JAMES E. WILLRETT

1934 - 2009

James Edward "Jim" Willrett, 75, of Malta, Ill., passed away Nov. 12, 2009, after a two-year fight with ALS.
Jim was born Jan. 21, 1934, to Ralph O. and Mareva (Devitt) Willrett, in Rochelle. He attended Lang School, a one-room country school, and then Malta High School.
Following in the footsteps of the previous three Willrett generations, Jim took up farming and cattle feeding after graduating from high school. A patriot from an early age, he enlisted in the volunteer draft in 1954 and served in the U.S. Army for the next two years, attending engineer school in Virginia and serving in Okinawa for 17 months.
When Jim returned from overseas, he joined his father's farm partnership and married Beverly McArtor on Oct. 14, 1956. They remained happily married for 53 years, raising three children and welcoming five grandchildren.
Jim dedicated his life to the agriculture industry, leaving a cattle-feeding legacy for the next two generations of Willretts. Jim constructed a confinement cattle-feeding barn in 1965, becoming the first in Illinois and the third in the U.S. to embark on this form of cattle feeding. His tenacity and drive grew his cattle-feeding enterprise into one of the largest in Illinois.
Jim gave freely of his time to both agriculture and his community. He served on county, state and national cattlemen's boards of directors; the Meat Export Federation Board; the Federal Reserve Agriculture Advisory Committee and was president of Cattle-Fax.
Jim was a lifetime member of the Malta United Methodist Church, serving the church on numerous committees. He served for 30 years on the Resource Bank Board of Directors, 27 years as a Malta Township trustee, 17 years on the Malta School Board (seven as president), and, in his later years, was a member of the DeKalb County Sheriff's Department Radio Watch.
In recognition of his accomplishments, Jim received the Ford Farm Efficiency Award in 1974 and was named a Prairie Farmer Master Farmer in 1978. His farm hosted the Farm Progress Show in 1975.
Jim enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing, skiing, jigsaw puzzles and was an avid card player. After retiring, Jim set about collecting antique school and church bells; the first in his collection was the original Malta School Bell his father had given him.
The Willrett family and friends will remember Jim for his sense of humor and storytelling and the twinkle in his eye when he did both.
Jim is survived by his wife, Beverly; daughters, Jodi (Ken) Slade of Malta and Jacque (Brian) Fucilla of Naperville; son, Jamie (Larisa) of Malta; five grandchildren, Andrea Slade, Justis, Olivia and Sawyer Willrett and Owen Fucilla; brothers, Frank and Richard (Joy) Willrett; a sister, Carol (Del) Sandberg; a sister-in-law, Hope Willrett; a brother-in-law, Gerald (Mary Lynn) McArtor; and a large number of cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Raymond P. Willrett.
Memorial services will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at Malta United Methodist Church, Third and Sprague streets, Malta, with Pastor David Bateman and Pastor Judy Giese officiating. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at Anderson Funeral Home, DeKalb.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the James Edward "Jim" Willrett Memorial Fund in care of Anderson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 605, DeKalb, IL 60115. For information, call 815-756-1022.