Vernon Birch (103045612)

Suggested edit: Vernon Birch, 75, of Atwood died 12: 10 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 30, 1982) in Americana Healthcare Center, Decatur. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Monday in Born Funeral Home, Atwood, with visitation 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Burial will be in Mackville Cemetery, Atwood. Mr. Birch was born in Jasper County, son of Thomas and Erma Birch. He was a tankwagon distributor for Marathon Oil Co., a member of Tuscola Moose Lodge and Arthur Sportsman's Club. He married Eunice Roles in 1928. She died in March 1982. Surviving are his sons, Lloyd R. and Alvin L., both of Decatur; Robert L. of Atwood; Donald W. of Bement; daughter, Mrs. Lamoine (Charlotte) Plog of N. St. Louis County, Mo.; brother, Omer T. of Atwood; sisters, Mrs. Charles (Dovie) Wood of Tuscola; Mrs. Clifford (Ethel) Martin of Arthur; Mrs. June (Marjorie) Fortune of Urbana; Mrs. Paul (Charlotte) Garrett of Pomona, Calif.; Mrs. Robert (Clella) Jenkins of Hobart, Ind.; Mrs. William (Zella) Landgrebe of South Bend, Ind.; 15 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren. Two brothers and four sisters preceded him in death.
Herald and Review Decatur, Illinois 31 Dec 1982, Fri • Page 9
Contributor: Jessie Birch (50108696)



Vernon Birch was to his grandchildren but Pete to the community.
As of December 1, 1972, Pete Birch, started the road to leisure by turning over the keys to his bulk wagon and business to Ronald Wallace the new owner. Pete will help Ronnie through the month of December which will complete 32 years of serving the people with Marathon Oil Products.
Pete started in the bulk distribution of Marathon Oil Products in 1941 when he gave up the trade of paperhanging and painting to go to work for Harold Beaty. At the time an average year's distribution would be around 200,000 to 250,000 gallons per year.
In 1943, Pete took over as a distributor for the company and has built his service to the rural area of Atwood to a point where each year he is now running about 600,000 plus gallons of gas, fuel oil, and diesel through his wagon.
Besides the above mentioned products, Pete also handled oil, greases and anti-freeze. For his farm customers, Pete has gone through a lot of rough weather to see that their houses stayed warm; and that their tractors, cars, and trucks continued to run. In April 1971, Pete extended his area of service by buying out the plant in Tuscola. So from Camargo on the East to around Pierson on the West and north and south of Atwood to the Champaign County line to Arthur, Pete has delivered Marathon Oil Products to his customers.
Pete started delivering in a Ford truck which held 500 gallons of fuel and has progressed through two more trucks, each holding more than the previous one, and now has a Ford which holds 1300 gallon of fuel.