Obituaries

Thomas E. Smith 81, of McLeansboro, Illinois passed away Sunday, April 5, 2026 at Silver Fox Senior Living and Rehab in McLeansboro, IL. Thomas was born August 14, 1944 in Davenport, Iowa to Noel Smith and Margaret L. (Cross) Smith.

Samuel Paul Ellis, 53, of Carmi, passed away on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at Deaconess Midtown Hospital in Evansville, Indiana, following a lengthy illness. He was born on June 18, 1972, in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, the son of Monty Ray and Patricia Ann (McCormick) Ellis.

Samuel Paul Ellis, 53, of Carmi, passed away on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at Deaconess Midtown Hospital in Evansville, Indiana, following a lengthy illness. He was born on June 18, 1972, in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, the son of Monty Ray and Patricia Ann (McCormick) Ellis.

Judith “Judy” Lee (Brooks) Fleck, 84, of Carmi passed away on Thursday, April 2, 2026 at Wabash Senior Living and Rehab in Carmi. She was born on August 3, 1941 in Carmi, the daughter of Leland and Madge (Young) Brooks.

Betty Ruth (Egbert) Beets of Chickasha, OK died on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at home.

A private family ceremony will be held at Stokes Chapel Cemetery in Crossville.

Levada “Lee” (Booth) Allen, age 90, of Frankfort, KY, a woman of remarkable strength and unwavering love, passed away peacefully on March 23, 2026 in Midway, KY. Born on June 20, 1935, in Sharp County, Arkansas, Lee lived a life defined by resilience, compassion and quiet determination.

    Donald E. Reynolds, 81, of Huntingburg, IN and formerly of Carmi passed away on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at his home surrounded by his family.  He was born in McLeansboro, IL on February 11, 1945 the son of Eugene and Rosie (Kirsch) Reynolds.  Don faithfully served his country in the United States Army during Vietnam and was stationed at Ft. Polk, LA.  On March 7, 1975, Don married Donna M. Hall.  Don retired in 2002 from the Illinois Dept of Corrections, Vienna Correctional Center.  He was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Huntingburg and was a hobby farmer, working with sheep and cattle.

Brenda Kay Holloman, 77, of Carmi, passed away on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Hamilton Memorial Hospital, in McLeansboro, Illinois. She was born on Friday, April 30, 1948, in Carmi, the daughter of Dearl and Hilda (Browning) Williams. Kay married William Lee "Bill" Holloman on May 1, 1964, and he preceded her in death on June 14, 2015. She retired from Carmi White County Hospital after 32 years. Kay then enjoyed working for many years at Joyful Start Daycare in Carmi, as the cook, where many kids fell in love with her cheesy peas. She was a member of Ashland Christian Church in Mill Shoals. Kay loved her dogs, Lucy and Annabelle. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family.

Michael D. Collard, 78, of Danville, IL passed away on Thursday, March 19, 2026 at Wabash Senior Living and Rehab in Carmi. He was born on April 11, 1947 in Grayville the son of Charles and Norma (Mason) Collard.

Lewis Lee “Lewie” Gage, 74, of Dahlgren, passed away peacefully with family by his side on Thursday, March 19, 2026 at SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon.  He was born September 15, 1951 in McLeansboro at Vickers Memorial Hospital to Frank D. & Veneda Genevieve (Grimes) Gage.