John Benedict

He was born April 27, 1931, in Springfield, IL to Jacob W. and Emma L. (Jurgens) Benedict. John married Wilva E. Andereck on April 10, 1955, at Trinity Temple in Peoria. She was, in his words, “the most precious gift God had ever given me”. She passed away in 2012.

John served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He worked for 43 years at Peoria and Pekin Union Railway, retiring in 1996. He attended Christian Assembly Church in Peoria, where he served in many ways, from teaching Sunday School to building their baptistry, which he was proud of.

During his relatively short battle with cancer, he met a lot of doctors, nurses, caregivers, and other patients. He made that time his personal mission field, and asked everyone he came in contact with if they knew Jesus. In doing so, he made a strong impact on the lives of others.

John is survived by his brother, Carl Benedict of Washington, and his five children: Nancy (Roger) Wright of East Peoria, Rebecca (Virgil) Hovar of Bloomington, Susan (Jim) Eldred of Washington, Stephen (Ellen) Benedict of Farmington and Julie (Geno) Virgil of Morton. He has 14 grandchildren and 9 great- grandchildren, all of whom he was extremely proud. He was welcomed into Heaven by his wife, Wilva, his brother Harold Benedict, three infant children (Linda Sue and twins Mark and Michael) and a host of other family and friends.

He will be remembered most for his faith in God, his love for his family, the care and devotion he showed to Wilva during her final days, and the little pencil he always carried in his pocket to do his newspaper puzzles and draw diagrams. To those reading this, John would want you to be happy for him. He would say, “I’ve gone to be with Jesus. Hope to see you there.”

Visitation will be held, Sunday, November 12, 2017 from 4 to 6 pm at Remmert Funeral Home in East Peoria. A funeral service will be at 11:00 am Monday, November 13, 2017 at the funeral home. The Rev. Terry Goode will officiate. Burial will follow the service at Fondulac Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Christian Assembly Church of Peoria. Words of comfort can be shared with the family at www.remmertfuneralhome.com.