September 21, 2023

A sampling of headlines in this week’s Sidell Reporter. To read the stories that go with this, plus many more articles in this week’s issue, subscribe today to read the Reporter in print and/or online. For details click here.

DeKalb man arrested on disorderly conduct after approaching kids at Fairmount park

Inside this issue: National Farm Safety and Health Week

Tempers flare at Indianola Board meeting
    White finally receives last permit to open gaming in his Papa Jack’s business

Fairmount Fall Festival Sept. 30

Catlin refers ordinance violations to Property Maintenance

Carroll Twp. works on Diennial Report

Catlin sets township zoning board members

Bill Daugherty’s memoirs of growing up in Sidell, Part 2

In the Farm Safety Issue:
A life time in agriculture puts safety at top of Ingram’s list

What should a farmer do to be safe?

No longer pretending - Rohrscheib combines her childhood dream with her agricultural roots

Complacency is a farmer’s worst enemy
It’s important to tell stories of dangerous situations

Salt Fork Sports

Third shutout goes down in the record books for Storm Football

Russell fnishes 4th among 400 runners at Invitational

Birge leads Storm at Harrison Park

OSF soccer improves to 8-6-1 overall

Netters defeat Danville High in two games

Salt Fork Jr. High named 2A Regional Champions

Obituaries

  WINONA J. “TOBY” WILLIAMS, 97, prominent Catlin restauranteur and businesswoman, passed away at 11:50 a.m. Thurs., Sept.14, 2023, at OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville.
    Toby was born in Vermilion County on June 5, 1926, to Frank and Edith Anderson Jacobs in a house south of the Rocky Ford Bridge. Winona is better known as “Toby,” a nickname she was given in childhood by her parents’ friend, Dr. Baldwin, when her sister, Jackie, started calling her “Toe.” Dr. Baldwin had no idea that the name he gave her would become well known in Catlin and the surrounding area.
    She graduated from Catlin High School in 1944 at the age of 17. Prior to graduation she had taken a test at the University of Illinois and her score was second in the state but she was not interested in going to college. After graduation she and two friends rented an apartment in Danville and went to work. She had two jobs, one at Sugar Creamery during the day and nights at the Bright Spot Restaurant as a waitress. This is the job she enjoyed the most. Her parents realized working with the public was something she enjoyed and purchased a restaurant in Catlin for her. The first Toby’s Café was born. The café was open 24 hours a day to provide meals for the workers rebuilding the Catlin grain elevator who were working around the clock to get it built.
    Toby did venture out of the restaurant business for two years working as a teacher at Foster School in Armstrong. Her mother, Edith, kept the cafe open for her during this time. Her high test score from the U of I and a shortage of teachers resulted in her being asked to teach by the Superintendent of Schools. She taught for two years, said she hated it and went back to the restaurant business.
    Toby’s Café became a Catlin fixture, changing locations as its notoriety and business grew. The last location was built in 1962 and it is where Toby retired at age 60. Toby’s Café was a meeting place for community members, especially the local farmers. Each morning a group of men met for coffee and gossip. They made sure Toby knew what was going on in the community!
    Toby provided good food, friendly service and homemade pies for her customers. Her pies, oven fried chicken and rolls were her trademark. There were days she made as many as 40 pies, rolling the dough and preparing them herself. Food did not come from cans back then, it was homemade and she made some of the best. She was a stickler about making sure her customers were well taken care of. She truly cared about the people who came through the door; they became her friends, not just customers. Town children knew they could go there after school, get a snack and wait until their parents got home. If she heard of someone having financial problems, she would be sure they got food and often slipped them money to help out. Toby knew farmers were often short on cash until the crops were harvested and kept a running tab for their meals and those of their employees through the summer until harvest.
    Toby was concerned about food safety not just in her restaurant, but anywhere people ate. She and Bob Jones of Danville, helped to write the sanitation laws for Vermilion County and she was one of the first to be get a sanitation license. Many of the regulations she helped write are still in place today.
    Toby married Fay Williams in 1948. He was a Borden’s milkman for 31 years and helped her to run the café. They were together for 37 years until his death in 1985. They had two daughters, Crystal and Janice. Toby’s Café was a family affair, everyone worked there at one time or another.
    Toby retired from the Café on her sixtieth birthday, giving it to her daughter Janice and her husband Greg. Never one to sit around, Toby started new activities to keep busy. She loved to dance as a young person and now had the time to dance again. She started ballroom dance classes and was so good the instructors asked her to help them teach. For several years she was part of a group that danced wherever they could find a good band. She and a friend group met regularly for supper or coffee and dessert at the Oakwood Truck Stop. In recent years, she played euchre with a group at the Catlin Community Building. Toby was definitely a people person, she never knew a stranger; striking up conversations with everyone she met, often to the dismay of her daughters who never knew what she was going to say!
    Toby had a big heart and touched the lives of so many people in her lifetime. She will be greatly missed.
    Survivors include two daughters, Crystal Carter of Fairmount and Janice (Greg) Dirks of Catlin; a sister, Melissa “Jackie” Hewitt of Dickinson, Texas; four grandchildren, J.J. (Tina) Carter, Betsy (Ben) LaFleur, Amanda Fruhling, and Ashley (Mike) Ames; a granddaughter-in-law, Robin Carter; 13 great-grandchildren, Brady, Aubrey, Lincoln, Bella, Maddie, Dirk, Devin, Dane, Dakota, Lilly, Mikey, Hunter and Jordan. She was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Gary Carter, one grandson, Doug Carter and one great-grandson, Matthew.
    Memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Sat., Sept. 23, at the Catlin United Methodist Church. Rev. Matt Filicsky to officiate. Inurnment will follow alongside Fay in Oakridge Cemetery at Catlin. Visitation 11 a.m. till 1 p.m. Saturday at the church. Memorials may be made in her memory to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or Woodlawn Cemetery Association. Robison Chapel in Catlin is handling service details. On-line condolences at www.robisonchapel.com.

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    OAKIE L. JONES, 85, of Fairmount passed away at 9:18 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 13, 2023, at the OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center, Urbana.
    Oakie was born Sept. 26, 1937, in Fairmount to Dan and Mabel Lopp Jones. He married Joan Moreman on Jan. 10, 1969. She preceded him in death on Feb. 9, 2014. Surviving are two sons, Dave Jones of Danville and Christopher (Lee) Jones of Fairmount; and two daughters, Kathy Jones of Danville and Brandi (Travis) Stone of Indianola; a granddaughter, Kenzee Jones of Fairmount; and grandson, Danny Davis of Florida; great-grandkids, Waylon, Hendrix, and Ehvren Krumwiede; sisters, Dorothy (Don) Bolser and Elizabeth Harold, both of Fairmount, and Barb (Gary) Kneller of Morris; and a special niece, Sandy (John) Kepling. He was preceded in death by his parents, a son, Bobby Jones; brothers, Harvey Jones and Johnson D. “J.D.” Jones and sisters, Mary Marlo and Silvia Burris.
    Oakie was a veteran of the US Army and served during the Vietnam war. He was retired from the Operators Union Local 841 and was a member for 64 years. He was a member of the Fairmount Quarry and enjoyed fishing and hunting. Oakie loved the outdoors and taking drives in the country to see the wildlife. He enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his grandkids. Cremation rites will be accorded and a celebration of his life will be held at his home on Sat., Sept. 23, 2023, from 11 a.m. until it ends. Robison Chapel in Catlin is handling arrangements. Online condolences at www.robisonchapel.com.

    WILLIAM B. “BILL” BLACK, 81, of Danville passed away on Sept. 9, 2023 at Goldwater Care in Danville. Bill was elected to the Illinois General Assembly from the 105th District in November 1986 after serving since February 1986 when he was appointed to fill a vacancy. A former administrator of Danville Area Community College, he received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from William Jewell College, Liberty, Missouri in 1963 followed by a master’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1968. A native of Danville, he served on the Vermilion County Board from 1976 to 1986 and served as Chairman from 1981-1983. Bill moved to the General Assembly after a 22-year career in education and civic involvement. Black was elected to his 12th term in the Illinois House of Representatives in November 2008 in the 104th District. Bill was born in Danville on Nov. 11, 1941, the son of Willard and Laura (Murray) Black. He graduated from Franklin Grade School in 1955 and Danville High School in 1959.
    Active in civic activities, Bill Black is a past president of the Danville Jaycees and Danville South Rotary. His many activities include service on the Danville Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the Vermilion County Chapter of the American Red Cross, St. Elizabeth Hospital Mental Health Advisory Board, Boy Scouts of America, Director of the YMCA Youth Center, Danville Junior Achievement Board, and in 1995 served as the Honorary Christmas Chairman for the Vermilion County Salvation Army Unit. He was the recipient of the Danville Distinguished Service Award in 1972 and is a Paul Harris Fellow in the Rotary Foundation. His family has owned and operated a small business in the Danville area for over 60 years. He was active in the formation of the Danville Area Economic Development Corporation. He was chosen as a member of the Danville High School Wall of Fame in 2002 and was named a distinguished Eagle Scout in 1999.
    The Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies named Representative Black the Outstanding Freshman Legislator of the Year in 1987. He received the Illinois Community College Trustee Association Meritorious Service Award in 1988 and has received dozens of Outstanding Legislator Awards from various Illinois associations. He was named one of the 10 Outstanding State Legislators in the country in 1991. He was named GOP floor leader in 1991 and served as the Deputy Minority Leader in the Illinois House of Representatives. He retired from the Illinois General Assembly in 2011, after serving 25 years.
    He was elected Alderman on the Danville City Council in April of 2011 and served as a   Trustee on the Danville Area Community College Board. A life member of the University of Illinois Alumni Association, Bill received their Distinguished Legislator Award in 2008.
    Bill is survived by his wife, Sharon (MacArthur) Black, and their two children Debra (Scott) Alexander and Doug (DeeDee) Black. He also leaves behind his six grandchildren, Ryan Alexander, Lauren Alexander, Evan Black, Kriegh (Channah) Black, Kole Black and Britney Rodman; his brother, Bob (Jackie) Black; and his two stepsisters, Denia (Don) Zuch and Cathy Speerly.
    He was preceded in death by his father, mother, and stepmother, Helen Black.
    Private family services will be held at a later time. Burial will be at Sunset Memorial Park in Danville. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice or the Bill Black Scholarship at Danville Area Community College. Visit his tribute wall, www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.