Herman Lebegue
Cottage Hills |
Herman Lebegue, 96, of Cottage Hills, Illinois, died at his daughter’s home on Friday, March 21, 2025.
He was born on October 16, 1928, on the Lebegue family farm southeast of Highland, Illinois, the fifth of the six children of Octave and Minnie Emilie (Zobrist) Lebegue. He attended a country school just a few miles from the family farm and then Highland High School. He played in the woods and creek near the farm, participated in the local 4-H group, and faithfully attended the nearby Bethany Baptist Church.
He worked on the family farm until he began working for another local farmer. After several military deferrals, he was drafted into the service at the end of the Korean Conflict, and he chose to enlist in the Army, serving from December 1953 to September 1955. His most significant service assignment was Battery C, 6th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Herman met (Frances) Monetta Dixon of Cottage Hills, Illinois, at a Baptist youth rally, and they wrote to one another until he was honorably discharged from active military service. They were married on November 16, 1955, in the “old” First Baptist Church on Illinois Route 140 in Cottage Hills.
They bought a farm in New Douglas, Illinois, where they lived for thirty-four years, “raising grain, pigs, and kids,” and were members of the Illinois Pork Producers Association. They faithfully worshiped at Bethany Baptist Church with their extended family and lifelong friends, and Herman served as a deacon and trustee. The family exhibited their farm produce at the Madison County, DuQuoin State, and Springfield State fairs almost every year, along with Herman’s parents.
Herman and Monetta left their farm in New Douglas in 1989 and moved to Cottage Hills to live with and care for Monetta's father. They became active members of the First Baptist Church of Cottage Hills, and Herman helped maintain the building and beautify the grounds. He continued to work the land with a landscaping company in St. Louis, and he was proud of the many projects he had worked on throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area.
He always had a garden, on the farm and in town, putting in his last garden last year. He enjoyed sharing the produce (strawberries, tomatoes, sweet potatoes) with church members and his neighbors. Throughout their married life, Herman and Monetta were known for bringing Brisleys (French/Alpine Swiss: Bricelets) to family celebrations.
From 2001 to 2018, Herman (and Monetta until 2011) enjoyed competing in Senior Olympics, traveling to various locations in Illinois and Missouri, even making it to Louisville, Kentucky, one year for the national games. Although Herman and Monetta had taken their family on road trips to California and Virginia, after all the children were grown, they traveled more. Eventually, Herman visited all forty-eight of the continental states.
Herman was preceded in death by his parents, beloved wife of fifty-eight years, daughter Amelia Kniery, and son-in-law Carl R. Rice. In addition, all his siblings and their spouses preceded him in death: Aneda (Wilfred) Rutz, Harlan (Arzella) Lebegue, Ordella (Orville) Rutz, Dorothy (Vernon) Mick, and Lester (Janet) Lebegue. He was the last survivor of his family of origin. His wife’s parents, William and Clara Belle (Tayon) Dixon, sister Betty Wilburn, and brothers Billy and Tony Dixon also preceded him in death.
Herman is survived by five of his six children and their spouses: Vandora (Jim) Elfrink of Belleville, Illinois, Nathan Lebegue of Cottage Hills, Illinois, Aurelia (Richard) Savage of Evans, West Virginia, Warren (Debra) Lebegue of New Douglas, Illinois, Michele Rice of Waverly, Illinois, and son-in-law Mark Kniery of Chatham, Illinois; his grandchildren: Phil (Sara) Elfrink, Jared Elfrink, Katy (Nick) Derfler, Stephanie DeSantis, Joshua Savage, Erin (Anthony) LeMay, Joseph Witte, Benjamin (Megan) Witte, Daniel Witte, Timothy Witte, Warren Paul, Jr., (Dani) Lebegue, Kristina Lebegue, Xander (Taylor) Lebegue, Dan (Belinda) Robertson, Michael (“Mokey”) (Laura) Mulcahy, Ashley (Joe) Rivers, Carl D. Rice, Jonathan Rice, Jeremiah (Samantha) Rice; his great grandchildren: Sylvia, Rosalia, Will, Lucas, Arthur, Chiara, Emily, Octavian, Joey, Teagan, Ava, Kyler, Bobby, Nash, Kalee (Andre), Dillon, Logan, Brock, Gabriel, Guinavere, Noah, Josley, and Jeremiah ("J.C."); great great grandchild: Braxton; his wife’s siblings: Joseph ("Pete”) (Yvonne) Dixon of Webb City, Missouri, and Nina Miller of St. Marys, Georgia, and many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the New Douglas Community Center, Saturday, March 29, 2025, 2 p.m., with his son-in-law Rev. Richard Savage officiating. The family requests that everyone wear casual attire, such as St. Louis Cardinals or the color red because Herman was a lifelong Cardinals fan, attending his last game Father’s Day weekend, 2023, at the age of 94.
His and his wife's ashes will be interred at Gullick Cemetery, Highland, Illinois, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Family Hospice of Belleville.
Renner Funeral Home
