Obituaries
Obituary of Rev. Avis June Richardson
Rev. Avis June Richardson, 93, of Staunton, exchanged her earthly home for an eternal home on April 4, 2025. She was born opn June 20, 1931 in Burlington, CO, the third child of the late Elvis Guy and Sarah Margaret (Yale) Foley. She was raised in the home of her grandparents, William & Nellie Yale. At age 4, during the days of the “Dust Bowl”, her family moved to Missouri and settled in the southwest corner of the state near Neosho, where she spent the next 14 years of her life.
When she was 17, she met and married David Walter Richardson on May 19, 1949. To this union three children were born, Angela Jane (Charles) Pfeifer, John William (Barbara) Richardson, and Alisa Jean (Bill) Hoffman.
In 1968, Avis entered the ministry of the United Methodist Church (UMC) and in 1971 she received her ordination into the ministry of UMC. Upon finishing her theological studies at Northwestern University in 1977, she received Associate Membership with the Southern Illinois Conference in 1978.
During her ministry, she received appointments to 9 charges (13 churches) including Beckemeyer, Hamburg, Batchtown, Bellview, St. Jacob, Waltonville, Shiloh (Mt. Vernon area), Patoka, Vernon, Staunton, Dorchester, Wood River Evangelical, and Wanda, IL. After retiring in 1998 (for 18 months), she served as Interim Pastor for St. Paul United Church of Christ in Staunton for two years; then returned to serve for five more years at First United Methodist Church in Staunton.
She was a member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary of Staunton. She also served on the Conference Committee for Voices of Children, and the Board of the UM Village in Lawrenceville, IL. In 1984, with donations from the American Red Cross, she began the Staunton Food Pantry, which was housed in the UMC for 15 years. For over 50 years, she wrote her “To You…With Love” column for local newspapers, writing for the Staunton Star-Times for over 36 years.
She is survived by one daughter, Alisa (Bill) Hoffman of Staunton; seven grandchildren, Aimee June (Casey) Baker of Cabot, AR, Crystal Dawn (Pete) Hoffman of Staunton, Robert Allen (Krista) Hoffman of Staunton, Michelle Diane (Shawn) Way of Taylor, MS, William Craig (Lou) Pfeifer of Fredrich, CO, Melissa Ann (Kevin) Piening of Bethalto, and Terri Lynn (Mikey) Hoffman of Gillespie; fourteen great grandchildren, Amanda (Chris), Christian, Amber (Adam), Samantha, Holly, Alexis (Blake), Mali (Matt), Layla, Grayson, Leah, Anna, Orion, Liam, and Maya; eight great great grandchildren, Michelle, Dakota, Joseph, Oliver, Ariana, Ivy, Blayklee, and Carter; and one sister-in-law, Mary (Richardson) Foley.
Besides her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Angela; her son, John; her great granddaughter, Bethany; her sister, Melva Foley; her brother, William Foley; three brothers-in-law, Howard Van Buren, Ivan Ping, and John Richardson; three sisters-in-law, Marsha (Mason) Richardson, Nancy (Richardson) Ping, and Alice Van Buren; two nieces, Nancy Lee Ping and Ruth Van Buren; and one nephew, Jack Richardson.
Visitation will be held from 10 AM to 12 noon on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at First United Methodist Church in Staunton. Funeral services will be held at 12 noon on Thursday, April 10, 2025 at First United Methodist Church in Staunton with Pastor Nancy Hubert officiating. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery in Staunton.
Memorials are suggested to either First United Methodist Church of Staunton or to the family.
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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.
