Remembering

ANN FORD July 26, 1941-Sept. 23, 2018 First Lady of Independent Living If you ever wanted to find Ann Ford, chances are you could find her scooting around the Capitol. Ford, who had contracted polio at the age of 5, used a scooter to get around, but that never stopped her from advocating for the […]

WENDELL WAYNE HAHN Aug. 2, 1930 – Nov. 12, 2018 This is dedicated to Wendell Wayne Hahn, born in Springfield on Aug. 2, 1930. To many he was known as Buzz, but to me he was Grandpa. I didn’t realize how incredible this man was and how fortunate I was to have him in my […]

REV. DR. R. PAUL SIMS Sept. 10, 1926-June 3, 2018A spiritual giant Paul Sims held the highly respected titles of Reverend, Doctor, United Methodist District Superintendent and Assistant to the Bishop. But, other titles reveal more about the life of this remarkable man. Mentor. Loving husband and father. Friend. Teacher. Pastor to many pastors. Spiritual […]

KAY FEURER March 19, 1935-Oct. 18, 2018Champion for the arts “Kay Feurer loved and appreciated the arts,” says Grace Nanavati, director emeritus of the Springfield Ballet Company (SBC). “She left a forever footprint in our city. I adored Kay. She had an internal ticker to my soul. Through her leadership with the Springfield Area Arts […]

THOMAS EARL BRINKER July 18, 1962 – July 20, 2018The gold standard dad Thomas Earl Brinker was a fundamentally happy guy who saw the best in everyone around him. He had the kind of magnetism that immediately put people at ease and lifted everybody’s spirits when he walked into a room. Thomas was born in […]

VINCAS “VINCE” BAKSYS Sept. 9, 1919 – Aug. 27, 2018Life in the shadow of history Decades before Donald Trump singled out his own “enemies of the people,” my proudly Lithuanian father Vince found out just how dangerous that label could be in the hands of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. It was during World War II […]

LENA FRANCES FERARIS Apr. 14, 1925 – Aug. 7, 2018 My mom, Mama Lena, was the oldest of three children born to Italian immigrant parents, Ernest and Dolores Menghini. Mom grew up in Taylor Springs, Illinois, during the Great Depression. Grandpa worked in the coal mine and Grandma embroidered and sold pillowcases for extra money. […]

GRADY MYERS CHRONISTER Nov. 22, 1938 – Sept.14, 2018 Grady was a monster. Ridiculous, right? If you believed all the stories my Qik-n-EZ managers told, you were left with no other choice but to reckon he was a real bear. It seemed as if anytime they wanted something done a certain way, came up with […]

BERKLEY MOORE Aug. 3, 1932 – Jan. 4, 2018 Berkley Moore could talk with equal ease about the hidden gems of scripture or the subtle qualities of beer. But his real passion was music. During a lifetime of 85 years, he amassed an enormous – and eclectic – collection of LPs and CDs, spanning classical, jazz […]

R-LOU BARKER Dec. 18, 1933 – April 21, 2018Seeing the world with undying wonder A grand dame of the Springfield community passed from our lives this April. This woman had been a special friend to me for 30 years, sharing her joyful stories and her quiet wisdom. I was so fortunate to have been one […]

BURNELL ALBERT HEINECKE June 11, 1927-Dec. 5, 2018Veteran newsman, mentor, public citizen Burnie Heinecke was a veteran newsman, a fixture in community theater and a strong advocate for higher education, traits well-known to his many friends. But to me, he was also a mentor, the guy who first got me interested in the nitty-gritty details […]

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 […]