OBITUARIES
Page A4 • Wednesday, March 27, 2013
MAYNARD A. ELLS Born: May 1, 1926, in Belvidere, Ill. Died: March 11, 2013, Palm Desert, Calif. RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Maynard A. Ells, 86, of Rancho Mirage, Calif., passed away March 11, 2013, leaving behind his partner of 54 years, Jerry Abraham. He was born to Paul and Gertrude Ells (deceased), one of 11 children, and grew up in Sycamore. He was in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and then attended the University of Illinois. In the early 1960s, he settled in southern California and in 1963 began working for TRW in Redondo Beach, Calif., as an engineer in the environmental and test department. During his 27 years at TRW he was involved with multiple satellite programs and their respective launches. His greatest accomplishment was participating in the development of the test facility and launch of the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) satellite. He retired after the successful launch of GRO. He then moved to Rancho Mirage and enjoyed a life of travel and leisure with Jerry at his side. He was a gracious and loving man and will be deeply missed. He is survived by brothers, Clifford and Dorlan; sisters, Sheila Humes, Mary Freese and Pauline Locken; along with numerous nieces and nephews. He also was preceded in death by four brothers, Arlynn, Duane, Jerry and Keith; and sister, Dolores Floit. He requested no memorial service and that his ashes will be spread at sea. To sign the online guest book, visit www.legacy.com/daily-chronicle.
MERLIN E. HAYS Born: March 15, 1940, in Oregon, Ill. Died: March 22, 2013 GENOA – Merlin E. Hays, 73, passed away Friday, March 22, 2013, at his residence. He did not “struggle.” Merlin was born March 15, 1940, in Oregon, son of Ralph and Lucille (Thomas) Hays. He served in the U.S. Army and retired from Commonwealth Edison after 36 years. He was post commander and life member of the VFW and American Legion in Genoa. Merlin donated to the North Boone High School girls basketball team. Survived by daughters, Janet Elliott and Julie (Eric) Johnson; sons, Christian (Heather) Hays and Curtis (Stefanie) Hays; 12 grandchildren; sisters, Veda May Cole and Doris (Howard) Miller; brothers, Wilmer (Carol) Hays and Laverne (Sandra) Hays; goddaughter, Kathryn (Mark) Smith; and a host of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Eugene Hays; and twin sister, Merilyn Hoffman. A remembrance celebration will be at noon Friday, March 29, at Genoa Veterans Home, 311 S. Washington St., Genoa. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed in Merlin’s name to any Blackhawk Bank location for a North Boone High School Girls Basketball Scholarship Fund. Cremation Society of Illinois assisted the family. To extend condolences, visit www. Cremation-Society.com. To sign the online guest book, visit www.legacy.com/daily-chronicle.
A dietician at OSU, she later moved to Chicago and was working as a dietician at Hines Hospital, where she met her husband, Jerome “Red” Miller. Esther and Red were married in October 1950. They moved to the DeKalb area in 1961. Esther was employed at Northern Illinois University as a dietician and she retired after 20 years of service. Upon retirement, they moved to Mountain Home, Ark., where they enjoyed retirement life for many years. When their health started to be more of a concern, they moved to Oak Crest. Esther was a hard worker and she was a devoted wife and parent. She was a wonderful seamstress and loved to fish with her father and husband. One of her fondest memories was a fishing trip her family took, along with her parents to Minnesota. Esther enjoyed traveling to visit family and taking recreational trips with her husband. She is survived by her children, Alan of Austin, Texas, and Katherine (Jerry) Christensen of DeKalb; and a sister, Evelyn Shopp, of California. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Jerome Miller; her parents; and one brother. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, March 29, at Anderson Funeral Home, DeKalb. Burial will be private at Fairview Park Cemetery, DeKalb. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Esther J. Miller Memorial Fund for DeKalb County Hospice or American Diabetes Association, sent in care of Anderson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 605, 2011 S. Fourth St., DeKalb, IL 60115. For information, visit www. AndersonFuneralHomeLtd.com or call 815-756-1022. To sign the online guest book, visit www.legacy.com/daily-chronicle.
ROBERT VERNON OLDHAM JR. Born: March 16, 1920, in Lorain, Ohio Died: March 7, 2013, in Hoffman Estates, Ill. BARTLETT – Robert Vernon Oldham Jr., 92, of Bartlett, Ill., a World
War II veteran, died of pneumonia Thursday, March 7, 2013, at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates. Bob was born March 16, 1920, in Lorain, Ohio. After high school, Bob delivered telegrams and performed equipment maintenance for Lorain Telephone Co. When World War II began, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he served as chief electrician’s mate aboard the YMS-57 minesweeper operating from Maine to North Carolina. The ship located and destroyed anti-ship mines laid by German U-boats in U.S. waters. After the war ended, Bob began a long career in the telephony industry with Leich Electric in Genoa, where he designed telephone switchboards for both rotary and electronic communications. He was very proud of his patent for a new design of a PABX business telephone switchboard with several innovative features. During his 30plus year career, Bob also worked at GTE in Northlake and United Telephone in Mansfield, Ohio. His avocations included photography, gardening, genealogy, music and baseball. Bob married his high school sweetheart, Lois E. Dobbeck, in 1942. They spent the war years stationed in Virginia Beach, Va., and after the war, moved to Genoa where they began raising their family. The family also resided in Bartlett for more than 10 years. In 1982, Lois preceded Bob in death. Also, he was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Rhue Benson, and his father, Robert V. Oldham Sr., formerly of Lorain. In 1983, Bob married his second wife, Geraldine “Jerry” Nelson. Before 2011, they lived in Genoa and later in Sycamore. The two enjoyed bowling with the seniors at Mardi Gras Lanes in DeKalb, vacation time at their Wisconsin lake cabin and the day-to-day activities of retirement. For the last year of his life, Bob was a resident of the Assisi Health Care Center in Bartlett, where he and Jerry continued to be together.
Bob is survived by Jerry; daughter, Sandra (John) Bailey; son, James (Molly) Oldham; stepson, James (Phyllis) Nelson; stepdaughter, Jan (Dan) Luecking; five grandchildren; five step-grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and four step-great-grandchildren. The burial of his cremated remains will take place at Ridgehill Memorial Park Cemetery, Amherst Township, Lorain. To sign the online guest book, visit www.legacy.com/daily-chronicle.
CLAYTON H. REITAN Born: Oct. 10, 1926, in Grove City, Minn. Died: March 25, 2013, in DeKalb, Ill. DeKALB – Clayton Harold Reitan, 86, of DeKalb, Ill., died Monday, March 25, 2013, at Kishwaukee Community Hospital, DeKalb. Born Oct. 10, 1926, at home in Grove City, Minn., the second son of his beloved parents, Ernest A. and Caren Helene (Jensen) Reitan, Clayton attended public schools in Bay City, Wis., Alberta, Minn., and Regent, N.D., where he graduated high school as valedictorian in 1944. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from 1944 to 1946. He attended Iowa State in Ames, where he received his bachelor of science in physics. From there, he went to graduate school at the University of Chicago, where he received his master of science degree in meteorology in 1953. Mr. Reitan was employed as a research meteorologist with the Cloud Physics Project at the University of Chicago and then with the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona. While in Arizona, Clayton married Jean Elaine Weidephul of Wauwatosa, Wis. In 1967, he returned to school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a Ph.D. in meteorology in 1971. In that same year, he joined the faculty of the Department of Geography at Northern
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KIRKLAND – Shirley (Uphoff) Lawrence Upstone, 82, of Kirkland, Ill., died Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Kindred Hospital in Sycamore. She was born July 10, 1930, to Harry and Minnie (Blount) Uphoff in Columbus, Neb. She moved with her family from Nebraska to Kirkland in 1938. Most of her life was spent in the Kirkland area. Graduating in 1947 from Kirkland High School, she worked as a telephone operator above the old Lamont’s Grocery Store and drove the bus for the Hiawatha school district for 10 years. She then worked as a bank teller at the State Bank of Kirkland for 19 years. Shirley was a lifelong member of First United Methodist Church in Kirkland, as well as a member of the United Methodist Women and treasurer of the Kirkland Development Association. She loved taking care of Birdie, Sophie, Corky, Scotty,
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Cypress and Jazi while their owners were at work. She is survived by her children, Kathy (Richard) Hodgkinson of Kirkland, Nancy (Al) Lloyd of Rapid City, S.D., and Michael (Carla) Lawrence of Austin, Texas; grandchildren, Micah (Gwen) Lawrence, Cody Lawrence, Wes Hodgkinson, Joshua (Heather) Lloyd, Luke Lloyd and Hannah Lloyd; great-grandchildren, Brandon, Arianna, Cade, Caleb, Savannah, Leighton and Knox; brother, William (Barbara) Uphoff of Franklin Grove; sister-in-law, Donna (Lawrence) Tangerose of Kirkland; several nieces and nephews; and her beloved cat, Mindy. She was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Billie Jean Lawrence; grandson, Joel Lloyd; granddaughter, Christy Hodgkinson; two brothers, Edward and Robert Uphoff; and two sisters, Margaret Way and Nadine Crull. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, March 29, in First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Kyeong-Ah Woo officiating. A visitation will be from 9:30 to 11 a.m. before Friday’s service at the church. Memorials can be made to the church. Arrangements by Olson Funeral & Cremation Services, Quiram Kirkland Chapel, 309 S. Fifth St., Kirkland. For information, call 815522-3563. To send a condolence or share a memory, visit www. OlsonFH.com. To sign the online guest book, visit www.legacy.com/daily-chronicle.
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Born: Oct. 6, 1924, in Loyal, Okla. Died: March 25, 2013, in DeKalb, Ill.
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Illinois University, DeKalb, where Dr. Reitan taught in that department’s meteorology emphasis until his retirement in 1991. He is survived by his wife, Jean; daughter, Karen Reitan of Chicago; two sons, Christopher Reitan of Bloomington and Timothy Reitan of DeKalb; granddaughters, Elaine Reitan and Claire Reitan; brothers, Earl Reitan and Phillip Reitan; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister. Cremation has taken place at Anderson Funeral Home Crematory. A memorial service will be at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Clayton H. Reitan Memorial Fund, sent in care of Anderson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 605, 2011 S. Fourth St., DeKalb, IL 60115. For information, visit www. AndersonFuneralHomeLtd.com or call 815-756-1022. To sign the online guest book, visit www.legacy.com/daily-chronicle.
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ESTHER J. MILLER DeKALB – Esther Josephine Miller, 88, of DeKalb, Ill., died Monday, March 25, 2013, at Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center. Born Oct. 6, 1924, in Loyal, Okla., the daughter of Benjamin F. and Emma (Walker) Hamil, Esther grew up on their farm and attended the local schools. She went on to graduate from Oklahoma State University. She was always grateful that she had the opportunity to go to college.
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