Dolores Weller

January 17, 1927 - August 03, 2010

On August 3, 2010, after a lengthy illness, Dolores Weller left this world for her Heavenly home where angels welcomed her and her Heavenly Father most certainly said, Enter in, thou good and faithful servant; well done!” Dolores was born on January 17, 1927 in South Dakota. Her parents, Harry and Lila (Schultz) Von Behren, moved from South Dakota to Strasburg, Illinois during her early years. Her paternal grandfather built and became superintendent of a country school while the family farmed what is now an Illinois Centennial Farm in Strasburg. Later, Dolores’s family moved to Tower Hill where Dolores attended and graduated from Tower Hill High School Class of 1944.

Dolores began her employment at Sta-Rite in Shelbyville, Illinois while attending high school. She married Frederick Leroy Weller on August 12, 1944 while he was in the US Army Air Corps. Tower Hill was their home until 1955 when they moved to Pana and bought the home on Sheridan Street where the resided the rest of their lives.

Dolores was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pana and the Ladies Guild. She was employed at Pana Community Hospital for many years and at Mallory Timers. In early years, she served as a volunteer during many local and state elections by registering people to vote, calling to remind people to vote and driving voters to the polls on Election Day. During retirement years, she still served her community as a volunteer “Pink Lady” at Pana Community Hospital and she was an extra set of hands for the Pana Senior Center often. She made lap pads for the elderly and baby afghans for Children’s Hospital in San Diego, CA. She loved flowers and vegetable gardening, sewing, crafts, reading and always, always FAMILY gatherings.

Dolores’s husband, Leroy, preceded her in death on January 20, 2010. She was also preceded in death by a daughter-in-law, Joyce Weller, a son-in-law Bill Bethel, two granddaughters, Joleen Warner and Lisa Jones, as well as a great granddaughter, Amber Duduit. Dolores is survived by her children, Beverly Faddis (husband William) of San Diego, CA, Barbara Warner (husband Sidney), Vandalia, IL, Delbert Weller, Pana and Denise Newbold (husband Richard), Luebbering, MO. Other survivors are sisters: Florence Cravens of Pana, Alice Dial of Carmi, IL and Brenda Curley, Brandon SD; and brother Albert Lee Von Behren of Sioux Falls, SD. In addition Dolores was blessed with 15 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Funeral Information

Joint services for both Dolores and Frederick Weller will be held Thursday, August 12, 2010. A memorial service will be at 11:00 a.m. in McCracken-Dean Funeral Home with Rev. Terrence O'Brien officiating. Visitation will be from 10:00 until 11:00 at the funeral home. Inurnment will be at 9:00 a.m. in Tower Hill Cemetery.

Donations Information

Donations in memory are directed to St. Paul Lutheran Church, Pana Senior Center of Pana Community Hospital Foundation for Hospice.