Richard Christopher Lohnes

Born May 2, 1918 on a small farm in South Pekin to Dallas and Lydia Emma (Lay) Lohnes, Dick was one of 11 children. He married Vava L. Dagit, also of South Pekin, on October 25, 1941. They had just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2011, when Vava fell sick and passed quietly on July 8, 2012. Even though they had no children of their own, their nieces and nephews and the children of Green Valley were their world. Dick is also preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and five sisters.

Surviving are three sisters, Agnes Smith of West Palm Beach, Florida, Marjorie Vogelsang of Washington, Illinois, and Wilma Jean Weigand of Melbourne, Florida, his sister-in-law, Thelma (Dagit) Pfeiffer (Roy “Bud) of Tucson, Arizona and several nieces and nephews.

Dick was a World War II veteran serving in the European Theater from 1942-1945 mostly overseas with the 756 Tank Battalion attaining the rank of corporal. He would tell stories of the battalions’ march from North Africa through Italy and into France. Upon her passing, his Vava still had the purse he had sent her from Africa.

Dick owned and operated a Mobil garage/service station along with a Chevrolet Dealership in Green Valley. He started this venture with Roy Comingore in 1939 and became a partner in 1945 upon returning from the war. In 1949, he became the sole owner and kept the dealership until 1972. It was in the Mobil station where Vava would always have the coffee brewing and Dick would be teaching his nephews the skills of car mechanics. He closed the garage in 1980.

He was an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Green Valley and was a member of the Delavan American Legion Post 382 since 1945. He served on the Green Valley Volunteer Fire Department for 38 years and as chief for 26 of those years. In 2022, Dick was the Grand Marshall of Green Valleys’ Sesquicentennial celebration. His devotion to the town and people of Green Valley never faltered even donating land, with others, for establishing a Baseball Park for the community.

His funeral will be at 11 am Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at the First United Methodist Church in Green Valley. Pastor Steve Oaks and Pastor Judy Doyle will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 to 7pm on Monday, February 24 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes and Crematory in Pekin. Burial will be in Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin, beside his beloved Vava, with military rites accorded by the United States Army and the Delavan American Legion.

Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 100 West Main Street, Green Valley, Illinois 61534.

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