Corine Schureman

GREEN VALLEY - Corine F. "Coney" Schureman, 83, of Green Valley, Ill., passed away and went to be with her savior on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015.

Coney was born July 22, 1931, in Aurora, Ind., to William and Inez (Webb) Scharf.

Surviving are her husband, Charles (Chuck) Schureman; her children, Tom (Lisa) Schureman of Green Valley, Jean (Jeff) Ringenberg of Peoria and Bill (Kate) Schureman of Morton; and six grandchildren, Amy (Marcus) DeKeyser of Dublin, Ohio, Laura (Tom) Wallenfang of Peoria, Sarah (Jordan) Williams of Morton, Katie (Bill) Wilson of Austin, Texas, Bobby (Amelia) Schureman of Pekin and Tommy Schureman of Green Valley; and two great-granddaughters, Avalyn and Everly DeKeyser of Dublin, Ohio. Also surviving is her sister-in-law, Mary Dalton of Brookfield, Wis. She leaves behind many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Dottie Burress of Hanover, Ind.

Coney grew up in the hills of Aurora, Ind., where she graduated from both grade and high school. She attended Hanover College in Hanover, Ind., where she was a member of Phi Mu. She graduated in 1953 with a B.S. in physical education.

Coney and Chuck's sisters were close friends and played matchmaker to introduce Coney and Chuck to each other. They were married on June 27, 1953, in Aurora, Ind. Coney and Chuck lived in Indiana, Virginia, California, Illinois, Minnesota and Kentucky, before settling their family in Morton, Ill., in 1964, and later moving to Green Valley in 1989.

Coney was a 50-year member of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Ill., where she was active as a teacher in the beginners department and first grade for many years. She was a member of the Centered in Christ Sunday School Class and enjoyed close fellowship with many from that class.

Coney's life revolved around serving others, just as Christ served, and it brought her great joy. She was often a listening ear for her children, grandchildren, neighbors, relatives and friends of her children. She was a gracious hostess and loved having others in her home. She was a wonderful cook and always had treats for her children, grandchildren and their friends. She loved working in her many flower gardens and helped to instill a love for gardening in each of her children. She enjoyed feeding the birds and watching them in her gardens. She was an avid seamstress, as well as accomplished in cross-stitching, painting and knitting. She was known for knitting hundreds of Christmas stockings for family, friends and many others.

Coney was a 4-H Club leader in Morton, sharing life skills with young members. Coney and Chuck served on the Young Life Committee while living in Morton and helped to establish Young Life in Morton, hosting the first Morton Young Life meeting in their home. She had a passion to see young people introduced to Christ.

Coney loved attending her grandchildren's many sporting events and was their biggest cheerleader. She loved sports and games and was competitive in nature, but often managed to let her grandchildren somehow win at the end. She took interest in whatever was going on in her family's lives. After living 25 years in a wonderful neighborhood in Morton, Coney took on the new adventure of moving to the Schureman family farm in Green Valley in 1989. She had a gift for decorating and soon made the farm house into a lovely home. She loved to swim, so a pool was added at her request and the grandchildren could often be found enjoying it with her. Family dinners of 20-plus were a joy for her to host around the large dining table, where many stories were shared.

Coney died peacefully at home, surrounded by her family. She leaves a legacy of loving God, loving her family and loving others and will be greatly missed, but is now in her eternal home, where we will someday be reunited.

A visitation will be held at Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria on Sunday, Jan. 18, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. A funeral service celebrating her life also will be held at Grace Presbyterian Church on Monday, Jan. 19, at 10:30 a.m. A private family graveside service will be held at the Green Valley Cemetery on Monday afternoon.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Grace Presbyterian Church, 8607 N. State Route 91, Peoria, IL 61615; or to Peoria Area Youth for Christ, 4100 N. Brandywine Drive, Peoria, IL 61614.

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