The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • A5

The Mond June 19 2017 A5 1 OBITUARIES Betty Edwards PONTIAC Betty Jean Edwards, 91, of Pontiac, passed away at 11:13 p.m. Friday (June 16, 201 7) at The Pointe, Pontiac. Her funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at the First United Methodist Church, Pontiac, with the Re v. Gretchen Stinebaugh officiating.

Burial will follo in South Side Cemetery, Pontiac. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church. Memorials in her name may be left to the First United Methodist Church or a charity of the choice. Calvert Martin Funeral Home, Pontiac, is handling the arrangements. She was born May 14, 1926, in Pontiac, a daughter of Earl M.

and Pearl C. Erlandson Duke. She married Raymond L. Edwards on Feb. 12, 1945, in Springfield.

He preceded her in death on Sept. 8, 1997. Survivors include two daughters, Marsha (Roger) Popp, Effingham; and Sandra (Bill) Humphries, Keller, Texas; six grandchildren, Jodee (Paul) Ritter, Pontiac; Gina Popp, Altamont; Jill (Larry) Adams, Effingham; Melissa (Jeff) Tomlinson, Destin, Paul (Ashley) Humphries, Frisco, Texas; and Chad (Kristin) Humphries, Pilot Point, Texas; one stepgrandson, Steven R. (Tammy) Popp, North Richland Hills, Texas; gre at-grandchildren, Baylee and Taylor Ritter; Sam and Jack Mathesius; Landon, Alexandra, Beau and Cole Adams; and Brittany, Sierra, and Jon Tomlinson; stepgreat-grandsons, Ryan and Nathan Popp; and one sister, Lois James, Scottsdale, Ariz. She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Glenn E.

Duke; her sister, Darlene Blair; and her step granddaughter, Sherri L. Popp. Betty was a graduate of Pontiac Township High School and was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Pontiac. She was a former member of the Owego Club, Women of the Moose and Graymont Card Club. This obituary may be viewed and guestbook signed at www.calvertmemorial.com.

Donald Gronert NORMAL Donald Fred Gronert, 85, of Normal, was called to rest at 9:30 a.m. on une 14, 2017, at Meadows Mennonite Retirement Home, Meadows. His funeral service will be at 10 a.m. on riday at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Bloomington, with Pastor Chad D. Lueck officiating.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Memorial Home, Bloomington. Military rites will be accorded. Interment will be in Elm Lawn Memorial Park, Elmhurst. Memorials may be made to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church stained glass fund.

Don was born on Jan. 6, 1932, in Chicago, a son to Frederick Bernard and Esther Krueger Gronert. He married Audrey Mae Graunke on Nov. 27, 1954, in Elmhurst. Surviving are his wife, Audrey Gronert, Normal; son, Mark (Kathy) Gronert, Freemont, two daughters, Marcia (Doug) Workman, Saginaw, Texas; and Susan (Dave) Jahnke, Chicago; six grandchildren, Jacob Gronert; Luke Gronert; Amy Workman; Elizabeth (Workman) Bowers; Christopher Workman; and Alex Jahnke; one great-grandchild, Claire Boggs; two brothers, Gerald Gronert and Richard Gronert; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Phyllis Petrosius. Don proudly served his country in the Korean conflict faithfully in the 44th Army Core of Engineers. After returning home, he married his Audrey. He attended University of Illinois School of Architecture and graduated in 1959. His first position was in Normal, with Keith Middleton and Associates where he went on to design many of the local schools in the Unit 5 district.

In 1969, Don moved on to Caterpillar Tractor Co. which used his talents for local as well as international expansion of the manufacturing facilities. He retired from CAT in 1989 and formed his own firm for architecture and consulting. He continued to design churches, schools and luxury homes. Don finished his career designing over 200 convenience stores.

Don was a loving husband, father, grandfather and brother and will be deeply missed. Condolences and memories of Don may be shared with the family at kiblerbradyruestman.com. Cordelia Kurtz PEORIA Cordelia Kurtz, 103, of Peoria, passed away at 9 a.m. Thursday (June 15, 2017) at Hawthorne Inn, Peoria. Private services were held at 2 p.m.

on Saturday (June 17, 2017) at Bellflower Township Cemetery, with Andy Baker of River Valley Church of Christ, Fisher, officiating. Cordelia was born June 22, 1913, the daughter of John Edward Warner and Cordelia Lawrence Warner, on the family farm south of Foosland. She married Fred R. Kurtz on Nov. 27, 1935.

He preceded her in death on June 30, 1991. She is survived by one son, Craig (Pam), Peoria; three grandchildren, Sarah (Kyle) Dufendach, St. Louis, Paul, Erfurt, Germany; and Rachel, Mahomet; and three great-grandchildren, Conner, Sydney, and Caleb Dufendach. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and two sisters, Susie Allen and Nellie Benson. Cordelia lived most of her life on the family farm and graduated from Fisher High School in 1931.

She received a degree in rural education from Normal Teachers College (now Illinois State University) and taught in rural schools in Ford and Champaign counties. She was active in various aspects of the Fisher Church of Christ for decades, and later attended River Valley Church of Christ. She was a member of the Fisher Senior Club and the Gibson Community Hospital Auxiliary. She enjoyed farm life, her flowers, birds and travel. Memorials may be directed to Little Galilee Christian Camp, 7539 Little Galilee Road, Clinton, IL 61727.

Eileen Lancaster NORMAL Eileen Lancaster, 90, of Normal, passed away at 11:36 p.m. on June 10, 2017, in Fresno, Calif. Funeral services will be held at noon on Tuesday at Christ Lutheran Church, 311 N. Hershey Road, Normal, with the Rev. Jonathan Huehn officiating.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. noon at the church and interment will be in East Lawn Memorial Gardens, Bloomington. Eileen was born on Dec. 13, 1926, in Danvers, a daughter to Frank George and Aalke Ettje Quathammer Oltman. She married Clarence Lancaster Jr.

on Feb. 5, 1950, in Bloomington. He preceded her in death on Aug. 25, 1997. Surviving are her daughter, Cheryl Perger, Oakhurst, sons, Ronald Lancaster, Charlotte, N.C.; and Rodney Lancaster, Richmond; grandchildren, Brooke Lisano; Laura Berglund; Brandon Arteman; Brittany Shorey; Brianna Chaves; Sarah Berglund; and Seth Lancaster; and nine great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Debra Berglund; parents, Frank and Aalke Oltman; and brother, Floyd Oltman. Eileen graduated from Concordia College, River Forest, with a teaching certi cate. She was a homemaker and later in life worked in the office at Illinois State University, Normal, and retired after 13 years of service. She was a charter member of Christ Lutheran Church, Normal. Memorials may be made to Christ Lutheran Church.

Condolences may be directed to her family at www. kiblerbradyruestman.com. Mary Carolyn Cook Pearcy ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. Mary Carolyn Cook Pearcy, 93, passed away on June 13, 2017, at Glenmoor Healthcare Center, St.

Augustine, Fla. She was born June 17, 1923, in Christopher, at the home of her parents. Preceding her in death are her parents, Helen and Ray Cook; grandson, Shad Mason; son, Jay Pearcy; and husband of 68 years, Phil Pearcy. Survivors include her children, Susan Pearcy; Cathy (George) Pearcy Freyn; and Lyn Pearcy; grandchildren, Kendall (Brian Redmon) Perkins; Carolyn Pearcy; Catherine (Bill) Pounds; Casey (Elliot) Flood; and Cameron (Mollie Adcox) Reese; great-grandchildren, Gunner Perkins; Kaelyn, William, and Stephen Pounds; Brayden, Maecee, and Brodee Reese; and sister, Patricia (Richard) Hunsaker. Carolyn was educated at Southern Illinois University.

She received her certificate in fashion design after attending design school. She was hired by a fashion designer in Hollywood, Calif. Carolyn enjoyed playing golf with her friends at Audubon Country Club, Louisville, and Saw grass Country Club, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Carolyn was a member of P.E.O. for over 75 years in Illinois, Kentucky and Florida.

P.E.O. is a philanthropic educational organization that supports women at their own Cottey College and education through loans and grants. The family will be forever grateful for her outstanding care at the Glenmoor Healthcare Center at World Golf Village, St. Augustine, Fla. We will always remember Dr.

Thomas Tomlin, her personal physician, and her dear friend and long time caregiver, Peggy Jo Hall. We, her children, have been able to reach through the haze of dementia and remember our mother who was so beautiful and full of love, life and friendship. Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Pearsons Funeral Home, 149 Breckenridge Lane, Louisville, KY. Private burial at Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Ky.

As an expression of sympathy, your tax-deductible donation may be sent to P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education, 3700 Grand Des Moines, IA 50312. FUNERALS TODAY Deutsch, Marguerite, 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Bloomington. Martens, Dixie 10:30 a.m.

at Kibler-Brady-Ru estman Memorial Home, Bloomington. FUNERALS PENDING Meserole, Winifred 79, Clinton, Sunday (June 18, 2017) at her home. Quiram Peasley Funeral Home, Atlanta. LINDSEY BAHR Associated Press LOS ANGELES fell to second place in its third weekend in theaters, but still doing the heavy lifting for the otherwise lackluster summer box office. While many worn-out franchises and franchise hopefuls continue to struggle to find a significant North American audience, smaller films such as the Tupac biopic Eyez on and the shark thriller Meters were able to break through the clutter and make a splash this weekend.

As expected, the third installment in Disney and $1 billion franchise easily took the top spot, but its estimated $53.5 million in earnings told a more complicated tale. had the worst opening in the history opened to $60.1 million and to $66.1 million and it was one of the lowest debut totals for the Pixar brand. It was also a disappointment compared with the top films over this weekend in 2015 and 2016, noted com Score senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. A year ago, debuted with $135.1 million. In 2015, Jurassic raked in $106.6 million in its second weekend.

kind of tells you the state of the Der garabedian said. The G-rated got an CinemaScore and generally positive reviews, but it will have to contend with Me which opens in two weeks. was knocked down to second place with $40.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $274.6 million, while holdover slid to fourth place in weekend two with $13.9 million. been a challenging summer. I always say it comes down to product.

Are the movies grabbing Dergarabedian said. ore we were about 9 percent behind last summer. now at about even, but the industry would like to see better than Amid the doldrums, lower-profile films were able to make a mark. The longtime-coming Tupac biopic Eyez on earned $27.1 million to take third place on the charts. Despite largely negative reviews, audiences gave the film an Cinema Score.

Codeb lack division marketed the pic, which cost Morgan Creek Productions around $40 million to produce. It opened to coincide with what would have been the late 46th birthday on June 16. speeds to No. 1 in opening weekend PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press BANGOR, Maine Fewer of North Atlantic salmon are making it back to rivers to spawn, which bodes poorly for the future of the imperiled fish, an international conservation group says. Atlantic salmon were once abundant in the rivers of New England and Atlantic Canada, but they are now endangered or have disappeared in parts of both areas.

The salmon are born in rivers, swim to the Atlantic and return to their natal river to spawn. The New Brunswick, Canada-based Atlantic Salmon Federation released a report this month that says total estimated returns of the fish to North America in 2016 was a little more than a half million salmon. That is a 27 percent decrease from the previous year. The group says young salmon who spent only one winter at sea before returning to the river, called grilse, fared especially poorly last year. They returned at a rate nearly a third lower than 2015, the group said.

The salmon federation warns that signs show 2017 is looking like another poor year, said spokesman Neville Crabbe. do we do? asked people to choose to kill fewer Crabbe said. long term solution is government to government Atlantic salmon face a number of challenges in the wild, ranging from the presence of river dams to continued fishing pressure off of Canada and Greenland. Crabbe said the changing environment of the North Atlantic has also impacted populations. Experts: Salmon decline worsens LongTermCare.