Steve L. French, 81, of Effingham IL, died at home on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. He was the son of Rufus and Sara (Shadwell) French born on August 18, 1938 in Effingham, IL.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, 2020 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Effingham. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in Effingham with military rites. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital or Shriners Hospital for Children.
Steve attended grade school in Effingham and finished school in Normal, IL at the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Home.
He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Arneb. They spent their duty time in Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic. He liked to say they were only there from sun up to sun down--6+ months. They went from Norfolk Naval Base through the Panama Canal to the South Pole. They returned via New Zealand, South Africa, and Haiti. He became a life time member of the Effingham American Legion Post 120.
Steve then returned to Effingham working at Norge in the paint department mixing paint for sprayers. He was hired to work at Crossroads Press in June 1970. He held the number one seniority status in the shipping department until he retired in 2001.
His family and a good cup of coffee were the joy of his life. He loved sharing jokes and doing magic tricks with them. He also enjoyed discussing the Cardinals and Cubs with family members.
Steve married Kathleen Bergfeld on October 16, 1970. He is survived by his wife, Katie; sons, Chris (Judy) and Philip (Trisha); Five granddaughters, Kelci (Greg) Niemerg, Bethanie (Daryl Jones) French, Lauryn (Ethan) Bogle, Taleena French, and Brytnie French; six great-grandchildren, Andrew, Alicen, Austin and Abraham Niemerg, Gavin French, and Destiny Jones; brothers, Clifford of Salem and Don of Effingham; sisters, Barb Cade of Ramsey, Sandy Sloan of Clinton, and Karen Hurst of Effingham; and sister-in-law, Judy French.
He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Darrell; brother, Ben; and sister, Hazel Sandburg.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, 2020 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Effingham. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in Effingham with military rites. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital or Shriners Hospital for Children.
Steve attended grade school in Effingham and finished school in Normal, IL at the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Home.
He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Arneb. They spent their duty time in Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic. He liked to say they were only there from sun up to sun down--6+ months. They went from Norfolk Naval Base through the Panama Canal to the South Pole. They returned via New Zealand, South Africa, and Haiti. He became a life time member of the Effingham American Legion Post 120.
Steve then returned to Effingham working at Norge in the paint department mixing paint for sprayers. He was hired to work at Crossroads Press in June 1970. He held the number one seniority status in the shipping department until he retired in 2001.
His family and a good cup of coffee were the joy of his life. He loved sharing jokes and doing magic tricks with them. He also enjoyed discussing the Cardinals and Cubs with family members.
Steve married Kathleen Bergfeld on October 16, 1970. He is survived by his wife, Katie; sons, Chris (Judy) and Philip (Trisha); Five granddaughters, Kelci (Greg) Niemerg, Bethanie (Daryl Jones) French, Lauryn (Ethan) Bogle, Taleena French, and Brytnie French; six great-grandchildren, Andrew, Alicen, Austin and Abraham Niemerg, Gavin French, and Destiny Jones; brothers, Clifford of Salem and Don of Effingham; sisters, Barb Cade of Ramsey, Sandy Sloan of Clinton, and Karen Hurst of Effingham; and sister-in-law, Judy French.
He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Darrell; brother, Ben; and sister, Hazel Sandburg.
Steve L. French, 81, of Effingham IL, died at home on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. He was the son of Rufus and Sara (Shadwell) French born on August 18, 1938 in Effingham, IL.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, 2020 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Effingham. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in Effingham with military rites. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital or Shriners Hospital for Children.
Steve attended grade school in Effingham and finished school in Normal, IL at the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Home.
He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Arneb. They spent their duty time in Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic. He liked to say they were only there from sun up to sun down--6+ months. They went from Norfolk Naval Base through the Panama Canal to the South Pole. They returned via New Zealand, South Africa, and Haiti. He became a life time member of the Effingham American Legion Post 120.
Steve then returned to Effingham working at Norge in the paint department mixing paint for sprayers. He was hired to work at Crossroads Press in June 1970. He held the number one seniority status in the shipping department until he retired in 2001.
His family and a good cup of coffee were the joy of his life. He loved sharing jokes and doing magic tricks with them. He also enjoyed discussing the Cardinals and Cubs with family members.
Steve married Kathleen Bergfeld on October 16, 1970. He is survived by his wife, Katie; sons, Chris (Judy) and Philip (Trisha); Five granddaughters, Kelci (Greg) Niemerg, Bethanie (Daryl Jones) French, Lauryn (Ethan) Bogle, Taleena French, and Brytnie French; six great-grandchildren, Andrew, Alicen, Austin and Abraham Niemerg, Gavin French, and Destiny Jones; brothers, Clifford of Salem and Don of Effingham; sisters, Barb Cade of Ramsey, Sandy Sloan of Clinton, and Karen Hurst of Effingham; and sister-in-law, Judy French.
He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Darrell; brother, Ben; and sister, Hazel Sandburg.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, 2020 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Effingham. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in Effingham with military rites. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital or Shriners Hospital for Children.
Steve attended grade school in Effingham and finished school in Normal, IL at the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Home.
He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Arneb. They spent their duty time in Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic. He liked to say they were only there from sun up to sun down--6+ months. They went from Norfolk Naval Base through the Panama Canal to the South Pole. They returned via New Zealand, South Africa, and Haiti. He became a life time member of the Effingham American Legion Post 120.
Steve then returned to Effingham working at Norge in the paint department mixing paint for sprayers. He was hired to work at Crossroads Press in June 1970. He held the number one seniority status in the shipping department until he retired in 2001.
His family and a good cup of coffee were the joy of his life. He loved sharing jokes and doing magic tricks with them. He also enjoyed discussing the Cardinals and Cubs with family members.
Steve married Kathleen Bergfeld on October 16, 1970. He is survived by his wife, Katie; sons, Chris (Judy) and Philip (Trisha); Five granddaughters, Kelci (Greg) Niemerg, Bethanie (Daryl Jones) French, Lauryn (Ethan) Bogle, Taleena French, and Brytnie French; six great-grandchildren, Andrew, Alicen, Austin and Abraham Niemerg, Gavin French, and Destiny Jones; brothers, Clifford of Salem and Don of Effingham; sisters, Barb Cade of Ramsey, Sandy Sloan of Clinton, and Karen Hurst of Effingham; and sister-in-law, Judy French.
He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Darrell; brother, Ben; and sister, Hazel Sandburg.
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