Mary Pauline Wilmoth

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Mary Pauline Wilmoth died on Jan. 26, 2010, at 94 years of age.

She was born on Nov. 6, 1915, in Equality, the first of three children of Mary Ada Carr and Paul Prather. From early childhood she was known to her family and friends by the affectionate nickname "Pudge," a name derived from her own childish mispronunciation of her favorite character, Puzzums, in the funny papers.

Around 1925 the family moved to a home on Adams Street in Eldorado. She graduated from Eldorado High School in the class of 1933. She was active in music and sang the lead in the eighth grade operetta. In high school, she was a class officer and a cheerleader all four years. Sometime in 1934, she met Fred B. Wilmoth and they soon married. Fred preceded her in death on Dec. 29, 1978. She and her husband owned W&W Cleaners for many years, and she worked at Illinois Green Thumb until she retired at 76.

Surviving family members include her son, Fred Wilmoth and wife Cynthia of Seattle, Wash.; granddaughter, Claire Wilmoth of New York, N.Y.; brother, Thomas W. Prather of Spokane, Wash. and his children, Thomas L. (Pam) Prather, Jan Prather and Marilyn Burger; and nephews, Alan (Lynn) Downen of McLeansboro and Keith (Wendy) Downen of Knoxville, Tenn.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and a sister, Frances Downen.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, at Reed Funeral Chapel. The Rev. David Estep will officiate. Burial will follow in Sunset Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, at Reed Funeral Chapel. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Southern Illinois. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home. Condolences may be sent to the family through the Obituary Page of the Internet site www.reedfuneralchapel.com.