Violet "Vi Huebner" Dippel

Violet "Vi" Ruth Huebner Dippel, age 100, of the Villas of Holly Brook in Carterville, Illinois, formerly of Marion, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 10th, 2025 at Deaconess Illinois Medical Center in Marion.

Born on February 10, 1925 and raised in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, Vi was the eldest daughter of the late Frieda and Edwin Huebner and loving wife of her late husband, Fred Dippel, to whom she was married for seventy-six years. In 2022 she was predeceased by her husband and sister, Doris.

Violet supported Fred's career in education as the family moved to Framingham, Massachusetts, Amsterdam, New York, Barrington, Illinois, and Glen Cove, New York. Once in Glen Cove, from 1970-1990 she was the secretary to the principal of the lower school of Friends Academy in Locust Valley. "Mrs. Dippel" was the lovely lady at the front desk who greeted parents and children and kept the entire school running smoothly and was the children's favorite, giving out hugs and band-aids.

She was also an avid gardener and was president of the Glen Cove Garden Club. Vi was a docent at Planting Fields Arboretum and State Historic Park in Oyster Bay where she gave tours at the mansion house. She and Fred were dedicated to the sport of tennis and enjoyed playing doubles with friends and inspired their daughter Mary to take up tennis. They attended many matches including the U.S Open and Roland Garros French Open in Paris. During their later years, Vi and Fred continued to enthusiastically follow their favorite pro players on the Tennis Channel and shared lively long-distance conversations with Mary in California.

Violet and Fred traveled widely, visiting art galleries, museums, and seeing plays, concerts and the landscapes of Great Britain and Europe. Vi documented their experiences in journals and photographs. Her paintings frequently depicted scenes from travels in their beloved Sienna, Italy. In 2020, Violet created what she called "her happiness book", a bound family history and memoir with photographs titled, "Those Were the Days."

In 1998 she and Fred retired to Marion to be near their daughter Kathy and son-n-law Steve Belletire. Violet pursued many interests, including her love of reading and was part of a "lunch and a book club" with friends. She was a member of the Little Egypt Arts Association in Marion and became an accomplished watercolor artist and enjoyed colored pencils and acrylics, and included floral and still-life to her subject matter. She traveled to Portugal and Mexico to attend watercolor workshops. She and Kathy had several mother/daughter art shows together. When living at Holly Brook and unable to get out as much she cherished visits from her artist and book club friends.

Violet's greatest pleasure was being with family. She and Fred traveled to Massachusetts, Illinois, Colorado, Wisconsin, California and Ohio to celebrate family births, weddings, birthdays, holidays and graduations. They had many good times at family paper airplane design contests they named, "Fly-Ins", organized by her son, Christopher. Vi and Fred looked forward yearly road trips, "The Cousin's Capers", and especially enjoyed traveling to be with Fred's Harvard classmates for long weekends. Nana Vi was a loving grandma to her four grandchildren and adored her three great grandchildren. Her phone conversations began with, "Tell me what you're doing" and were followed by letters and later by emails, she called "Nana-grams."

Violet is survived by her children Kathy Belletire and her husband Steve; Christopher Dippel and his wife Chris Santos (Cenizal) and Mary Dippel and partner Jacques Bilyeu. She's survived by her grandchildren Jason Belletire and his wife Julie, and Meridith Lager (Belletire) and her husband Chris, C.J. Cenizal and his wife Karla, and Calli Cenizal; and her great grandchildren Wyatt Lager and Everly and Oliver Cenizal.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Wilson-McReynolds Funeral Home, 900 North Court Street, Marion, IL.

The visitation will be held at Wilson-McReynolds Funeral Home on Saturday, December 6, 2025 from 12:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Following the time of visitation, the memorial service will be held at the funeral home on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Inurnment will be beside her husband, Fred, on Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. in Rose Hill Cemetery in Marion, IL.

The family requests memorial contributions be directed to "The Poshard Foundation For Abused Children." Envelopes will be available at the funeral home of may be mailed c/o Wilson-McReynolds Funeral Home, 900 North Court Street, Marion, IL 62959.

For additional information call the funeral home at 618-993-2131.