Obituaries
Death of Kenneth Lee Black
Kenneth Lee Black, 89, of Staunton, died on August 1, 2020, after a months’ long illness. Ken was born to Howard and Louise Lee Black on January 31, 1931, in Waltonville, Illinois. In late 1944, Ken’s father Howard was killed in action in Europe. Howard & Ken’s mother had divorced prior to the war, and Louise later remarried to Walter Mannen who, like Louise, was deaf. Ken grew to love and admire Walter, who years later became a beloved grandfather to Ken’s sons.
Ken graduated from high school in Mt. Vernon, Illinois in 1948 and attended the University of Illinois and SIU Carbondale, graduating from SIU in 1956. Ken met Staunton native Hulda A. Menke in 1954 at SIU and they married in 1956. His college years were punctuated by service stateside in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After graduation from SIU, he worked for 37 years at McDonnell Douglas as a mechanical engineer.
Ken was a calm, kind, and relatively quiet person. Those who knew him will recall that he was generous in both deed and omission – he rarely spoke ill of others, and one might as well have been a dentist in efforts to pull that sort of thing out of him. Ken rarely used coarse language, a trait some may have observed is likely not passed on genetically. However, before the advent of effective auto cupholders, Ken was a serial victim of hot coffee spills to the lap while driving, which tended to cause him to briefly depart from his general practice of using polite language. Yet he always maintained a firm grip on the wheel.
Ken appreciated wildlife and pets, preferring cats to dogs. While steadfastly frugal in most all things, he nevertheless spent an eye-opening sum to save a puppy stricken with parvovirus and later installed a natural gas heater in his garage to keep the same dog warm in winter. He loved college basketball and in retirement learned to enjoy the NFL and MLB as well. And he lovingly pretended to enjoy the endless hours of British television programming his beloved wife Hulda forced him to watch for many decades. He was also very fond of golfing and spending time with his friends.
Ken was a loving son, brother, and husband. His sons could not have hoped for a kinder or more honest, supportive, and forgiving father. He was also a beloved son-in-law to the late Rudolph H. and Caroline Menke. In his last day of life, he was upbeat, joking over the phone despite the heartbreak of COVID-limited family contact, listening to family news and reveling over being served his favorite dessert, apple pie.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his step-father, his parents-in-law, daughter-in-law Maureen Black, and infant grandson Jeremy. He is survived by his wife, Hulda (Menke) Black; his sons ,Kevin Douglas, Brian Thomas, Charles Randolph and wife Virginia, and Eric Andrew; and his grandchildren, Nicholas Floars, Colin Black, and Olivia Black. He is also survived by his brother Henry Mannen, brother-in-law and sister Donald & Glenda (Mannen) Wittenbrink and their family, among other relatives.
Ken’s family feels a great deal of gratitude towards Ken’s doctors and to the respective staffs of Community Hospital of Staunton, Anderson Hospital in Maryville, & Heritage Health in Staunton, all of whom took great care of Ken and showed he and his wife Hulda much kindness. Most of all, they are grateful to all of Ken and Hulda’s friends and acquaintances over the many years that Ken and Hulda made Staunton their home.
There are no services presently planned for Ken on account of the pandemic. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Staunton Education Foundation or to the donor’s charity of choice. Williamson Funeral home is in charge of arrangements.
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Eugene A. “Gene” Bentrup, age 86 of rural Staunton, passed away at 5:15 PM on Friday, April 19, 2024, at Staunton Health & Rehab Center in Staunton. He was born on Tuesday, March 15, 1938, in Staunton, the son of the late Louis and Ella (Heigert) Bentrup.
He married Shirley Repovich on June 9, 1962, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Livingston and she survives.
Gene served our country in the United States Army. He was employed as a grain inspector for Toberman Grain & Feed Company in East St. Louis for many years. He enjoyed gardening, mowing grass, shopping with Shirley, traveling with the Goldenaires Club, bowling, and table games.
He is survived by his wife, Shirley Bentrup of rural Staunton, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother in infancy, Otto Bentrup.
Friends may call from 9:00 AM to 10:45 AM on Friday, April 26, 2024, at Lesicko Funeral Home in Livingston. Funeral services for Gene Bentrup will be held at 11 AM on Friday, April 26, 2024, at Lesicko Funeral Home in Livingston with Rev. Fr. Thomas Hagstrom officiating.
Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery in Staunton with the Staunton Veterans Honor Guard conducting graveside military rites. Memorials are suggested to either Heartland Hospice, St. Michael Catholic Church of Staunton, or to the charity of the donor’s choice
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Wanda Kaye (Huffman) Bernot, 77 of Benld, was freed from the shackles of Alzheimer’s Disease on April 22, 2024. She passed peacefully with family by her side at Community Hospital of Staunton. A poetic end for she was a selfless person.
Wanda was born on September 7, 1946, in St. Louis, MO, the daughter of the late Vernon and Gladys (Conner) Huffman. She was raised in Staunton and was a graduate of Staunton High School. She married Pete Bernot on February 20, 1965, in Benld. They lived in Benld where they raised their only child, Jeff.
Wanda dedicated her time to a career in public service by working for the State of Illinois. Much of her work for the state was spent with the Department of Public Aid as a caseworker and director in the Carlinville field office. She was also a member of the Croatian Fraternal Union.
Wanda never shied away from helping people. After retirement, she served as Benld’s City Clerk and served on the Gillespie CUSD#7 Site Selection Committee for the location of the new elementary school.
She leaves behind her son, Jeffrey A. Bernot of Benld; her grandchildren, Rylee Bernot (Cassidy) of Benld, Peyton Bernot of Benld, and Ashleigh Feldmann (Daniel) of Staunton; great-grandchildren, Elexia, Jace, Jax, and Emreigh; a sister, Rita Soens of Williamson; a niece, Sherry Warren (Mike); and great-nieces, Shelby and McKenzie.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband Pete, who passed away on April 21, 2018.
Friends may call from 4 to 7 PM on Monday, April 29, 2024, at Williamson Funeral Home in Staunton. A memorial service will be held at 11 AM on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at Williamson Funeral Home in Staunton with Pastor Dane Solari officiating.
Memorials are suggested to The Partnership for Educational Excellence for the Pete & Wanda Bernot Scholarship Fund.
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Rodney Lee McQuaid, 62 of Shipman, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at home. He was born on January 31, 1962, in Alton, the son of the late Roy “RD” and Ramona Kay (Moran) McQuaid.
Rodney married the love of his life Sherry Lynn Whitten on October 12, 1984, in Alton. She preceded him in death in 2020. Together they enjoyed traveling and spending time with their family, always spoiling their nieces and nephews whom they dearly loved. He was a manager at Speedway Salvage and could usually be found getting into trouble on his tractor.
Rodney is survived by his brother, Skip (Marcia) McQuaid; sister, Sherrie (Randy) Durbin; five nieces and nephews; five great nieces and nephews; and sister-in-law, Gloria Joyce.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Sherry Lynn, and parents, RD and Kay McQuaid.
Visitation will be held from 10 am until the time of funeral service at Noon on Monday, April 22, 2024, at Anderson Family Funeral Home in Brighton. Burial will follow at Shipman Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Parkinson’s Foundation.
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