Remembering

Ossie Langfelder Ossie Langfelder could have ended up in China. Or Decatur. Or any number of places besides Springfield, where he ended up mayor. He was not initially impressed with the capital city when his family moved to Springfield while World War II raged in Europe, with the United States still at peace. It was […]

Dr. H. Brent De Land Jr. Brent De Land lived his life with such care and compassion that his work will likely live on for generations. He was best known for his extensive humanitarian work in Haiti, and the rest of his life reflected that same strength of conviction. Dr. H. Brent De Land Jr. […]

  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 by readers answering our […]

Emma Lou Eastman Little Born soon after women earned the right to vote, Emma Lou Little relished politics. She loved President Obama because he restored honor to the State of Illinois, delivered intelligent speeches and listened to his wife. Emma Lou’s father took her as a child to see each president who visited the Midwest. […]

Fae “Arlene” Clemons It has always been Mom and me against the world. She married her first and only love, had one child (me) and worked her way up to management at Illinois Bell, a great achievement in the 1970s. The marriage ended; we both had to start over together. We moved to Springfield from […]

Lana Benedict It’s likely no one who knew Lana Benedict as a State of Illinois retiree, volunteer cook, gardener, singer, loving mother and wife thought she would leave life on this side of heaven at age 69 last October. Vibrant, passionate, and retired but never retiring, Lana always had enough energy for the next project. […]

Leigh Ann Galyon Smith Leigh Ann Galyon Smith was an incredible person. The Queen of Everything! Everyone she came in contact with would probably tell you the same thing. Bubbly, beautiful, amazingly talented, angelic voice, patient teacher and wonderful director. She had much to give, and she gave us everything. Leigh Ann didn’t do anything […]

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 […]

Lloyd Inslee In 2001, our family bought a house owned by the one and only, slightly odd, mostly eccentric, ZZ Top look-alike Lloyd Inslee. He would spend each subsequent Thanksgiving and family gathering at our home. He could be seen around town doing laundry every Saturday at Crystal Cleaners, shopping at Jewel, hand-pushing his mower […]

Eleanora Treinis Yuskavich The daughter of Lithuanian immigrants John and Tillie (Rinkienve) Treinis, Eleanora lost her mother at age 6. Raised by her grocer father, cousins from the Joseph and Mary (Treinis) Banaitis family became her siblings. Eleanora attended St. Joseph’s and Pleasant Hill Schools. At 14, Eleanora met John Yuskavich, eventually living with his […]

Lola Susan Lucas When Lola Lucas posted a personal in Riverfront Times, “Gomez, John Steed, Corwin of Amber seeks perchance Morticia, Emma Peel, Deirdre – raven-haired swf intent on sabbaticals to Britain,” Kevin Brown felt the message targeted him. The ensuing marriage, the “Lucas-Brown Partnership” was Olympian. Lola had so many competences: literature (especially sci-fi […]

Joseph Allen Stancil Joe was a very likeable kid and adult. No matter where he went, he made friends quickly. He was outgoing, compassionate and loving. He loved to travel, and he always asked to bring a friend that otherwise would not have been able to travel as he did. He did very well around […]