Mervin Pilkington

Mervin "Merv" Pilkington, 91, of St. Joseph, formerly of Danville/ Tilton area, passed away at 5:14 p.m. Tuesday, December 13th, 2011 at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. Merv was born on August 25th, 1920, in Cayuga, Indiana, the son of Clarence and Merna (Krout) Pilkington. He married Carmen Starkey on October 22nd, 1941, in Danville. She survives. He is also survived by four children- Sandy (Louie) Montgerard of Danville, Delynn (Bruce) Stanley of Defiance, Ohio, Victor Pilkington of Akron, Ohio and Gail Villarreal of St. Joseph; one sister- Marjorie Jean Gravat of Peoria; nine grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews and special friends- Donnie Moore of Cayuga, Indiana and Randy Poll of Urbana He was preceded in death by his parents, four sisters and two brothers. Merv attended Danville High School. He served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945, serving in the Panama Canal area during that time. Merv worked construction most of his life and later he ran "Merv's Gulf and Wrecker Service" in Danville. He later worked at Kickapoo State Park as a Park Ranger, until he retired in 1987. He was a member of Jewel White VFW Post # 728. Merv enjoyed mushroom hunting, fishing, hunting, and was an avid Chicago Cubs fan. A Celebration of the life of Mervin "Merv" Pilkington will be at 2:00 p.m. Friday, December 16th, 2011 at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, a Life Celebration Home. Burial will follow the service in Sunset Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 12:00-2:00 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Condolences may be sent to the family at: www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.