Wayne T Riddle

PEKIN ~ Wayne T. Riddle, 79, of 1512 Loretta Street since 2005, passed away at 5:18 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010 at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. He was a former longtime Tremont resident.

Born April 21, 1931 in Tremont Township, Tazewell County to Clyde S. and Roma J. (Deweese) Riddle, he married Joyce Hundt on Jan. 28, 1956 in Pekin. She survives.

Also surviving are one daughter, Debra (Mark) Fandel of Pekin; one son, Steven Riddle of Santa Clara, CA; one grandson, Nick (Leslie) Fandel of Springfield; one granddaughter, Laura (Clint) Gossmeyer of Tremont; three sisters, Jan (Gary) Kerr of Murrieta, CA, Sandra (Jerry) Method and Jean (George) Roberts, both of San Jose, CA and one brother, Clarence Riddle of Concord, CA.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Wayne was a 1949 graduate of Tremont High School.

He was a United States Army veteran of the Korean War, serving with the Signal Corps. in Asmara Eritrea. He attained the rank of corporal. He was a former member of the Tremont American Legion.

He was a member of Teamsters & Chauffeurs Union Local 627 in Peoria. He worked for Pekin Distributing Company as a driver/salesman for 15 years. He last worked for Tazewell Publishing Company as a custodian for 16 years.

Wayne enjoyed bowling in several leagues in the Pekin and Morton areas. He liked sports of all kinds and was a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bulls and Chicago Bears.

He was a former member of Tremont Baptist Church and presently attended and was a member of Christ Bible Church in Creve Coeur. Wayne also volunteered at the Peoria Rescue Mission and for a time drove the ambulance for Rescue 702 in Tremont. He liked to watch Les Feldick, an Oklahoma Bible teacher, weekdays on television.

Wayne enjoyed traveling and one of his favorite places to visit was Candler, NC, which is home to the Riddle Brothers and their Primitive Quartet, a Southern Gospel and Blue Grass music group.

His funeral will be at noon Wednesday, January 5, 2011 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Pastor Tom Pisano will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin, with military rites accorded by the United States Army and the Tazewell Area Ceremonial Team.

Memorial contributions may be made to Peoria Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 837, Peoria, IL 61652-0837 or to Christ Bible Church, 133 Elmridge Place, Creve Coeur, IL 61610.

The family would like to thank the staff at OSF for the excellent care Wayne received in Cardiac ICU and Medical ICU. They were our Angels of Mercy.

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