Juanita Mildred Neuenschwander

MAPLETON ~ Juanita Mildred (Dawson) Neuenschwander, age 91 of Pekin, passed away at 2:27 p.m. on Sunday, September 5, 2021 at the Villas of Hollybrook, where she resided. She was formerly of Mapleton.

Born on June 24, 1930 in Collins, Iowa, she was the daughter of William and Gladys (Harris) Dawson. She married Charles Bruce Neuenschwander in 1950 and they were married for 70 years. He died on March 3, 2021 in Pekin. She also was preceded in death by her parents; twin grandchildren, Whitney and Jesse Zeine; a great-granddaughter, Kennedy Copeland; three sisters and four brothers.

Surviving are four children, Bruce Leslie (Linda) of Cody, Wyoming, Rodney (Brenda) of Mapleton, Anita (Russell) Zeine of Mapleton and Teresa (James) Durand of Dunlap; fifteen grandchildren, Jeff (Nykie), Jake (Hope), Missy, Sarah (Jared) Gilbert, Rebecca (Kevin) Copeland, Zachary (Emily), Rachel (Mark) Weber, Kate (Brandon) Krumholz, Kristina (Mark) Duval, Ashley (Rick) Scott, Amanda (Nick Nardi) Zeine, Trey (Joel) Zeinestone, Lacie (Greg) Damhorst, Luke (Stephanie Schuette) Durand and Cody (Camille) Durand; seventeen great-grandchildren, Dylan, Derek, LaRya, Jordan, Carter, Aubri, Raegan, Gabriel, Noa, Aspen, Lincoln, Piper, Rhett, Eli, Ethan, Sadie and Clara; six step-great-grandchildren, Kendra (Matt) Wetter, Ryan (Ali) McClanahan, Emma Gilbert, Brianna Krumholz, Alex Nardi and Clay Nardi and one great-great-grandson, Bryson. She also leaves one sister, Geneva Tuell in Vinita, Oklahoma.

Juanita grew up in Oklahoma and moved to Illinois after graduating high school then soon married. She worked briefly at Hunt’s Drive-in in 1948 in Peoria and Albers Milling Company in Peoria from 1948 to 1951. She decided to stay home as a homemaker and raise her children, then returning to work at Bel-Wood Nursing Home where she did several jobs, but mainly as a housekeeper from 1965 to 1992 when she retired after 26 years.

Not only did she raise four children and work outside of the farm, she was a creative seamstress and excellent cook as well. Over the years she made many dresses; daughter’s wedding dresses, bridesmaids, prom, homecoming, and granddaughters. She also made drapes and curtains, dolls and doll clothing, crocheted rugs and many other sewing projects, not to mention many beautiful hand quilted quilts. She loved to cook and made sure that there was always plenty of food on the table when there were gatherings. Gardening and canning was a yearly passion as was making Christmas cookies for the holiday season to share with family, friends, and neighbors. Putting love into her projects was a must!

Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, September 11, 2021 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Pastor Kevin Copeland, her grandson, will officiate. There will be no public visitation. Burial will be in Maple Ridge Cemetery in Mapleton.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Midwest Affiliate, 530 Northeast Glen Oak Avenue, Peoria, IL 61637.

To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com