Obituaries
Death of Wendy Kay Looser
Wendy Kay Looser passed away on January 12, 2023, at Alton Memorial Hospital. She was 43 years old.
Wendy was born on November 29, 1979, to Jim and Sheri (Bombardieri) Looser. She attended Mt. Olive Elementary and High School graduating with the Class of 1998 and later briefly attended Lincoln Land Community College. While she held several jobs over the course of her life, Wendy’s greatest professional joy came from her work in hospitality. In her free time, Wendy enjoyed reading and re-reading her hundreds of books and cheering for her beloved Green Bay Packers. She also volunteered at the Benld Adopt-a-Pet, was fond of puzzles and bowling, and had a lifelong love of music.
However, the true strength of Wendy’s character and determination was laid bare over the past six years as she confronted increasingly complicated health challenges. In the face of consistent adversity, she bravely endured every procedure and clinically prescribed course of treatment that offered hope of recovery. In the end, Wendy demonstrated the ultimate degree of courage in her decision to leave this world and embark on a new, more fulfilling journey.
She is survived by her parents and her brother, Brian.
Wendy was preceded in death by her grandparents, Ed and Betty Looser & Louie and Mary Bombardieri.
Visitation will take place on Saturday, January 28, 2023, from 9 to 11 a.m. at St. John Paul II Catholic Church in Mt. Olive. Mass officiated by Father Thomas Hagstrom will begin at 11 a.m. Burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery in Mt. Olive. Lunch will be served at St. John Paul II Church Hall in Mt. Olive.
Memorials are suggested to Adopt-a-Pet in Benld, Shriners Hospital in St. Louis, MO, and The National Kidney Foundation. Becker and Son Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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Lois Ilaine Erspamer Sawyer, 94 of Gillespie, died at her residence on Monday, November 25, 2024, at 9:51 am. She was born on February 9, 1930, in Gillespie to Louis Poi and Bertha Annetta Sunman Poi Lewis.
She married John Peter Erspamer on September 4, 1950. He preceded her in death on November 24, 1989. She married Dempsey Sawyer on May 15, 1993, and he preceded her in death in 2016. She had been a bookkeeper for Duracraft and Daley’s Chevrolet. Lois enjoyed reading, gardening, painting, drawing, cooking, traveling, bird watching, adventures, her family and her beloved cat, Molly.
She is survived by her children, Ann (Timm) LaRoche of Gillespie, Joan (Paul) Alexander of Gillespie, and Lynn Erspamer of Litchfield; grandchildren, Shannon (David) Wright of Gillespie, Suzanne (companion, Josh) DeMartini of Madisonville, KY, Jared (Amanda) Johnson of Staunton, Adam (Ashli) Alexander of Gillespie, Travis (Laura) Mize of Dallas, TX, Britini Bernardini of Nokomis, and Marissa (Jacob) Summers of Litchfield; great grandchildren, Macie, Isabel and Alexander Wright, Joseph and Gino DeMartini, Brianna Johnson, Ansley Alexander, Lucas and Jeffrey Bernardini, Fisher, Sabrina and Gabriella Crow; great great grandchild, Dominic Joseph “DJ” DeMartini; sisters, Patricia Thompson of Carmel, IN, Phyllis Dodd of Pooler, GA, and Marion Boston of Springfield; and brothers, Ernie Lewis of Carbondale and Fred Lewis of Ft Meyers, FL.
Lois was preceded in death by her parents, spouses, and brother, John Lewis.
Private services will be held. Kravanya Funeral Home, Gillespie is in charge of the arrangements.
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