PEKIN ~ Mary Elizabeth Fouts, 89, of Pekin, passed away at 9:21 a.m. Monday, December 1, 2014 at Pekin Manor. She was formerly of Tower Hill.
Born March 6, 1925 in Royalton to Philip and Vesta Louvisa
(Henderson) Baumgarte, she married Walter Whittles on February 16, 1946
in Tower Hill. He died November 29, 1960 in Shelbyville. She later
married Gilbert Warren Fouts on March 9, 1962 in Tower Hill. He died
September 16, 1962 in Meredosia. She also was preceded in death by her
parents; one son, James Philip Whittles; her son-in-law, Paul Lewis and
two brothers.
Surviving are one daughter, Edana Louvisa Lewis of Peoria; eight
grandchildren, Michelle Lynn (Brad) Shelton of California, Philip Walter
Whittles of Los Angeles, CA, William James “Will” (Jen) Lahvic of
Algonquin, Katherine Leigh (Lars) Geary of Spooner, WI, Elizabeth Jamie
(Matt) Jackson of Aurora, JoAnna Leigh (John LaBelle) Lewis of Madison,
WI, Walter Albert Lewis of Peoria and Mary Katherine (Colin) Gibbons of
Winston-Salem, NC; ten great-grandchildren and one
great-great-granddaughter. She also leaves a daughter-in-law, Pamela
Whittles of Naperville.
A 1942 graduate of Tower Hill High School, Mary was a 1959 graduate
of Eastern Illinois University at Charleston with a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Education. She earned her Master of Science Degree in
Marriage and Family from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb in 1966.
Mary was a Home Economics teacher
in Jr. and Sr. High schools for a total of 21 years, teaching at Tower
Hill for 11 years, then at Meredosia for a year and lastly at Earlville
for 9 years. She then moved to Pekin to work as a home economist for 20
years at the Tazewell County Cooperative Extension Service, retiring in
1992.
She was a charter member, director and past president of the
Tazewell County Genealogical and Historical Society. She was a member
and financial secretary for the Home and Community Education in Tazewell
County. She was a 50-year member of the Mazeppa Chapter of the Order
of the Eastern Star in Tower Hill, where she was a past Matron.
Mary was a member of First United Methodist Church in Pekin, where
she was a member of the United Methodist Women and the Deborah Circle.
Her funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, December 5, 2014 at
Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. The Rev. James
C. McClarey will officiate. Visitation will be one hour before the
funeral. Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. Friday at Glenwood
Cemetery in Shelbyville, with the Rev. Phillip Glick officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the
Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society, 719 North 11th Street, Pekin, IL 61554 or the Shelby County Genealogical Society, 151 South Washington Street, Shelbyville, IL 62565
To express condolences online, visit
www.preston-hanley.com
