Remembering

Dad made a difference in countless lives and he inspired me. He was born the youngest of 10 children. His mother died soon after his birth and he was raised by his father and siblings. Moms seem to exhibit the ultimate level of service by raising their children. Even without his mom to lead the […]

Mom had the quality of stability. She not only did things for a long time, she was content to be where she was and to do what she did. She was married to Dad for 51 years, until his death parted them. She lived in the same small town for 65 years, was a member […]

John almost made it to see, from Earth, his beloved Chicago Cubs win the pennant this year. His family and friends believe that he saw it from his resting place, and perhaps had a hand in it. John Curtis was our family’s middle child, yes, the one who caused rules to be made. A tormenter […]

Bill Roth was born and raised on his family’s farm just a few miles west of Ashland. He graduated from Ashland High School in 1952. Bill was raised with farm values and a belief in God that guided him throughout his life. After graduation, he joined the Navy. He married Elaine Lynch in 1959, and […]

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet, praise him with the psaltery and harp.Praise him with the timbrel and dance, praise him with stringed instruments and organs.Praise him upon the loud cymbals, praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.                           –Psalm 150 Silvester Walton, Jr. did not go gentle into that good night. He sang. […]

Beautiful, genuine, joyful, dedicated, unique, intelligent, devoted, inviting, traveler, family-oriented, spirited, driven, kind, cinephile, patient, loving, witty, adventurous and positive were words that each of Jill Buffington’s nursing school classmates chose to describe her during a vigil held on a rainy Friday evening in September. Within 30 hours of hearing that one of their own […]

Larry Selinger was born and grew up in his beloved north end of Springfield, on a street that he affectionately referred to simply as “22.” It was on 22nd Street that his love and fierce loyalty to family and friends would grow along with his love for the value and power of athletics. It was in […]

Remembering the lives they lived About the issue It is our tradition to reserve our last issue of the year to remember some of the Springfield-area people who have died in the past year. Those we write about here are people who have come to the attention of our writers, and others brought to IT […]

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GLATZ FAMILY Julianne Glatz was many things. Food writer extraordinaire for Illinois Times. A mother of three. A singer talented enough that she performed in Carnegie Hall. She was even the French connection. “She smuggled in non-pasteurized cheese from France,” recalls David Radwine, chef at the governor’s mansion who was close […]

A 1989 photo of Sen. Phil Rock, right, and Senate Minority Leader James “Pate” Philip. The two discussed issues and votes nearly every day during Rock’s 12-year tenure as Senate president. PHOTO BY GINNY LEE Philip J. Rock, 78, former president of the Illinois Senate, died Friday, Jan. 29.  Rock, a Democrat widely regarded on […]

Charles Armstrong ‘Chick’ Chapin Charles Armstrong Chapin was many things: a World War II veteran, an accomplished attorney, a lover of classical music, an involved member of his community and a beloved husband and father.  But above all else, Charles Chapin was a horseman. Charles (“Chick” to everyone who knew him) was born in Springfield […]