Obituary index

Ann LaForge

[May 19, 2009]  Ann M. LaForge, 79, of Lincoln, died Monday, May 18, 2009, at 7:45 p.m. at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.

Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Holland Barry and Bennett Funeral Home in Lincoln. Visitation will be from noon until the service time at the funeral home.

Burial will be in Richmond Grove Cemetery, New Holland.

Mrs. LaForge was very active in the community. She was instrumental in starting the EMT and paramedics programs in Logan County, and it was the first countywide system in the state of Illinois.

She was born Jan. 26, 1930, in Bloomington to Dora and Charles Barclay. Her mother died when Ann was 6 years old. Ann was then adopted by a schoolteacher, her childless aunt Pearl Easterbrook of Peoria, who was also a well-known teacher of the Baha'i faith.

Ann married native New Holland resident David LaForge on June 18, 1950.

She is survived by her husband; three children, Pam Fox of Peoria, Grant (and Kathi) LaForge on the home farm at New Holland and Kevin (and Kimberly) La Forge of Powell, Texas; one sister, Betty Hill of Bloomington; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her brother, Charles Barclay.

Before moving to Lincoln, Ann and her husband organized and ran the New Holland Rescue Squad for 10 years.

She helped to form the first Girl Scout troop in New Holland, was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, a 50-year member of the Woman's Club, an active member of the steering committee to form the Logan County Health Department, an active member of the Logan County Mental Health Association, a member of the Central Illinois Mental Health Board, and chairman of the group living and H.I.P. homes as well as the Logan County Rehabilitation Board.

She also volunteered at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital and served on the Logan County Housing Authority, Lincoln Public Library board and Project Life.

She graduated from Woodruff High School and attended Bradley University, majoring in home economics.

As to Ann's hobbies, she listed them as candy making, knitting, traveling (not just in the states but to visit other cultures), crafts of all sorts, painting and golf.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lincoln Public Library and will be accepted at the funeral home.

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