Salome Mehrtens, nee Nollmann, 90, of Millstadt died July 13, 2009 at Memorial Hospital in Belleville. She was born July 15, 1918 in Millstadt, the daughter of the late Henry and Louisa (nee Bohley) Nollmann. Mrs. Mehrtens was married to Alvin Nollman, who died in 1984. She is survived by sons Les (Kay) Mehrtens and Earl (Sandy) Mehrtens; a sister, Ophelia Germann; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren; along with other friends and relatives. Mrs. Mehrtens was preceded in death by her brothers Bert, Oscar and Roland Nollmann; and her sister, Hilda Patrick. Mrs. Mehrtens was a member of Zion Evangelical Church’s Women’s Fellowship, Zionettes Kitchen Band and the St. Clair County Farm Bureau. She enjoyed gardening, canning and preparing meals. She loved teaching her granddaughters the art of cookie making. Visitation was at the Strauss-Leesman Funeral Home in Millstadt. Funeral is Friday, July 17, at 11 a.m., at Zion Evangelical Church with the Rev. Darrell Weber officiating. Mrs. Mehrtens will be buried at Mt. Evergreen Cemetery in Millstadt. Memorials may be made to her church or Hospice of Southern Illinois.
Gary Hoffmeister, 57, of Waterloo, died July 16, 2009 at his residence. He was born Sept. 28, 1951 in Red Bud, the son of late Paul and Marie (Steinsieck) Hoffmeister. Mr. Hoffmeister is survived by his son, Aaron Hoffmeister; special friend, Michelle Richards (her son Bradley Richards); brother, Dennis (Linda) Hoffmeister; sister, Patty (Randy) Hoffmeister; niece, Brooke Hoffmeister; nephew, Jarred Hoffmeister; and cousins Scott Steinsieck and Susie (David) Restivo. He was preceded in death by his aunt and uncle, Charles and Ailene Steinsieck. Mr. Hoffmeister was the co-owner of P & M Enterprises of Waterloo. Visitation and funeral were at the Quernheim’s with Pastor Matt Friz officiating. Mr. Hoffmeister was buried at Kolmer Memorial Cemetery.
Emma Sharp, 71, of Red Bud, died July 18, 2009 at her residence. She was born Oct. 31, 1937 in Milltown, Ind., the daughter of the late Alfred Temple and Viola (Oxby) Brewster. She married Hershel Sharp in 1955 in Winslow, Ind. In addition to her husband, Mrs. Sharp is survived by her daughter, Tracy Sharp of Waterloo; a grandson, Alex Schmidt; sisters Betty Snow of Indianapolis, Ind. And Jo Ann Radcliff of Petersburg, Ind.; half-sisters Melinda Early of Ogden, Utah and Leah Droshears of Dale, Ind.; a sister-in-law, Jo Ann Brewster of Orange City, Fla.; and special friends Don and Audrey DuFrenne. She was preceded in death by a brother, Charles Brewster. Visitation was at Welge-Pechacek Funeral Home in Red Bud and at Curtis Funeral Home in Winslow, Ind. Funeral was at Curtis with Rev. James Niece officiating. Mrs. Sharp was buried at the Spurgeon City Cemetery.
Wilbert Wheat, 73, of Waterloo, died July 19, 2009, in Waterloo. He was born April 29, 1936 in Valmeyer, the son of the late George and Amelia (nee Rubemeyer) Wheat. Mr. Wheat is survived by his wife, Shirley (nee Plage) Wheat; children Pam (Rick) Mayor and Kevin (Joyce) Wheat; grandchildren Sean Mayo, Allie Snodgrass and Samantha Wheat; brothers Marlin (Janice) Wheat and David (Jean) Wheat; and sister-in-law Louise Gremmels and Kathy (Clarence) Buthman; along with nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by brothers Robert and Leonard Wheat; mother-in-law and stepfather-in-law Ardell and Roy Krebel; father-in-law Edward Plage; and brother-in-law Billy Plage. Visitation was at Quernheim Funeral Home. Funeral was at St. Paul UCC in Waterloo with Pastor Mary Beth Hartenstein officiating. Mr. Wheat was at Kolmer Memorial Cemetery in Waterloo. Memorials may be made to St. Paul UCC of Waterloo or Hospice of Southern Illinois.
Donald Walker, 71, of Fults, died July 20, 2009 in Belleville. He was born March 4, 1938 in Rutland, the son of the late Virgil and Mary (nee Redfairn) Walker. Mr. Walker is survived by his wife, Dianne (nee Huch) Walker; children Rick (Janet) Walker, Darrin Walker, Amy Glessner and Stacey Glessner; grandchildren Ryan Walker, Luke Walker, Monica Walker, Brittney Crook and Dustin Miller; great-grandchildren LeAnn Walker and Zachary Walker; and brothers Charles (Janet) Walker and Alvin (Myrtle) Walker. He was preceded in death by a son, Joshua Glessner; along with sisters and brothers. Mr. Walker was a veteran of the U.S. Army and retired from the Columbia Quarry. Visitation and funeral were at Quernheim’s, Pastor Matt Friz officiating. Mr. Walker was buried at the Studt Cemetery in Renault.
Gilbert Phillippe, 85, of Red Bud, died July 21, 2009 at the Red Bud Nursing Home following a battle with colon cancer. He was born June 10, 1924, in Clark County, the son of the late Noble and Nellie (Gilbert) Phillippe. He married Genelle (Laws) Phillippe in 1947 in Robinson. In addition to his wife, Mr. Phillippe is survived by his son, Mark (Marcia) Phillippe of Scottsboro, Ala.; a daughter, Gwen (Michael) Snyder of Columbia; grandchildren Laura (Shawn) Eagan of Evansville, Mark (Rachel) Duncan of Union, Mo., Jason (Haley) Phillippe of Huntsville, Ala., and John Phillippe of Port Clinton, Ohio; great-grandchildren Luke, Levi, Bridgett and Claire; and sister-in-law, Doris (George) Huckett of Tulsa, Okla.; along with other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by a sister, Lela Jean (Harry) West. Gil was raised in the Annapolis area of Crawford County, and served in the European Theatre in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was employed by Marathon Oil Co. from 1947 to 1979. He was promoted to the personnel and safety manager at their Robinson refinery in 1967 and held that position until his retirement. Mr. Phillippe served as the mayor of Robinson from 1993 to 1997, and was instrumental in the construction of the Crawford County Jail, Veteran's Museum in Robinson and helped build 14 homes for Habitat For Humanity. He was a member of the Crawford County Board, Robinson Elks, lifetime member of the V.F.W. Post 4549, charter member of the American Legion Post 69 and honorary member of the Red Bud Rotary. He had been the chairman of the board of directors at Crawford Memorial Hospital, later becoming their executive director of the Crawford Memorial Hospital Foundation. He was the executive director of the Lincoln Trail College Foundation and on the Advisory Committee of the Mary Heath Foundation. Mr. Phillippe was cremated according to his wishes. Memorial services will be Aug. 29, at 11 a.m., at the Pulliam Funeral Home. Interment with military honors will be at the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Annapolis. Local arrangements were handled by Lawlor Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the Robinson World War II Memorial Museum, the Lincoln Trail College Foundation, or Hospice of Southern Illinois.
Helen Choma, 88, formerly of Columbia, died July 23, 2009, at Canterbury Manor Nursing Center in Waterloo. She was born June 16, 1921, in East St. Louis, the daughter of the late Michael Sr. and Barbara (Czarna) Choma. Ms. Choma is survived by her sisters Mary Garrett of O'Fallon and Catherine Mueller of Columbia; and sisters-in-law, Marie Choma of Bremerton, Wash., and Sophia Choma of Collinsville; along with numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by brothers Alexander, Joseph, Michael Jr., Daniel and John Choma; and brothers-in-law Vernon Mueller and Elmer Garrett. Mrs. Choma attended St. Theresa's Academy through the 10th grade where she developed a love of drawing. She also played the lottery, now and then, and was a gifted story-teller. She was retired from the Missouri Athletic Club where she had worked as a beautician. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Columbia. Visitation was at Lawlor Funeral Home. Funeral was at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Columbia with Fr. Carl Scherrer officiating. Ms. Choma was buried at Mt. Carmel Catholic Cemetery in Belleville. Memorials may be made to Masses, Hospice of Southern Illinois or Canterbury Manor Nursing Center.
Ralph Riebeling, 62, of Waterloo, died July 24, 2009, in St. Louis. He was born Dec. 31, 1946 in Red Bud, the son of the late Arthur Sr. and Lena (nee Korves) Riebeling. Mr. Riebeling is survived by his wife, Ruth Ann (nee Kohler) Riebeling; children Andrew Riebeling of Cape Girardeau and Catherine (Charles) Huffmann of Fenton, Mo.; grandchildren Andrea, Olivia and Joslin Riebeling, and Samantha, Catherine and Lindsey Huffmann; sisters Clara Sellers of Red Bud. Lenora (Tony) Painter of Pacific, Mo., and Shirley Menke of Waterloo; a brother Arthur (Leona) Riebeling Jr. of Waterloo; sisters-in-law Margaret Davis, Lorraine Novack, Bernadine Hoff, Monica (Marvin) Hitzemann, Emiline Riebeling and Gladys Riebeling, all of Waterloo; and brothers-in-law Paul (Mary Ann) Kohler of Waterloo and George Bieber of Arcadia, Mo.; along with nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by a sister, two brothers, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law. Mr. Riebeling was a member of the Maeystown Sportsman's Club, Operating Engineers Local 520, SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church of Waterloo and was a former supervisor at Tower Rock Stone Co. in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Visitation was at Quernheim Funeral Home. Funeral was at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Waterloo with Father Stan Konieczny officiating. Mr. Riebeling was buried at the church’s cemetery.
Nancy Buss-Bahari, 54, of Malaysia, formerly of Columbia, died July 26, 2009 at Oak Hill Care Center in Waterloo. She was born June 10, 1955, the daughter of Alma Buss of Columbia and the late Jerome "Jerry" Buss. In addition to her mother, Mrs. Buss-Bahari is survived by her husband, Shamsul Bahari of Penang, Malaysia; children Karim and Marissa Bahari of Penang; and a brother, Randy Buss of Columbia. Mrs. Buss-Bahari had been a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Columbia. She earned her Master’s Degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Nancy had been a teacher of English as a second language in Japan, San Francisco and Malaysia. Visitation was at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Columbia. A funeral followed with Fr. Carl Scherrer officiating. A private interment of ashes was scheduled for a later date. Arrangements were handled by Lawlor Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Oak Hill Nursing Center or Masses.
Fay Hamilton, 78, formerly of Cahokia, died July 27, 2009, at Canterbury Manor Nursing Center in Waterloo. She was born May 27, 1931, in Grimsby, the daughter of the late Elmer and Vesta (nee Conder) Wortham. She married Paul Hamilton in 1952 in Columbia. He died in 1994. Mrs. Hamilton is survived by her children Michael (Tammie) Hamilton of Ft. Worth, Tex., Diane (Keith) Burns of Caseyville and Elizabeth "Becky" (John) Burns of Dupo; seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren; a brother, Lee Wortham of Gorham; and a sister, Marie Rogers of Murphysboro. She was preceded in death by a son, Steven Hamilton; and sisters Laura Hoppe, Dorothy Sanders, Alice McRoy and Rosie Hall. Mrs. Hamilton was a member of the First Baptist Church in Dupo. She had volunteered with Hospice of Southern Illinois and regularly visited homebound members of her church community. Visitation and funeral were at Lawlor Funeral Home with Brother Bill Dempsey officiating. Mrs. Hamilton was buried at the Goodbread Cemetery in Gorham. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Southern Illinois.
