James “Bill” Harris ’50 passed away on January 23, 2020. He was born January 1, 1927 and is survived by his wife, three daughters, three grandchildren, one grandchildren numerous nieces and nephews. He was a World War II veteran, a reporter for the Daily Pantagraph, and a State Legislative reporter for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Read the full obituary here.
Mary (Parkin) Cotton ’48 passed away on June 21, 2019. She was born on May 3, 1927 and was a resident of Bloomington, IL. Read the full obituary here.
We regret to inform you of the passing of Mary (Thompson) Healy ‘42. Mary passed away on June 26, 2020. Click here to read her full obituary.
Jeanne (Cicciarelli) Centers ’53 died January 11, 2020, in Peoria, Illinois. She was 88. Jeanne was active in Kappa Kappa Gamma and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Illinois Wesleyan. Jeanne was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and the Women’s Guild, serving as its president in 1967-68. She is survived by two children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Jack Snyder ’52 of Bloomington, Illinois died on October 31, 2019. He was 90. Jack remained involved with Illinois Wesleyan throughout his life, through the Illinois Wesleyan Associates and as an adviser to IWU’s recent capital campaign. Jack was known for having developed over 20% of the land area of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. He also had developments in Champaign, Illinois; Springfield, Illinois; Peoria, Illinois; Pontiac, Illinois; Longboat Key, Florida; and Englewood, Florida. He is survived by his wife, three children, nine grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and his brother, Benjamin Snyder ’53. 
We are saddened to inform you of the passing of James Stuckey ‘51.
James Stuckey ’51 of Bloomington, Illinois, died May 1, 2020. He was 93. Jim served in the U.S. Army before his time at Illinois Wesleyan, where he was a member of Sigma Chi. He later studied at the University of Illinois. Jim farmed in northern Ford (Ill.) County for most of his life before moving to Rochester, Illinois, in 2005. He was the county executive director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) for Ford County (1961-72) and Iroquois County (1972-92). He was presented the Ford County Progressive Farmers Award in 1958. He was recognized by ASCS with state and national service awards in 1990. Jim was a dedicated public servant who served on the Piper City (Ill.) School and Parkland College boards. He was also on the boards of Piper City Home Guaranty Savings and Loan, Greenbriar Nursing Home and the Ford County Chapter of the American Cancer Society. He was a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Piper City and United Presbyterian Church of Piper City. He volunteered for the Cooperative Extension Service and local 4-H program. Jim enjoyed playing bridge, jigsaw puzzles, word and number games, boating, sailing and skiing. He moved in 2017 to Westminster Village in Bloomington, where he was a member of a vocal group, attended exercise classes, called bingo and worked in the woodshop. He was preceded in death by his first wife Helenjean (Lauterbach) Stuckey ’51, and second wife. He is survived by three children, Randy Stuckey ’75, Charles Stuckey ’77 and Beth (Stuckey) Woodard-Wolfe ’78, 15 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, one sister, and many nieces and nephews.
We regret to inform you of the passing of Bobby Winkles ‘52. Bobby Winkles ’52 died April 17, 2020. He was 90. Bobby played baseball and basketball at Illinois Wesleyan, and was active in Sigma Chi. He played in Minor League Baseball for seven years before being offered the job of Arizona State University’s first head baseball coach. Bobby built the program from scratch and turned it into a national power by winning three national championships in his 13 years at the helm. He posted a combined record of 524-173, coached 16 All-Americans and was named NCAA Coach of the Year three times. He later managed for four years in Major League Baseball with the California Angels and Oakland Athletics, and also spent several seasons in a variety of roles with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox and Montreal Expos. Bobby was inducted into the ASU Hall of Fame in 1982, the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997 and College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. He was named Illinois Wesleyan’s Distinguished Alumni Award winner in 1971. Click here to read about Bobby’s legacy as the former Arizona State baseball coach.
Here are ways to virtually engage with IWU and fellow Titans:Thank you very much to Wilberta (Naden) Pickett ’50 for sending in some information about herself and some classmates, who she continues to keep in touch with.
Mildred (Gaston) Berryman ’50 was a public school music teacher, organist and a choir director. She continues to live in Virginia, and still very much enjoys visiting with others over the telephone.
Clara (Zaccaro) Madonia ’50 spent time playing the piano duet arrangements of the Beethoven Symphonies when they first arrived, and at Illinois Wesleyan learned how to speak English while hanging out with friends at Professor Lowell and Stella Hazzad’s daily tea open house. She was a social worker and now lives in New Jersey. Her sister, Marina Firestone ’49 came to IWU on a scholarship from Italy, speaking no English.
Nadine (Callahan) Simpson ’49 was roommates with Wilberta during her junior year. Nadine and her husband went to Mozambique, where he was a missionary doctor and Nadine was a journalist. They are doing well, and live in Tennessee.
Ruth (Belyea) Beamis ’50 lives in Maine and has one daughter. She is active in Caring Connections, visiting nursing homes. She and Wilberta were part of a team sponsored by AFS during the summer of 1949, and worked for six weeks at the Lincoln State School in Lincoln, Illinois.
Wilberta (Naden) Pickett ’50 herself will turn 92 in June, and she is still blessed with good health with her husband John. The two will soon celebrate their 69th anniversary. The remain active, enjoying exercise classes and the social and cultural life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received her Masters in Sacred Music from the NYC Union Theological Seminary in 1952. She received a Choir Master degree from the American Guild of Organists and is a Certified Church Musician from the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.
Haroldine (Johnson) Bourelli ’51 was Wilberta’s roommate her senior year. She had six children, one of which was Alex Bourelly ’86, an attorney in Washington, D.C..
If you are interested in contacting any of these alumnae fill out this form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.