Dennis “Denny” Steele ’67 passed away in Bloomington, IL on October 18, 2023 at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife, sister, two children, and two grandchildren.

Read the full obituary here.

William Ray Van Plew ’66 passed away on December 6 at the age of 78. While at Illinois Wesleyan, William earned his bachelor’s degree in art (printmaking specialty) and was a member of TKE. One of William’s original prints was chosen and featured in a gallery show in Washington, D.C., while was he still in college.

You can read his full obituary here.

Dave Petrick ’67 passed away on December 2, 2022 after a long and fierce battle with lung cancer. Throughout his life, Dave shared his time, talent, and treasure with Illinois Wesleyan University, most recently with the planning and development of The Petrick IDEA Center. As a lifelong entrepreneur himself, Dave was passionate about sharing the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship with future Titans. Once built, The Petrick IDEA Center will serve as the epicenter of IWU innovation, as well as a lasting legacy to Dave’s creativity and generosity. He will be greatly missed by the campus community and by all who knew him. 

Jim Joyce ’63 passed away on October 4th, 2022 at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska. After service in the U.S. Army, Jim worked in Des Moines, Iowa and Lincoln as a journalist and later as a legislative and gubernatorial assistant. At IWU, he majored in English and was active in the early setting up of Acacia Fraternity.

Joseph “Joe” Anderson ’67 passed away on October 23, 2022 in Bloomington, IL. He was born on September 6, 1944, and is survived by his wife, siblings, nieces and nephews. Read the full obituary here.

Nancy Meeker ’64 passed away on October 20, 2022 in home hospice. She is survived by her husband Dave ’64, sons Steve and John, four grandchildren and one great grandchild. While attending Wesleyan Nancy was a member of Kappa Gamma and kept active with many Kappa alum activities and friends throughout her life. Read the full obituary here.

Joyce (Lego) Finkler ’60 passed away on July 21, 2022. Joyce was the first in her family to graduate from college, Illinois Wesleyan, with a major in Spanish and a minor in French. She completed her program in three and a half years. College is where Joyce met Robert, her future husband. They attended countless fraternity and sorority events together, garnering her the Fiji Rose title.

You can read Joyce’s full obituary here.

Joy R. Stephens ’62, 80, of Monmouth, IL, passed at 9:10 pm, Tuesday, July 12, 2022 in Peoria, IL. Joy was born January 29, 1942 in Centralia, IL the daughter of Charles Arthur and G. Irene (Nogle) Fairchild. She was raised and educated in Sandoval, IL, graduating from Sandoval High School in 1958. She later attended Illinois Wesleyan University as a music major. After raising her family, Joy graduated from Monmouth College in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting. Joy later earned her Master of Business Administration in Accounting from Colorado State University in 2004. Joy married Jack Kenneth Stephens ’57 in Heyworth, IL on August 10, 1961 and he passed away on July 11, 2022. View the full obituary here.

Paul Grady ’62 died May 15, 2022, in Peoria, Arizona. He was 81. Paul lived in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, and spent his career as a high school math teacher and basketball coach in Illinois School District No. 214. In those roles, he mentored many students to best prepare them to achieve their potential. He is survived by his wife, Cherris (DeWolf) Grady ’64, two children, including Bill Grady ’94, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. You can read his full obituary here.

Joseph Rabe ’65 died April 21, 2022, in South Pasadena, Florida. Joe majored in speech at Illinois Wesleyan. After graduation, he took a job with Sears, Roebuck & Co., where he held a variety of positions at stores in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. Joe developed a love of automobiles early in life, a passion he shared with his father. Joe made that passion his profession when he became co-owner of a Dodge-Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in the late 1980s. In retirement, he traveled between East Moline, Illinois, and South Pasadena, where he continued to be an active member of car clubs. He had a particular passion for Packard, Studebaker, Avanti and Saab vehicles. Joe had a knack for storytelling and was happiest when he had the chance to regale friends with his tales into the wee hours of the morning. He is survived by two children, four grandchildren, and many extended family members. You can read more here.