Dennis M. Reiley, 80, Beardstown, left this life on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at home surrounded by his family.
Dennis was born April 11, 1941 at his paternal grandparents’ home in North Hollywood, California, the son of Kenneth C. and Ruth A. (Sherrill) Reiley. He married Carol A. (Myers-Wilson) on July 1, 1972 in Prairie City, Illinois. She survives along with brothers, David A. Shrumanski of Beardstown, Gerald Reiley of Colorado and sister Nancy Morgan (Larry) of Encinitas California; four children Dennis Michel Reiley Jr (Vickie) Springfield, Rodney Wilson (Sue) of Beardstown, Douglas Wilson of Kansas City Mo., Tracey Wood (Rich) St. Louis Mo. and daughter-in law, Rose Wilson (Gregory) of Rushville.
He was preceded in death by both maternal and paternal grandparents and son Gregory Wilson (Rose) of Rushville, one special aunt, Frances Helen Sherrill Smith and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Dennis graduated from Rushville High School in 1959, from Lincoln Land Community College in 1974, Sangamon State University (Currently University of Illinois Springfield) in 1977.
Dennis was very proud of the fact that he had worked in a wide variety jobs during his lifetime, with a farm crew bucking bales and cutting weeds from beans, as a ditch digger for the village of Browning, seining the river and lakes first with his uncles and then with his grandfather, with a section gang as a “gandy dancer” for the CB&Q Railroad, On the log deck for a local lumber company, as an employee in the State Auditor’s Office in Springfield, as a factory worker inspector (14yrs) at Bohn Heat Transfer, as Safety and Industrial Relations Manager (9 yrs) at Bohn Heat Transfer in Beardstown, as Safety and Employee Relations Manager at Mueller Company in Decatur (9 yrs.), Human Resources Director Pacific Cycle, (8 yrs.) Olney, Executive Director Beardstown Main Street (6yrs) Beardstown.
Dennis was a devout Christian and a member of the Browning First United Methodist Church, a Certified Lay Servant and in training to be a Certified Lay Speaker. He served as temporary Lay Speaker for numerous area Methodist Churches and taught Bible Study for seven years in Browning.
His community service includes Advisory Council to the Beardstown School Board in the 1970’s, Beardstown Economic Advisory Council in the 1980’s. Beardstown Boys Baseball Assoc. serving as a coach and manager from 1966 to1989, president from 1981-1985 and coach in the Decatur Northwest Boys Baseball system. He served as volunteer and treasurer of the Beardstown Fall Fun Festival Committee 2007 thru 2019 where he made lifetime friends, Beardstown Lions Club as treasurer for two terms of two years, Olney Lions Club, City of Beardstown TIFF Board 2008 until 2019 . Dennis’ most satisfying of these was time he spent working with his boys and girls in learning from them and hopefully preparing them for a life where if you work hard you will learn how to succeed and the same time learning how to survive life’s inevitable losses.
By far his greatest joy came from his family. It is a loud boisterous group consisting of five children and their spouses, along with 14 grandchildren and 19 Great grandchildren. Almost all with type A personalities, so you have to be loud in order to get a word in. All are excellent cooks, so family dinners are great fun with delicious food.
A visitation will be held 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, February 25, 2022 at Sager Funeral Home in Beardstown. Private family services will be held at a later date with burial at Browning Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Cass-Schuyler Area Hospice. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.sagerfuneralhome.com.
