She was born on December 8, 1927, on a farm outside of Pekin, a daughter of Peter and Mabel (Wineburner) Grubb. She married her high school sweetheart, David Hughes, on February 19, 1950, in Pekin, and they raised three children together until her husband’s death in a plane crash in 1968. Ten months after his death, her eldest son, Ken, was disabled in a car accident. Nina, with all her love and patience, took care of Ken until she was 86 years old.
Nina is survived by two sons, Kenneth Hughes and Dan (Diane) Hughes; one daughter, Debbie Hughes; two grandchildren, Jonathan and Kristin Hughes; one great-grandson, Jackson Hughes; and one sister, Helen (Robert) Strode.
She was also preceded in death by her parents and three sisters, Ila June Grubb, Lela Niesman and Patsy Shepherd.
Nina loved to sing, cook and bake. Friends and family especially enjoyed her “peanut butter balls” and Christmas sugar cookies at the holidays. She also enjoyed watching her favorite sports figures, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Ryne Sandberg.
Nina’s funeral will be private. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, September 12, 2019 at Remmert Funeral Home in East Peoria.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to American Diabetes Association.
To view Nina’s memorial page or to leave an online condolence, please go to www.remmertfuneralhome.com.
