Obituaries
Death of Richard (Russ/Rick) Allen Russell
Richard (Russ/Rick) Allen Russell, age 76, died at home in Monticello, IL on Monday, April 17, 2023. He was born in Greenfield, MA on September 3, 1946, the 7th of 8 children born to Muriel and William Russell.
His father died the year he turned age 3 leaving his mother to raise 8 children alone. He moved to Indian Rocks Beach FL at age 14 with his mother and two siblings and graduated from Largo High School in 1964. He joined the Air Force (1964-1968) and served his country in Vietnam.
He met Angie Raynor of Gillespie in Tampa, FL while attending USF. He and Angie married in 1974, had son Colin in 1975 in FL and moved to Gillespie in 1976. Russ worked as a vocational evaluator/developmental specialist for Illinois Valley Rehabilitation Center and Angie went to nursing school. He researched, designed, drew plans for and built a 2600 sq ft super-insulated, passive solar home.
Hiring only excavation and framing, he did everything else himself with family and friends assistance over a 15-month period while working full-time. In a nod to his New England roots, the home style was of a modified salt-box design. Son Andrew was welcomed into this home in 1984. Russ obtained his MBA in 1988 and taught economics part-time evenings at area community colleges while working as a small business consultant for SIUE.
He was a founding member of Gillespie’s Partnership for Educational Excellence, helped start Gillespie’s first youth soccer league, and was a soccer coach. Russ supported the Special Olympics and was a lifetime advocate for the developmentally disabled. He was named director of UIUC’s Small Business Development Center and the family moved to Monticello IL in 1994.
An avid reader from a young age, he enjoyed sharing book suggestions and reading interests. He obtained a Masters’s in Library Science at UIUC and worked for a time as a reference librarian in Coral Springs, FL. Russ continued home improvement projects until his health declined with his last project (2020) redesigning the kitchen in their Monticello, IL home.
He enjoyed genealogy and a favorite trip was to New England and Nova Scotia CA to do family research. He loved sharing his family history with all who would listen and the grandchildren were generally agreeable albeit captive audiences. It worked – grandson Ben has enthusiastically taken on the Russell family historian role and will carry on the tradition!
As a New Englander, the Boston Red Sox were his favorite baseball team but he also supported the St. Louis Cardinals and enjoyed trips to Busch Stadium. It wasn’t hard for the family diehard Cards fans to accept his Red Sox allegiance…. after all they played in different leagues. That changed during the 2013 World Series when the Red Sox — well if you’re a baseball fan you know the end of that story!
Russ kept up with local, national and international news until he couldn’t and always insisted he had to have a newspaper or more to read every day. He nearly didn’t go on a cruise in 2014 because he couldn’t have a daily newspaper during 7 days at sea. He was persuaded to go upon learning the cruise line offered a lending library….in reality only 1 bookcase of books, alas that was his first and last cruise.
As per his wishes, his body has been donated to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
He leaves behind to mourn his loss, wife, Angie; sons, Colin (Tammy) Cortland, IL, and Andrew (Danielle) Champaign; six grandchildren, Ben (18) David (16), and Abbie (12), of Cortland, and Bob (16), Madison (11) and Ainsley (2) of Champaign; parents-in-law, Leo and Eva Raynor; sister-in-law, Maleah Raynor; brothers, Dave (Terry) of Cumberland Falls, ME and Norman (Sharon) of Ashfield, MA; and sisters Ann (Dave) of Orlando, FL, and Muriel of Colraine, MA. Locally he leaves behind nephews, Christopher, Austin and Blake Raynor; and niece Lacey Raynor.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Jim, Bill, and Tom; and brother-in-law, Bill Raynor.
A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Gillespie on Friday, April 21, 2023, at 2 pm with visitation at 12:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Gillespie Partnership for Educational Excellence CUSD #7 or the Gillespie Public Library. Kravanya Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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Robert Leeroy Blevins, 77 of Litchfield, passed away the evening of Thursday, November 20, 2025, at HSHS St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield. He was born in Litchfield on December 24, 1947, a son of Robert James and Betty Bernadine (Cranford) Blevins.
He graduated from Centralia High School and proudly served in the United States Army during the Vietnam era. He was employed for many years as a cabinet maker with Adenca Manufacturing in Litchfield. Robert enjoyed many outdoor activities including camping, fishing, hunting, mushroom hunting, and looking for buried treasures with his metal detector.
He was a talented musician and played guitar and saxophone. Robert enjoyed watching and listening to all spectator sports and was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan. He married the former Wanda Kay Large and they later divorced.
Robert is survived by sons, Christopher (fiancée Grace) Blevins and Jason (Jamie) Blevins, all of Litchfield; daughters, Jennifer (Gordon) Fenton of Salem, MO and Shannon Large of Litchfield; brothers, Chesley Blevins of Staunton, Joseph Blevins of Litchfield, Floyd Blevins of Highland, and Fred Blevins of Litchfield; sisters, Barbara (Ray) Schuster of Sorento, Sharon (John) Wickerheim of Chicago, and Pamela Poppenhouse of Litchfield; and several grandchildren and several great grandchildren.
Robert was preceded in death by his parents, Robert J. and Betty B. Blevins.
Funeral services for Mr. Blevins will be held at 12 noon on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at Plummer Funeral Home in Litchfield. Pastor Gilbert Dealey will officiate. Burial will be in Crabtree Cemetery. Military honors will be at graveside. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at the funeral home.
Memorials may be directed to the family of Robert Blevins, c/o Christopher Blevins. Plummer Funeral Home in Litchfield is in charge of arrangements.
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Joyce Carleen Simmons, 83 of Litchfield, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, November 23, 2025. She was born in Pana on May 31, 1942, a daughter of Carl Cornelius and Lucille Romelta (Miller) Brakenhoff.
She was a member of the Litchfield High School graduating class of 1960. She married Raymond “Larry” Simmons on June 6, 1965, at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield, and they enjoyed nearly 55 years of marriage until his passing on January 23, 2022.
Joyce was an excellent cook and well known for her beef and noodles, Texas cake, and stew. Joyce’s delicious cooking skills were evident during her 22-year career as manager of Jubelt’s Variety Bakery in Litchfield and as a ten-year cafeteria worker for the Litchfield Community School District #12. She also enjoyed gardening, canning, tending to her fruit trees, and sewing. Joyce enjoyed serving others by teaching Sunday School at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield and volunteering for the local Meals on Wheels.
Joyce is survived by her sons, Raymond (Vicki) Simmons of Evansville, IN and David (Jacqueline) Simmons of Haymarket, VA; daughter, Laura Simmons of Edwardsville; brothers, Leslie (Sue) Brakenhoff of Litchfield, Byron (Terry) Brakenhoff of Chattanooga, TN, and Dale (Nancy) Brakenhoff of Litchfield; sisters, Ramona Warman of Charleston, IL and Marilyn (Don) Loptien of Fort Collins, CO; grandchildren, Zachary Simmons, Makenzie (Jeremy) Frazier, Emma Simmons, and William Simmons; and great-grandchildren, Gunnar, Wyatt, Eli and Calla.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brothers, Rev. Larry Brakenhoff and Bernard Brakenhoff; brother-in-law Robert, “Bob” Warman; and niece, Kimberly (Brakenhoff) Bergman.
Funeral services for Joyce will be held at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield. Burial will follow in Edgewood Cemetery in Litchfield. Visitation will be at the church from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Lutheran Hour Ministries, 660 Mason Ridge Center Road, St. Louis, MO, 63141-8557. Plummer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
