Dixie Schaiper-Woerly

PEORIA - Dixie C. Schaiper-Woerly, 68, of Peoria died at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, at Methodist Medical Center.

Dixie was born Aug. 19, 1939, in Witt, Ill., to Homer and Ruby Harris Hooper. She married David Taylor in May 1957. He preceded her in death. She then married Bernard Schaiper on Aug. 25, 1973. He died on July 11, 1992, in Peoria. She later married Lawrence Woerly on June 20, 1998, in Peoria. He survives.

Surviving are seven children, Marcelynne (Dick) Grant of Springfield, Dennis (Kelli) Taylor of Forest City, Alisa (Jeff) McIntosh of Washington, Darin (Lisa) Taylor of Potosi, Mo., Peggi (Mark Brown) Taylor of Peoria, Allen Woerly of Macomb and Monica (Chris) Murphy of Tinley Park; two sisters, Margaret Blair of Vandalia and Georgia Connor of Decatur; 21 grandchildren; and one greatgrandson.

She was preceded in death by one son, two daughters, one granddaughter, one brother and two sisters.

During her lifetime, she worked as a nurse at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and as a correctional officer for the State of Illinois.

She also was a U.S. Navy veteran, serving as a Navy corpsman in Desert Storm at Cherry Point, N.C.

Having a love of learning, she was a lifetime student earning her master's degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Springfield in 1985.

She volunteered at the Peoria South Side Mission, Share Foods and on various other volunteer projects, such as making quilts for the South Side Mission.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 25, 2008, at The Wilton Mortuary. The Rev. Thomas Goodell will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008, at the mortuary and one half hour before services on Monday. Burial will be in Parkview Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in memory of Dixie's love for her children.