Dolores Elaine Bushert Kannaley, 85, of Galesburg, died at 2:44 a.m. Monday, March 7, 2016 in Heartland Health Care Center.
She was born January 14, 1931 in Decatur, Illinois to Lloyd A. and Dorothy E. Bushert. She married Joseph A. Kannaley in Newark, New Jersey on January 3, 1953.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband; two sisters, Emily Lou Fues of Deltona, Florida and Eunice Sellers of Moline, Illinois; and one brother, Forrest Bushert of El Paso, Illinois.
Surviving are two daughters, Nancy (Steve) Howard of Glasgow, Kentucky and Roxanne Flesher of Galesburg; one sister, Evelyn Hoover of Milan, Illinois; one brother, Merlin (Carol) Bushert of St. Joseph, Michigan; one sister-in-law, JoAnn Bushert; four grandchildren, Crystal (Jason) Seeman of Lisle, Illinois, Eric (Beth) Tracy of Holly Springs, North Carolina, Amber (Ryan) Binder of Galesburg, and Allison (Daniel) Shepherd of Evansville, Indiana; and seven great-grandchildren, Liz and Drew Flesher, Bella and John Binder, Ryan and Jacob Tracy, and Jamison Shepherd.
Dolores graduated from Rock Island High School in 1949. She served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force from August 1949 to January 1953, where she met Joe and began their life of 20 years military service until he retired in 1973. She served her family, her church, her community, her country, and most of all her Savior Jesus Christ. In 1975, she chartered the local chapter of Women’s Aglow Fellowship International, a world-wide women’s ministry whose purpose is to introduce women to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The local Aglow chapter served the community from 1976-1997. She served as secretary to the Citizens for Decency, was active in the Knox County Right to Life, and served as the first director of the Women’s Pregnancy Center, supported by the Galesburg Rescue Mission. She worked at the Christian Life Center school as cook, was a lunch helper in District 205, and was a chaplain at various nursing homes. She and Joe were members of the First Church of the Open Bible. She volunteered at Heartland Health Care Center and taught women’s Bible study at the Knox County jail. She loved people, loved to talk to people and most of all loved to share Jesus Christ with them.
Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at First Church of the Open Bible. Funeral service will be 10 a.m. Thursday at the church with Pastor Mark Dexter officiating. Cremation will be accorded following the service with private family burial later at the Rock Island National Cemetery, where rites honoring her military service will be performed. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Galesburg Rescue Mission or First Church of the Open Bible. Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral Directors and Cremation Services of Galesburg is handling arrangements for the family. Online condolences may be made at www.h-p-w.com.
