Remembering

Lillian was humble by all the definition of the word and honored by more generations than she knew. As a young woman, she was an amazing athlete who set records that earned her a place in the Women’s Hall of Fame for softball fastpitch. She was also well known for her rank in women’s golf […]

Grief shatters your world and the grief of the loss of my husband did just that. Though a lot of people believe he was only good for laughs, dirty jokes and pink bubble wrap, I knew better. Chuk was a man who was able to make you laugh when upset or smile when you were […]

Mike was about the sweetest person you could ever meet. He would do anything for those he loved. His compassion and caring were always noticed by everyone he met. Every morning he would be at our house for breakfast and coffee with Charles. I always asked him how he was doing and he’d reply with […]

Dad was a state representative in the early 1970s. He loved Springfield very much. The city was always on his mind when he traveled as he was always searching other cities for ideas to make his better. One day we were in Denver waiting for a red stoplight to change to green so we could […]

Although I married into his family, Lee Kilbourne felt like a full-blooded grandpa to me. He was always available with a smile, a conversation or a compliment. He gave those generously. I cannot adequately summarize the consequential life of Lee in a few paragraphs. Suffice it to say that on Sept. 5, I lost a […]

Craig Mannschreck passed away in August after bravely battling lymphoma for three months, and he will be dearly missed by his team at Resource One and in the Springfield business community. He enjoyed dual citizenship, splitting his time between Springfield and his hometown of St. Joseph, Missouri. For 18 years, Craig was a weekday fixture […]

Virginia Megredy was the great-granddaughter of early settlers of Sangamon County and the granddaughter of a Civil War soldier. Deeply connected to the land, she lived most of her long life on a sesquicentennial farm near Loami. She had an indomitable spirit, courage in the face of adversity and was tough as nails with a […]

Bill and Jackie Protz were extraordinary and unique on their own, but together, they were unstoppable. Since their marriage in 1965, they enjoyed creating a tight-knit family, NHRA drag racing, traveling to watch their son, Randy, in his football playing and coaching career and then doing the same watching their granddaughters, Jenna and Brandy, in […]

Dr. Barbara Hartman had an insatiable curiosity for people, places and experiences. The 90 pinheads on her world map, indicating countries she had visited, were proof of that inquiring mind. Her small town Midwestern upbringing gave no hint of her passion for travel. After retiring from the University of Illinois Springfield in 1993, her husband, […]

Jenna Protz was excited for basketball season and being a freshman playing varsity for the Vandalia Vandals. She was a force on the court and known for her three-pointers. Jenna also played volleyball and softball and qualified for state in discus in junior high. But Jenna was more than her athletic ability.  Known for her […]

Guerry Suggs always had a smile on his face, a twinkle in his eyes and was quick to tell a joke. First Citizen of Springfield, philanthropist, volunteer, friend, mentor, champion, servant leader and avid baseball fan are a few descriptors of this beloved community leader. Suggs graduated from Cornell University and had an MBA from […]

My father, Shaughneysy Small Jr., was born into humble conditions. Experien cing hardships after his father separated from his mother, he learned the importance for a man to keep commitments and honest work to provide for himself and family. He lived by the principle, “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” His mother […]