Denny Matthews ’66 returned to the broadcast booth after a year of calling games remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here (subsciption required).
Apr 212021
Apr 132021
Sharon (McIntyre) Keene ’61 of Sierra Vista, Arizona, died March 22, 2021. She was 81. Sharon studied sacred music at Illinois Wesleyan and taught high school choral music in Harvard, Illinois, for 25 of her 30 years in teaching. Under her leadership, Harvard High School’s music department won eight state championships. Upon retirement, she and her husband moved to Sierra Vista, where she volunteered as director of the Sierra Vista Community Chorus and served as choir director at Faith Presbyterian Church. She had previously served as choir director for 30 years at First Presbyterian Church in Harvard. Music was always an important part of Sharon’s life, second only to her family. She is survived by her husband Edwin Keene ’61, four children, including Christopher Keene ’91, six grandchildren, and three foreign exchange children.
Mar 222021
James Hartley, ’67 or St Charles, Illinois died February 8, 2021. He was 77. Jim studied history, earning a bachelor’s degree at Illinois Wesleyan and a master’s degree at Northern Illinois University. Jim founded and managed his own home remodeling business. He previously worked in a variety of roles related to the construction and sale of solar energy systems. Jim enjoyed woodworking, playing guitar, and helping his friends build websites for their own businesses. He was known for his wry sense of humor, quick wit, and seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of many fields. He is survived by two sons, five grandchildren, a sister, Susan (Hartley) Raeder ’63, a niece and a nephew.
Mar 222021
Anne (Loyd) Kovalcik died July 21, 2020 in Decatur, Illinois. She was 73. Anne majored in religion at Illinois Wesleyan, where she met and married Rev. John Kovalcik ’70. Anne and John served United Methodist Church congregations in many churches in central Illinois. She was the co-founder of Epworth Spring Athletic Camp and was the principal architect of its organization. The Kovalciks moved to Eureka Springs, Arkansas in 1983 where they built the Kairos Retreat Center. She loved her family and enjoyed reading and cross-stitch. Anne was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by two sons, four grandchildren and two siblings.
Mar 222021
William Rickert ’68 of Bellbrook, Ohio, died June 3, 2020. He was 73. Bill was a member of TKE and graduated from Illinois Wesleyan. He earned a graduate degree at Central Michigan University. Bill served in the US Army before earning a doctorate at University of Michigan. He then moved to Ohio and began a 45 year career at Wright State University where he served as acting dean, associate dean, and associate provost. He was known by family, friends, and coworkers for his objectiveness, patience, honesty, humility and kind heart. He is survived by his wife, four children, 11 grandchildren and a brother.
Mar 222021
Robert Fred Kern ’67 died August 14, 2020. He was 75. Fred was a renowned music educator, scholar, composer and author. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Illinois State University and master’s degrees at Illinois Wesleyan and Northwestern Universities as well as a doctorate from Northern Colorado University. Fred was a professor of music and a specialist in piano education at the University of North Texas for over 30 years. In 2014 he was inducted into the Illinois State University Woonsok Kim College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame. He is survived by many cousins, an uncle, many friends and his beloved dog.
Mar 222021
Wayne Dohrmann ’66 of Manson, Iowa, died August 25, 2020. He was 83. Wayne earned a bachelor’s degree at Wartburg College and a master’s degree at Illinois Wesleyan. He taught and was a long-time junior sponsor at Manson Community Schools. He became an agent with Farm Bureau Insurance of Iowa and advanced to agency manager at five Farm Bureau offices. He later owned and operated his own insurance and realty office. Wayne served in the Iowa National Guard, on the Mason Community School Board, and the church council at St Paul Lutheran in Manson. He was a member of St Paul for almost 60 years. Wayne was an avid musician who enjoyed singing and playing guitar. He is survived by his wife, two sons, three grandchildren and a brother.
Mar 222021
Michael Daubs ’66 of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin died July 29, 2020. He was 77. Michael earned a bachelor’s degree at Illinois Wesleyan and a master’s degree at Illinois State University. He started his career as an analyst and commercial mortgage officer for Country Companies in Bloomington, Illinois. He later joined Lutheran Mutual Life in Waverly, Iowa, where he became senior vice president of investments. He was one of the founders of Members Capital Advisors where he served as president. He was later named chief investment officer and senior vice president of investments for CUNA Mutual Group. When he wasn’t playing tennis or golf, Michael could be found in nature hunting, fishing or birdwatching. He was an avid fan of the St Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bears and Chicago Bulls. He is survived by his wife, three children, four siblings and 15 grandchildren.
Mar 222021
Marion (Parb’s) Atten ’66 of DeWitt, Illinois, died July 19, 2020. She was 76. Marion worked as a substitute teacher after her time at Illinois Wesleyan. She enjoyed art as well as traveling throughout the United States, often in search of antiques. She especially enjoyed time with her family and doting on her children and grandchildren. She is survived by two children and five grandchildren.
Mar 182021
Constance “Connie” (Popovich) Pavich ’60 died Jan. 28. 2021. She was 84. Connie studied art at Illinois Wesleyan and became a junior high art teacher. She painted and participated in art shows, and she sold many of her works over the years. Connie met her future husband at a Serbian basketball tournament in Milwaukee. They soon married and started a family. Connie was a dedicated homemaker who regularly hosted dinner parties where Serbian music was always playing in the background. She was a highly regarded cook who enjoyed sharing recipes. She liked working with her hands and was known by the many employees at her local Ace Hardware store. She also enjoyed technology; after buying her first computer in the late 1970s, she took computer courses and conducted video calls with family before they became commonplace. Connie read two newspapers and completed the crossword, jumble and word search puzzles in both every day. She was a dedicated fan of the Chicago Cubs and took great pleasure in the team’s World Series victory in 2016. Connie most enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren, with whom she spent many hours doing art projects.