Fulton Obituaries

Elaine L. Pollit, 102, of Normal formally of Canton died on January 13, 2026 at Apostolic Christian Home, Eureka. She was the daughter of Clare and Leona (Suydam) Hancock. She married William Pollitt on February 14, 1943. He preceded her in death on March 2, 1996. he was also preceded by two sisters, Bette and…

John William Spargo, otherwise known as “Johnny Spark Plug Full of Fire”, passed away at his lovely home on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, exactly-where he wanted to be. He was born May 11, 1936, near Dunfermline to Pauline (Dorich) Spargo and William Nicholas Spargo. He spent his childhood there until he left for the Air…

Martha Joanne Sweney, age 92, of rural Avon, went to be with Jesus January 10, 2026. She was born to Donald K. and Irma (Spangler) Sweney on May 9, 1933 at their home in rural Avon. She attended the Sweney one-room schoolhouse and later attended Cuba High School before graduating from Bushnell High School in…

Shirley B. Eskridge, 95, of Lewistown passed away at 11:56 PM Monday January 5, 2026 at her home. She was born July 29, 1930 at Canton the daughter of Roy R. and Marjorie (Beckstead) Bowman. She married William E. “Bill” Eskridge on March 22, 1953 at Canton, her husband of 65 years. He died June…

Roy D. Hopper, 87, of Canton, passed away on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at his residence. Roy graduated from Canton High School in 1956 and earned his Associates from Spoon River College in 1968. An Army veteran, Roy retired from International Harvester’s Accounting Department in 1993. He is best known for his vast knowledge of…

Dean Thomas Austin, born May 3, 1936, died Thursday, December 25, 2025 at 7:15 a.m. He was born on May 3, 1936, in Macon County, to Thomas and Verna (Miller) Austin. They preceded him in death as well as four sisters, and three brothers. Dean is survived by his wife Linda (Lynge) Austin. They shared…

James R. Clark, 85, of Canton passed away at 10:20 AM Monday December 22, 2025 at his home. He was born January 10, 1940 at Canton the son of Oren and Louise (Palmer) Clark. He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, and three sisters. Surviving are his children, Monica Clark and Michael…

Donald Lee Witherell, 82, of Petersburg, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at Tavares Cornerstone Hospice in Tavares, Florida. He was born October 2, 1943, to Gid and Alice (nèe Boehm) Witherell in Chandlerville. He married Alice Ann Garrett on July 3, 1965. They were together for…

Ronald Madden, 86, of Canton passed away on December 10, 2025. He was the son of Thomas and Augusta (Bachman) Madden. He grew up in Chicago where he speed skated competitively, and played in the Pony League World Series in PA. In high school, as a member of the All-Star Team, he played baseball in…