Remembering

Taking care of the families Susan Boone used her compassion to guide families dealing with the death of relatives after homicides, accidents, suspicious situations and other circumstances that required the attention of the county coroner. The reflections about Boone, a longtime former Sangamon County coroner who died at 76 on Dec. 30, 2024, came from […]

It’s been almost a year that I lost my Jim. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about him and I miss him even more. My wonderful husband was smart, funny, handsome, loving and giving. Jim was the youngest of four sisters and a true gentleman. A wonderful dad/stepdad, granddad/step granddad, great granddad, […]

He cleared Illinois’ death row George Ryan was a cigar-chomping, salty-tongued Illinois pol whose political career pinnacled in the governor’s mansion and ended in a prison cell. The state’s 39th governor died May 2 at the age of 91 in his hometown of Kankakee.  Ryan was a product of the Kankakee political machine, which was […]

This year we give thanks for mustachioed men with ornery temperaments and hearts of gold. Upon approaching this unusual species in his natural habitat, an ordinary person could very easily be expected to pay little attention to such an immediately unassuming individual.  However … if that same someone was to endeavor beyond the surface, just […]

An advocate for the Pillsbury neighborhood When the Springfield community experienced the passing of John Keller this year, we lost a committed and active voice for the Pillsbury neighborhood. John was the longtime president of the Pillsbury Neighborhood Association who had organized the association in the late 1990s. He led the efforts to find lasting […]

Janet Eden, 88, passed away on Aug. 9, 2025, in Springfield. Seven years earlier her husband, John Eden, passed away after 59 years of mutual respect and devoted married life. Janet lived a quiet life as a homemaker. For most of their marriage they lived on three partially wooded beautiful acres on State Park Road […]

Daniel Schull, 74, passed away peacefully Tuesday, May 13, 2025, while in hospice care at the Mary Bryant Home for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Springfield. Dan had retired after working as an eligibility case worker for the Illinois Department of Human Services for 45 years. He was also union steward and a member […]

Who was Carrie Michelle Eichen? Carrie was one of the two most wonderful women I knew in my life. I loved both, continuing to love them more and more every day. Before dying, my late wife, Diana, told me she wanted me to find another woman to take her place, so she would know I […]

I am not the first and certainly won’t be the last to lose a beloved spouse. We met through Leadership Springfield, married in 1994 and shared 30 exceptional years. Joe was so smart, quick-witted and funny, as well as handsome and hot! He kept me thinking and laughing. He was truly my best friend. One […]

Star prof He opened minds to worlds they had not imagined Charles Schweighauser of Pleasant Plains was born in Alton June 1, 1936, and died at home with his family in Pleasant Plains July 14, 2025. Known as Charlie to his friends, he was the first director of the McDonnell Planetarium in St. Louis, and […]

Dorothy “Dot” Ewing lived a full and joyous life for 94 years. She was a truly inspiring person. Countless people called her friend, and those who had the privilege of meeting her were soon laughing with her. One of those people often told her that “she wanted to be her when she grew up.” Another […]

Our father, Irv Smith, lived for 96 years. Except for time away for his education and military service, he lived all of those years in Springfield. That’s certainly a long time, but it’s difficult to describe the breadth and longevity of his influence. There are countless ways he touched those around him. • Irv was […]