Obituaries
Ruth E. Spooner
May 7, 2026
Ruth E. Spooner, 90, of Beloit, Wis., passed away on Thursday morning, May 7, at Cedar Crest, in Janesville, Wis. She was born December 14, 1935, in Russellville, Ala., the daughter of Ralph and Pearl Richeson.
In 1948, Ruth’s family moved to Rockford, Ill., where she was befriended and invited to worship at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. In 1952, she became a baptized and confirmed member of the church.
Ruth graduated from Rockford East High School in the Class of 1954. She attended Rockford Business College and worked at Lobdell Realty in Rockford, Ill., followed by Besly-Bendix Corporation in South Beloit, Ill.
She later attended Blackhawk Tech and received her Associate’s degrees with honors in accounting and data processing while working at Freeman Shoe Company for almost a decade.
Ruth married her sweetheart, Raymond “Limey” Spooner, on Aug. 5, 1961, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Beloit, Wis., where Ruth was an active and faithful member for over 65 years.
Ruth’s proudest accomplishment in life was being a devoted wife, an ever-present and loving mother, and to others, a compassionate sister in Christ.
Throughout Ruth’s life, traveling with her family in a motorhome across the USA and Canada brought her great joy and allowed her to further pursue her passion for genealogy.
Ruth was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution for 58 years and a member of the Seekers of the Past in Franklin County, Ala. Besides traveling and genealogy, her other joys in life were dancing with Ray, gardening and reading scripture.
Ruth is loved and missed by her children, Dean (Lynda) Spooner, Jill Jennings and Gail (Michael) Kretschmer; daughter-in-law, Holly Fletcher; dearest friend, Laura Hernandez; grandchildren, Noelle (Bennie) Calhoun, Savannah Jennings, West Jennings, Laura Spooner, Miah Kretschmer and Jadyn (Chase Peterson) Kretschmer; great-grandson, Jase Peterson; brother, Cedric (Emily) Richeson; sister-in-law, Trudy Richeson; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Raymond, son Neil Spooner, brothers Norman and Aaron Richeson and sister Irene (Tej) Sedeora.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the employees of Cedar Crest for their loving and compassionate care of Ruth.
Visitation will be held May 16 from 1-2 p.m. at Sunset Funeral Home, 8800 N. Alpine Rd, Machesney Park, Ill., 61115, with a funeral service to begin at 2 p.m. with Rev. Mark Duer presiding. Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens. Memorials may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, Beloit.
Bobby Lee Rollins
May 6, 2026
Bobby Lee Rollins, 73, of Phil Campbell, passed away May 6. Visitation took place May 11 from 11 a.m. to noon at Spry Memorial Chapel with a service directly after. Burial was in Chestnut Ridge Cemetery in Phil Campbell.
John Henry Lane
May 3, 2026
John Henry Lane, 46, of Russellville, passed away May 3. A memorial service will be held at My Father’s House Church on May 16 at 1 p.m. Spry Memorial Chapel assisted the family.
