Lester Silkwood

Lester E. (Gene) Silkwood, 85, of Danville passed away on May 6, 2011 at the Hawthorne Inn of Danville. Lester was born on April 9, 1926 in Jasonville, Indiana son of Thomas and Gertrude (May) Silkwood. He married Wanda Jacks on August 4, 1946 in Mecca, Indiana. She survives along with two children: Mary Elizabeth (Joseph) Reel of Rockville, IN and Thomas Warren (Gayle Smith) Silkwood of Chiang Mai, Thailand; grandchildren: Shalei (Dan) Webb and their daughter Zoe; Danyel (David) Moon and their children Hamzah and Dakota; Jeff (Mary Ufert) Silkwood and their son Josiah; Kimberly (Chase) Pittman; and Kari (Dustin) DeNeal; sister Dorothy Weir of Fairview Park, IN. Lester was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Ted and Joe, and sister Iva. Lester graduated from Rockville High School and served in the U.S. Army during WWII. After returning stateside he worked as an independent local plumber and electrician in Rockville, IN. Later he worked at the Air Tracking Station in Rockville, IN, and also owned and operated Rockville Hardware. He worked at Skelgas as a manager, later being transferred to the Skelgas in Danville, IL in 1973 where he worked until 1977. He also worked at Prudential Insurance from 1977 until 1988 until retiring. Lester was an inventor and gardener. He enjoyed doing home construction, yard work, vegetable gardening, and growing fruit and nut trees. His other hobbies were hunting, fishing, mushroom hunting, and asparagus hunting, but above all he loved spending time with his family. A celebration of Lesters life will be held at 10:30 am (Central Time) May 13, 2011 at Second Church of Christ with Pastor Drew Mentzer officiating. Visitation will be held from 4-8 pm (Central Time) Thursday evening, May 12th, at Sunset Funeral Home & Cremation Center, a Life Celebration Home, 3940 N. Vermilion St. Danville, IL. Following the service, he will be laid to rest at Sunset Memorial Park in Danville. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com