Frances Jeffers

CATLIN - Frances Eileen Jeffers, 95, left to join her parents at 11:16 a.m. Sunday (Nov. 26, 2023) at Hawthorne Inn, Danville, where she had been a resident of Liberty Estates/Hawthorne Inn since 2015.

Eileen (which she was most commonly known by) was born on Oct. 14, 1928, the daughter of Merle H. and Evalyn B. Jeffers. She was born in rural Catlin Township in the same house her father was born in.

Her education began at the Shiloh country school, where she was the fourth generation of her family to attend, and she occupied the same desk her father had when he was in school. Eileen attended here all eight years; however, when she was in third grade, she contracted spinal meningitis, which caused her to lose her hearing at the age of 8. A private tutor taught her the rest of third grade and also worked with her on lip reading, in which she became very proficient. Upon graduating from Shiloh, she attended Catlin Township High School, where she participated in the junior class play, was voted homecoming queen and graduated in 1947.

After high school, Eileen attended the University of Illinois for one year, but because of her hearing loss, straight lecture classes proved very difficult, and she ended up enrolling in Illinois Commercial College.

Upon graduation from business college in 1948, Eileen was employed by the University YMCA and went on to work for a public accounting firm in Champaign. After realizing how much she missed the campus atmosphere, she came back to the University of Illinois, where she was employed by the UI library, a job she held for 30 years.

Eileen was a life member of the Catlin United Methodist Church, and her church meant everything to her. She was also heavily involved with the United Methodist Women, where she would help out with numerous activities and events throughout the years.  Eileen was also a proud member of the Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority. She enjoyed participating in various activities with her sorority sisters, including traveling to conventions all over the country. She was also a member of the Vermilion County Farm Bureau and Catlin Historical Society.

One of Eileen's favorite hobbies was keeping scrapbooks and documenting the happenings of the Catlin community and surrounding areas. This hobby kept her busy and ultimately resulted in decades worth of pictures, newspaper articles and other historic information. In addition to scrapbooking, she also enjoyed solving word puzzles, watching "The Young and the Restless" and following Illinois basketball.

Eileen is survived by close friends Donald and Joyce Owens; her childhood best friend, Mrs. Mae DeNeal; and several cousins and sorority sisters.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Robison Chapel, Catlin, with Dale DeNeal officiating. Burial will immediately follow at Oakridge Cemetery, Catlin.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Catlin United Methodist Church, the Catlin Historical Society or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Online condolences at robisonchapel.com.