Remembering

Thomas Allen Gum was a kind, quiet, gentle man who always put his family first, from giving up smoking when his daughters developed asthma, to spending his two-week vacation driving to various parts of the country to give his daughters educational and fun experiences. He was a man of faith and attended the First Church […]

Mom was the Lorelai to my Rory and always lived her life to the fullest. She was feisty, independent, extremely smart, adventurous, fun-loving, strong and welcoming to anyone in need. She loved spending time with family and friends who she called family. Mom also enjoyed watching a good Hallmark movie or a “Gilmore Girls” episode […]

This year at Christmas we remember a beloved husband, stepfather, grandfather and friend. Bob was born in Charleston, Illinois. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed in San Diego, California. He made Fountain Hills, Arizona, his lifelong home along with a summer home in Springfield, Illinois. He was a […]

Thomas Allen Gum was a kind, quiet, gentle man who always put his family first, from giving up smoking when his daughters developed asthma, to spending hi s two-week vacation driving to various parts of the country to give his daughters educational and fun experiences. He was a man of faith and attended the First […]

When Sam Draper passed away, he left behind a legacy of music-making in Springfield that reached far beyond the notes he played and melodies he sang. Through a lifetime of performance, along with the thousands of listeners he touched who took the good feelings he sent out home with them, Sam also gave the gift […]

Sunderine Temple’s life was not ordinary. Her mother died when she was two or three, according to her husband, Wayne “Doc” Temple. She ran away from an orphanage when she was nine or so, he says, and fell in with a carnival, which helps explain her fascination with the merry-go-round at White Oaks Mall. Long […]

Kenley Wade was so accomplished in his career that he was admitted into one of the nation’s most prestigious MBA programs, even though he had never earned an undergraduate degree. The Springfield civil rights leader left behind behind a legacy of fighting racism in Springfield and beyond. “He was very, very smart,” his daughter Francine […]

Joanie! Grandma! Mom! With a verve and focus on what a positive attitude can bring to any person or group, Joan moved through life’s changes with a strength and humor that kept everyone around her smiling and strong. Car wrecks – walked away Love problems – talked away Hanging’ wallpaper, settin’ tile All home remedies […]

For Dr. Tracy Evans, life was all about the journey. From her love of travel to her desire, in retirement, to seek a Ph.D., she was always moving forward. Tracy retired as a biologist at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. She was an associate researcher at the Illinois State Museum and she earned her […]

When Robert Emil Ramelow went on to his next big gig joining up with the everlasting band, the guy everyone knew simply as Butch left behind a striking and deep legacy of making music in central Illinois. Born in Springfield to Robert L. and Gertrude P. (Guyett) Ramelow, no one seems to know exactly when […]