Remembering

About the issue Our annual end-of-year obituary issue offers in-depth portraits and personal remembrances of just a few of the hundreds who have passed from the Springfield scene this year. There is no attempt to be comprehensive, or even representative; these are people who have come to the attention of our writers, and others who […]

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 […]

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 […]

KEITH LARKIN TAYLOR A host of prominent Illinois politicos attended the July 16 memorial service for Keith Taylor. Among them were Attorney General Lisa Madigan, former Attorney General Neil Hartigan, former Senate President Tom Hynes and his son, former Comptroller Dan Hynes. The younger Hynes gave a moving tribute to Taylor, who had squired Hynes […]

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 […]

ELSIEJANE “NING” O’KEEFE “I’m a better person because my life touched Ning’s,” said Elizabeth Kloppenburg of her dear friend, Elsiejane “Ning” Staley O’Keefe, who died Aug. 4. It is a sentiment echoed by many in Springfield. This city was Ning’s love, and much of her adult life was spent in service to its people and […]

JEFFREY HOFMANN Despite spending the better part of his working life as a radio personality, Jeff Hofmann wasn’t much for the limelight. A fight with cancer is never easy, but Hofmann did it with grace and wit. Didn’t want sympathy, and didn’t talk much about it after his diagnosis in 2008. “He was losing weight,” […]

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 […]

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. […]

Remembering Becky is an everyday thing. When someone made you laugh so much it hurt, you want to bring back that memory as much as possible. I heard of her passing and I had to wrap my brain around it for a very long time to make sure it was true. Becky could not be […]

Mary Lee Leahy fought for underdogs. Best known for representing state workers in a landmark Supreme Court decision that ended overt patronage in government, the Springfield attorney who succumbed to pancreatic cancer had plenty of uphill battles. Even outside the courtroom, Leahy remembered the little guy. Consider the Kentucky Derby parties she hosted at the […]

I am honoring my grandmother, Margaret E. VanGeison from Pawnee, who was born on Sept. 30, 1913, and passed away on Oct. 17, 2012. Margaret was 99 years young when she left this earth to be with her husband, Chester L. VanGeison. She was a strong woman who was kind, patient, caring, funny and loved […]