Janet Lee Claus ’81 passed away on November 13th, 2022 in El Paso, Illinois. She was born June 27th, 1959 in Normal, Illinois. Read the full obituary here.

Gary Wester of Normal, Illinois, died March 15, 2022. He was 74. Gary taught computer science as a member of Illinois Wesleyan’s faculty from 1985-87. He also taught at Waycross (Ga.) College. He earned a master’s degree and doctorate from Western Michigan University. After his teaching career, Gary went on a long and distinguished career with State Farm, from which he retired in 2010 to pursue passions for watercolor and pastel painting. He is survived by his wife, three children, granddaughter, brother, and several nieces and nephews. You can read more here.

Brian Balestri ’86 is the creator of “Who Said True?!” an online party game played on phones where players secretly answer fun true/false questions about themselves. Players are awarded points for accurately guessing how many other players answered “true.” The game produces fun conversations and stories and is perfect for nights out with friends, family get-togethers, and even Zoom team meetings. Brian left his position as chief technology officer at GrandPad in order to focus full-time on “Who Said True?!”

Check out Who Said True?!’s website at: www.WhoSaidTrue.com

Mario Mancinelli of Bloomington, Illinois, died March 15, 2022. He was 99. Mario served as a faculty member in Illinois Wesleyan’s School of Music for 35 years. He was hired in 1948 to teach strings and chamber music, and conduct the student orchestra. He retired in 1983 with emeritus status. Mario attended Ohio State University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He was also a faculty member at Brevard Music Center for 25 years. He was a member of the American String Teachers Association, American Federation of Musicians, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and an honorary member of Phi Kappa Phi. Mario was an accomplished violinist and played regularly in Central Illinois orchestras. He enjoyed crossword puzzles, playing and listening to classical music, playing cards, and watching the Indianapolis 500, World Series and the Olympics. He was a longtime member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington-Normal. He is survived by two children and a granddaughter. 

Robert Donalson died Dec. 22, 2021. He was 87. Bob was a professor in Illinois Wesleyan’s School of Music for 30 years; he retired in 1994 with emeritus status. Bob felt the call to become an educator while serving in the U.S. Army in a mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean War. He obtained a master’s degree at San Jose State University and a doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder. He began his teaching career at Pepperdine University before landing at IWU. Bob loved beauty in all its forms — nature, art and poetry among them — but music was his emotional home. He was active in religious life and often shared his gift of music in the church. Bob was always learning and educated himself on subjects ranging from theology and philosophy, to computer science and financial investing, to home repair and carpentry. He enjoyed traveling, sports, his cats and, most of all, his family. He is survived by his wife, five children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Bob’s Celebration of Life will be held on February 12 at 1 p.m. CST and will be live-streamed at christlutheranchurchffg.org.

Joni (Clark) Milner ’80 of Ridgeville, Indiana, died Oct. 15, 2021. She was 62. Joni studied accounting at Illinois Wesleyan and worked as a certified public accountant, most recently for Maul Technology in Winchester, Indiana. She was an upstanding member of her community active in many organizations and charitable causes, and her generosity was passed down to her children and others close to her. She loved life, crafts and gardening. She was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by three children, four grandchildren, her mother and her boyfriend.

Read her full obituary here.

Timothy Ruegg ’82 of Seward, Nebraska, died Sept. 12, 2021. He was 61. Tim earned a bachelor’s degree in music education at Illinois Wesleyan and a master’s degree in church music from Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a trombonist and composer/arranger for Strategic Air Command Band and Heartland of America Band at Offutt Air Force Base, and was deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. After his military career, he dedicated himself full-time to ministry and served on the staff of colleges and churches in California, Oklahoma and Washington. He had served as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Seward since 2005. He also worked at Walmart in Seward for 15 years. Tim loved his community and enjoyed opportunities to play in and conduct the Seward Municipal Band and the University-Community Band. He is survived by his wife Peggy (Miller) Reugg ’82, 13 children, 19 grandchildren, mother and  four siblings. 

Doug Thomas ’84 of Phoenix died Aug. 10, 2021. He was 59. Doug was a member of the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team and Sigma Chi fraternity. After his time at IWU, he earned a Juris Doctor from Washington University in St. Louis, and he practiced law in Phoenix for 26 years. He also served on the Phoenix Union High School District Governing Board for 12 years. His passions included fly fishing, music, travel, theatre, family and his German shepherds. He is survived by two stepchildren and many extended family members and friends. 

Richard Whitlock ’89 of rural Clinton, Illinois, died July 15, 2021. He was 54. Rich studied economics at Illinois Wesleyan and most recently worked as a claims adjuster for COUNTRY Financial. He also served as fire chief of Ellsworth (Ill.) Fire Department. Rich was a member of the Living Hope Christian Church in Downs, Illinois, where he helped in the construction of the permanent building. His hobbies included horsemanship, woodworking and pheasant hunting. He is survived by two daughters, his loving companion and her four children, his mother and a brother. 

Cynthia Ann Reynolds ’80 passed away on August 10, 2021. She attended Illinois Wesleyan University and then moved to NYC to sing. And sing she did, with Amato Opera, Vineyard Opera, NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players and other companies. She married a tenor she often sang with, Richard Slade, and they had two children: Merlin and Julian. Cynthia made a bold career change, becoming a school teacher, and found her happiest place in Peekskill, teaching elementary music and strings, and directing the middle school musicals. Even when stricken with Glioblastoma she maintained her high standard of achievement, impressing all the therapists with her progress and her determination. She leaves behind grieving family and an immense array of friends and colleagues — and so, so many children whose lives she changed. You can read the full obituary here.