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							 Graveside Service: Irish Grove Cemetery, 
							southwest of Middletown at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, May 
							2, 2015. 
							
							Funeral home: Holland Barry & Bennett Funeral 
							Home 
							Obituary 
							 
							Mabel Ruth Skelton, 91, of Middletown, passed away 
							at 12:58 a.m. on Monday, March 30, 2015 at home 
							surrounded by her loving family. 
							 
							Mabel was born on February 23, 1924 in Ina, a 
							daughter of Joseph Ennis and Helen May (Barker) 
							Wilson. She married Richard Raymond Skelton on April 
							1, 1940 in Palmyra. He preceded her in death on 
							August 22, 1963. 
							 
							Mabel is survived by her companion of over four 
							decades, Bill Quast of Middletown. Other survivors 
							include three sons, Dick (Debbie) Skelton of 
							Lincoln, Tim (Judy) Skelton of Mason City, and Rusty 
							(Stacie) Skelton of Middletown, seven daughters, 
							Jenny (Harold) Stout of Middletown, Jackie Poole of 
							New Holland, Carol Renfro of Middletown, Sharon 
							Marcum of Seattle, Debbie (Bub) Frakes of 
							Middletown, Syb (Joe) Liesman of Hartsburg, and 
							Kelly (Rick) Hoffert of Middletown, and Bill’s 
							children Charlie Quast of California, and Becky 
							Quast of Middletown. As matriarch of her family, 
							Mabel left a legacy, at last count, of nearly 300 
							children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, 
							great-great grandchildren, and even 
							great-great-great grandchildren. 
							 
							She was preceded in death by her father, mother, 
							husband, and nine children, sons Jerry Skelton, 
							David “Pip” Skelton, Andrew “Joe” Skelton, Billy 
							Dale Skelton, daughters Patsy Skelton, Deany Baker, 
							Kasey Brooks, Ruth Ann Hoffert, and Cheryl Himes. 
							She was the last of her immediate family which 
							included brothers Carl Wilson, Ivan Wilson, and 
							Boone Wilson and sisters Reba Sparks, Cleta Scott, 
							and Ava Morrison. 
							 
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							Mabel spent most of her adult life as a housewife 
							and mother caring for and loving her family. She 
							reminisced about delivering the paychecks to the 
							miners at the Johnson Coal Mine at age 12. In 1943 
							she worked at the Sangamon Ordinance plant at 
							Illiopolis during WWII. Mabel had driven a semi and 
							had worked at the Stetson China Factory in Lincoln. 
							Over the years she also worked in local eateries 
							making and serving up home-style food. In her 
							younger years she enjoyed fishing and camping. She 
							loved working in her garden, sewing, making crafts, 
							cooking, and baking. Most of these skills were 
							passed onto her children and grandchildren. She 
							babysat for several generations of children, both 
							related and unrelated. Mabel was known, loved and 
							respected by so many people. She loved country 
							music, putting together puzzles, was an avid NASCAR 
							fan, with Jeff Gordon being her favorite driver, and 
							she cheered on the St. Louis Cardinals. 
							 
							Cremation rites have been accorded. She requested no 
							visitation. 
							 
							A graveside service will be conducted at Irish Grove 
							Cemetery, southwest of Middletown at 1:00 p.m. 
							Saturday, May 2, 2015. 
							 
							Holland Barry & Bennett Funeral Home in Lincoln 
							handled the arrangements. 
            
            
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