12 minute read
Social News
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Larry and Diane Ford to mark 60 years of marriage
Larry and Diane Ford will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary Dec. 30, 2020.
They have two children, Peggy Jensen of Prophetstown and Rick Ford of Hooppole, one grandchild, Liz (Matt) Senneff of Sterling, as well as a great-grandson, Hudson.
Diane was a homemaker and was employed in the cafeteria at the Prophetstown High School. Larry was employed at Case IH in East Moline. He retired after nearly 30 years.
In their retirement, Larry and Diane have enjoyed spending winters camping in the south as well as gardening and yard work in the summers.
Cards of celebration can be sent to 28711 Illinois Highway 92, Prophetstown, IL 61277.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Celebrating a special occasion? Let us know!
email: wnsnews@shawmedia.com
James and Diane Landheer 40th wedding anniversary
James and Diane (Raguse) Landheer will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary on December 20.ww
Their children include Jessie (Jason) Wroble and Laurel (Matt) Decker. They have six grandchildren; Cohen and Winnie Wroble and Lane, Luke, Lyric, and Levi Decker.
Congratulations Mom and Dad (Ammy & Poppy)! We love you!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Iva Dorathy observes 90th birthday
Iva Dorathy, of Erie, recently celebrated her 90th birthday. Iva was born on December 14, 1930.
Her family is celebrating with a card shower. Send congratulatory wishes to 912 E. Main St., Erie, IL 61250.
A happy 91st birthday is being extended to Bernard (Bun) Houzenga of Morrison.
Bun will turn 91 years of age on December 24.
Birthday wishes by be sent to 512 Anthony Street, Morrison, IL 61270.
Larry Paper, of Morrison will be celebrating his 80th birthday on December 26.
A family celebration will be held at a later date.
Congratulatory cards may be send to 13900 Rock Road, Morrison, IL 61270.
COMMUNITY MCH and Resthave receive donation for $1,000
The Morrison Community Hospital and Resthave Care & Rehabilitation would like to thank the Church Women United of Sterling and Rock Falls for their generous donation.
Church Women United of Sterling and Rock Falls wanted to thank everyone at MCH and Resthave for their dedication to our elderly during this 2020 pandemic.
MCH will use the $1,000 check for COVID 19 related expenses.
Carol offered many thanks to all of the staffs for their caring hearts and for remaining strong and faithful in their good works. The intent of the donation was to recognize employees for their emotional and physical strength needed for their jobs. The women noted that “like angels all around us, staff members are often unnoticed until they are needed.”
Resthave plans on using this to help raise their residents and staffs spirits by having a Winterfest! Stay tuned for more information on this event.
This donation was very timely and MCH and Resthave want to thank this wonderful group of ladies for their generosity!
Carol Siefken, representing Church Women United of Sterling and Rock Falls, donates a check to Mick Welding, Marketing Director at MCH. Jill Smith, left, Resthave Administrator, receiving a donation from Carol Siefken, representing Church Women United of Sterling and Rock Falls.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
2020
Sending you the warmest of wishes for a SAFE & HAPPY holiday!
This year more than ever, we are thankful for your support & partnership.
OBITUARIES BARBARA J. ANDERSON
TAMPICO – Barbara Jean Anderson, 69 of rural Tampico, died Saturday, December 12, 2020 at Rock River Hospice & Home in Sterling.
Barbara was born on May 24, 1951 in Kewanee, the daughter of Elmore and Dorothy (Hendrick) Schaffer. She was raised in her earlier years in the Princeville area and moved to the Tampico area, graduating from Tampico High School in 1969. She had attended Sauk Valley College. She married Kelvin Anderson on August 22, 1970 in Tampico. Barbara began her working career at Farmers National Bank in Prophetstown for 3 years, and then moved to Citizens State Bank in Walnut for 15 years. For a short time after that, she worked at the former Clifton Gunderson Accountants in Princeton. From there, she began working in 1996 for Ohio Grain Co., and continued through several ownership changes, until her retirement in 2018. Barbara was a member of New Bedford Christian Church.
Survivors include her husband, Kelvin; their daughters, Melissa Anderson of Atlanta, IL, Penni (Mathew) Gaul of Strawberry Point, IAand Rebecca Anderson of Princeton; their grandchildren, Nathaniel, Marin, Nolanand Bentley Gaul; her sisters, Pat Grove of Princeville, Linda Towne ofHouston, Texas, Mary Drake of Camp Verde, Arizona, Judy (Don) Poole of Princeville and Arlene Martin of Henry; her brothers, Ronald Schaffer of Carol Stream and Mike (Rita) Schaffer of Rock Falls; and her sister-in-law Vicki (Don) Dimmich of Creve Coeur, Missouri.
She was preceded in death by her parents and five siblings.
Masks and social distancing will be required to allow 10 persons to rotate through a public visitation on Thursday Dec. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Garland Funeral Home in Walnut. Funeral services will follow on Friday at 10 a.m. at the New Bedford Christian Church, with the Reverend Brian Moore officiating. Burial will conclude at Tampico Memorial Cemetery. Memorials in her memory may be made to Rock River Hospice & Home and to The Cancer Center at OSF Hospital in Rockford.
CHARLES R. SANQUIST
CORDOVA – Charles Rung Sanquist, 73, of Cordova, IL, died Sunday, December 6, 2020 at Genesis Medical Center – Illini Campus, Silvis, IL. Gibson-Bode Funeral Homes handled arrangements.
COMMUNITY Sharing and caring for area seniors
By SARAH FORD For Shaw Media
Residents at area nursing homes will have a brighter Christmas after receiving some generous donations provided by local organization Together We Share...Together We Care, which has been collecting and distributing gifts to local nursing homes for the past 14 years.
Kimberly Teats-Garrison of Erie is the force behind the annual holiday gift-giving, and despite the challenges of 2020 she was able to deliver more gifts than ever this year.
Last week, 300 residents between six different facilities received a care package – from Big Meadows in Savanna, Windsor Manor, Pleasant View, and Resthave in Morrison, Allure of Prophetstown, and Regency Care in Sterling, a first for the organization this year, all the residents of each facility received their own care package.
With the ongoing pandemic restrictions, Kimberly was more determined than ever to get these gift packages delivered to the residents.“They’ve been fairly isolated from so much social interaction this year, which has to be devastating in many ways. I wanted to make this year’s TWSTWC program more personal and special than ever before,” she said.
Typically, the items are donated to the nursing homes in Rubbermaid totes, which are packed with coloring books, word searches, seasonal greeting cards, and items such as soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and deodorants. Kimberly starts collecting items in Sept. by setting up a donation bin at Erie United Method-
FATAL CRASH
Area Career Center welding instructor
DIXON – A longtime Whiteside Area Career Center welding instructor died Dec. 10 when the pickup he was driving was struck by an SUV on state Route 26 at Timber Creek Road, the Lee County ist Church, where she’s been a lifelong member. They’ve been a huge supporter of TWSTWC for over a decade, she noted.
She also receives monetary donations made during church services or mailed to her organization. This year’s collection was a bit different with all the Covid regulations, so she set up Venmo and PayPal options which brought in more donations.
Kimberly also got a helping hand from her employer, CGH Medical Center in Sterling, after she was talking to her co-workers about her efforts. “They decided to donate to the program this year and supplied the tote bags for every single resident, as well as chapsticks, hand sanitizers and pens! This was a first for us, but hopefully something we can continue,” she said, thanking them for their support.
This year’s plan was to give every single resident their own personal tote bag full of a shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, chapstick, pen, word search booklet, and tissues. Kimberly and her crew of volunteers also hand-decorated a brown paper bag for every resident and filled them with a holiday puzzle book, pen, and various candies and goodies to accommodate every type of diet (regular, diabetic, or puree).
“The paper bags have been a staple of TWSTWC for many years now, but it was an added special goody for the residents again this year,” she noted.
“My desire to do this program every year stems from the relationship I had with my own grandparents,” Kimberly explains. “I was so, so close to each of them and spendSheriff’s Department said in a news release.
Justin Carter, 29, of Dixon, was westbound on Timber Creek just before 3:30 p.m. when he entered the intersection and collided with a southbound pickup driven by Steven Bierdeman, 61, of Dixon.
Bierdeman died at the scene. Carter was taken to KSB Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash is under investigation; no further details were released.
Bierdeman taught welding and manufacturing at WACC for more than 30 years. ing time with them was a priority to me. Through my relationship with my grandmother, Violet, I became very familiar with nursing homes at a young age as we went to visit her own parents, my great-grandparents, at Pleasant View in Morrison on nearly a weekly basis until they passed. I remember walking into the home each week and going to visit my own ‘friends’ (I still remember their names: Eileen, Dorothy and Jessie!) before then rounding back to meet up with my grandma to visit with our family!”
“Even at a young age (I was about 6-years-old when we started going to the homes), I recognized that so many of the elderly at the home were without many visitors, even at Christmas,” she continued. “When I was old enough to know I could do something about this, I did, with the help of my parents. Thus, “Together We Share…Together We Care!!!” was born.”
Every year, Kimberly said she’s able to see the joy it brings to the residents at each facility, and that is exactly why they continue this program year after year.
“I’m baffled at the fact that we just concluded our 14th season. When I started this at 12, I thought we’d be lucky to do this for a couple of years. And then we did. Then, I thought it’d be awesome to continue until I graduated high school. And we did. I thought it’d be pretty neat to start it up at college in Joliet and with the help of a professor, we did TWSTWC for two years while I attended Lewis University (while also continuing
See SHARING AND CARING, Page 7
Two-vehicle collision
the program back home too!).
kills one
“I would have NEVER guessed that TWSTWC would still be as successful as it is, but I think people have recognized it as an annual event and they know it’s a good program without many other similar programs for seniors, so the donations continue to roll in each year and every year is better than the last. As long as the support continues, so will the program—hopefully TWSTWC is something I can continue with my own children someday,” Kimberly says of her inspiration for the program.
“I could not do this without the support of my husband, my family, my close friends, the Erie United Methodist Church, CGH Medical Center and the members of the local communities that donate and pray for TWSTWC each year. There is never a donation “too small” and I thank every person who has ever supported us in any way, whether that be via a donation or sharing a post for us on Facebook! YOU all are the reason that we can make such a difference to so many seniors in our area year after year. In 2020, a year with so much uncertainty, it was no doubt that TWSTWC would thrive thanks to so many generous hearts. Thank you for your unwavering support!” Submitted Photo
TWSTWC organizer Kimberly Teats-Garrison, left, and Kevin Garrison delivered gift packages to staff members at Allure of Prophetstown on Monday, Dec. 7. The gifts will be distributed to all the residents for Christmas. IN BRIEF MMTA postpones production of “A Christmas Carol”
As with many activities related to recent and ongoing concerns over COVID19 and the imposed restrictions by the Governor, MMTA has been forced to postpone it’s production of “A Christmas Carol”.
The production was to be performed at Morrison Tech (MIT) but due to the limitations of group sizes in assembly or gatherings, that was not possible. Morrison Tech is following the guidelines for the safety and health of their students, staff, and community. Unfortunately, the MMTA production was an incidental casualty of that guideline.
With the Governor’s mitigation guideline for the pandemic, groups of more than 10 could not be assembled in an indoor setting. With a cast and support crew totaling 15, there was no way possible for the production to go on.
MMTA has simply postponed the production until such a time as is available to fill the house with an audience. This production is intended as the second installment of the holiday commitment to the community. Hopefully, the entire community will be there to support the group when “ A Christmas Carol” is finally able to be presented.
GET THE NETWORK THAT WORKS AS HARD AS YOU DO
Our Lifeline Calling Plans bring discounted wireless service to participants in certain government-assisted programs.
Visit uscellular.com/lifeline or call 1-800-447-1339 for more information.
Plans starting at $3425 before Lifeline discount.
Things we want you to know: Lifeline is a federal government benefit program and only qualified persons may participate. Lifeline service may not be transferred to any other individual. Applicants must present documentation of household income or participation in qualifying programs. Lifeline is only available for one phone line per household, whether landline or wireless. The Lifeline Calling Plan/Lifeline discounts are only available to residents in states where U.S. Cellular® is an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC). Eligibility to receive Lifeline discounts will be verified annually. Lifeline Calling Plans support all of the federal universal services provided for in 47CFR Sec. 54.101. Additional terms and conditions apply. See store or uscellular.com for details. ©2020 U.S. Cellular
