Remembering

PETER LAZARE April 16, 1952-Nov. 7, 2018“Have a pretty good day” Pete Lazare, almost always, was the smartest man in the room. He never made that clear. He spoke French. He read, a lot. His energy was boundless. He was a master of bad poetry and Springfield’s king of puns. As a businessman, he did […]

DONALD L. SQUIRES March 24, 1934 – May 7, 2018 To many people he was simply the Ice Guy, a moniker he wore so proudly that he had it stamped in metal and bolted to his car. As general manager of Central Illinois Ice for 30 years, he embodied the company so much so that […]

ROZANNE ‘POSY’ ROBERTSONMar. 20, 1931 – July 1, 2018 Springfield lost one of its most gentle and compassionate souls on July 1, 2018, when Rozanne ‘Posy’ Robertson passed away. Born in 1931, Posy was a child of the Great Depression, with an inquisitive mind and engaging personality. She knew no strangers and was genuinely interested […]

EARL LEROY THROOP, SR. July 22, 1944-June 20, 2018Big tree down Everybody called him “Throop,” like that was his first name. He was my tree guy for the past 30 years, as I nurtured properties in a neighborhood of big trees. I always enjoyed it when he’d arrive in his big new truck – no […]

DANIEL J. “DANNY” HAWKS, JR. Oct. 17, 1945 – Sept. 25, 2018 A life well lived is filled with moments sweet and sad, with smiles and sometimes tears, with laughter and friendships, and with good times and hard times. My dad, Danny Hawks, always had a smile on his face and encouraged my brother, Evan, […]

RUDOLPH DAVENPORT June 2, 1928-April 7, 2018“He always had an idea” Rudolph Davenport – everyone called him Rudy – wasn’t a boastful pillar. One of Springfield’s best-known civil rights activists, he was one of three black men, later joined by two additional plaintiffs, who went to court in the 1980s to force a change in […]

WOODROW J. SHADID, SR. June 29, 1922-Oct. 4, 2018A bookseller who outdid expectations Shadid’s Book Mart, Springfield’s legendary downtown bookstore, outdid the expectations of most local observers by surviving for 14 years after the opening of the mall stores that should have put it out of business. I was not surprised therefore that Woody Shadid, […]

CHARLEE WALTON March 10, 2011 – Jan. 19, 2018 KARLY PEARCE June 25, 2011 – Jan. 23, 2018Two little girls Sparkling blue eyes. Fabulous smiles. Mischievous little sisters. Though they never met in person, Karly Pearce and Charlee Walton had many similarities. Heartbreakingly, the 6-year-olds are linked for one more reason: their young lives were […]

REV. DR. MARCELLUS JULIAN LEONARD Sept. 19, 1939-Aug. 3, 2018He changed the banks of the river It’s a near certainty that at some point in our lives, each of us meets someone whose impact on us is profound. I am not talking about our grandparents. I am talking about someone who arrives as a complete […]

JOHANNA MARY LEIKVOLD Jun. 19, 1985 – Aug. 5, 2018 I lost my firstborn daughter, Johanna Mary Leikvold. She was born Jun. 19, 1985, and passed away Aug. 5, 2018.  She had 31 wonderful years of life and those years were also the best for me. As a little girl, Johanna enjoyed being outside and […]

JILL CUNNINGHAM BLACK Oct. 25, 1944 – Nov. 2, 2018 State government lost one of its unsung heroes when Jill Black died on Nov. 2. For over 17 years when I ran the Illinois Lottery and the Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), Jill was a trusted senior aide and confidant.   She fortunately never […]

KEN BRADBURY Nov. 7, 1949 – Nov. 18, 2018He put central Illinois on stage In the late 80s I directed a play at Fulton County Playhouse near Bryant. I was away after the play opened and received a call from an actor: “Ken Bradbury came to the show this weekend!” Ken Bradbury’s fame in central […]