Loretta L. Bringer

Mrs. Loretta Lane (Jones) Bringer, 87, of Maywood, Missouri, passed away on January 6, 2026, in her home, MarLoRa Farm, where she had resided for 53 years. The daughter of the late J.W. and Beulah (Hackamack) Jones, Loretta was born September 27, 1938, in Quincy, Illinois. She was united in marriage to Marvin W. Bringer at South Union Baptist Church in Maywood on March 17, 1962, and they welcomed their only child, Rachel Lane Bringer (Shepherd), on September 19, 1971.

Loretta is survived by her daughter, Rachel and son-in-law Bobby Shepherd, grandsons Dalton, Luke, Jacob, and Elijah Shepherd, one sister, Alice Faye Shoemaker of Douglasville, Georgia, one brother, John W. Jones, Jr. (Karen) of Quincy, Illinois, sisters-in-law Erma Dee Jones of Labelle, Jo Jones of Maywood, and Evelyn Ann Brink of Quincy, Illinois, brother-in-law Wendell Featherlin of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and numerous nieces and nephews. Loretta was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her brothers William Jones and Larry F. Jones, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Russell and Betty Bringer, her brother-in-law John Shoemaker, and her sister-in-law, Dorothy Featherlin.

Loretta graduated from LaGrange High School and Gem City Business College. She managed offices for Aetna Financial, Thorp Financial, and ITT Financial Services in Quincy, Il for 36 years and for Personal Finance Company in Quincy for 10 years. During her career, she won many awards and trips in the United States and Europe for high achievements and service to customers.

Loretta was a lifetime member of South Union Baptist Church in Maywood and served as the organist from the time she was 14 years old. She was the church Music Director and led many Bible Schools and Sunday School classes. She was the Financial Secretary for the church and past President of Rohs Baptist Women. She also prepared the church bulletins, and organized many special services and events for the church, including the 150th and 175th anniversary celebrations. She truly believed in purposeful living and serving her Lord.

Loretta was also active in serving the community. She chaired the Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission for 15 years, and she served as President of the Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association. Loretta was a talented soprano, and she sang with the Quincy Symphony Chorus, Palmyra Community Choir, and the Hannibal Regional Hospital Heartbeats for a number of years. She was a past President of Altrusa, Int'l in Quincy, and she served on the Board of Trustees of Midwestern Baptist Seminary for 10 years and a Trustee at Hannibal LaGrange University for 8 years. Loretta had also served as budget chairman for the Mt. Salem/Wyaconda Baptist Association for a number of years and had served as the Associational World Mission Conference Chairman. She was selected as the "Volunteer of the Year" in 2013 of the Hannibal Regional Hospital Auxiliary and served as Auxiliary Board President in 2016-17. She was past President of the Maywood Cemetery Association, past President of the Hannibal Women's Club, a past member of the Rural Electric Cooperative Nominating Committee, and a former member of the Marion County Democratic Central Committee.

After her mother died in 2010, Loretta began writing the "Maywood News" column for the Palmyra Spectator and the Lewis County Press News Journal, and she completed her final column a few hours before her death. Over the years, she also baked thousands of cookies for Marion County Democrat Days participants, jurors, treatment court graduates, and inmates at the Marion County Jail, while her daughter served as a state representative and judge. When she became a grandmother, she loved baking special treats for her grandsons, and she particularly enjoyed hearing them sing.

Funeral Services will be Monday, January 12, 2026 at 11 a.m. at South Union Baptist Church in Maywood with Doctor Woodrow Burt, Brother Bill Dexheimer, and Brother Dan Brothers officiating. Interment will follow at Maywood Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday morning before the service from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the Church. Memorials are suggested to: South Union Baptist Church or the Maywood Cemetery. Service arrangements are with Duker and Haugh Funeral Home, 823 Broadway, Quincy, IL 62301. Pallbearers are Rick Meyer, David Roush, Randy Bringer, Rodney Bringer, Adam Jones, and Brent Luttrell.