the pug, from a stamping, snorting bull. She never looked back or looked around, and she never weighed the what ifs. She simply […]

VIVIAN EDNA MCGINNIS She fought like a girl but lost. My beautiful daughter, Vivian Edna (Raridon) McGinnis, was born June 26, 1959 to Richard and Evelyn (Bumgardner) Raridon of Middletown. She went to school at Middletown for two years, then attended Chester East Lincoln for seven years. Her parents moved to San Antonio, Texas, where […]

GRACE ELEANOR MURDOCK Grace Murdock, you could say, was a real pistol. Upon her death at 94 last spring, Murdock’s son, Mitchell, found a .22-caliber gun in her nightstand at Concordia Village, where she lived the final decade of her life. “She was always with a weapon,” Mitchell says. When her husband, Russell, became sheriff […]