REMEMBERED

The district is continuing to remember with gratitude the life of Leonard Matheny, a member at Peoria First and long-time dedicated volunteer in the Illinois/Wisconsin District and denomination. Leonard passed away in Peoria April 20 after a battle with liver cancer.

Leonard was most recently serving as financial secretary for the district. He previously had been chair of the Church Revitalization and Development Team, coordinator of the Potluck Experience planning team, a leadership team member, and served a term as district moderator in 2006, among other roles. Denominationally, he served on the National Older Adult Conference planning team and for many years was delegate registration coordinator at Annual Conference. He was also quite active at Peoria First and the community, serving in a variety of capacities.

We are grateful for Leonard's generous and cheerful life and ministry, and our prayers remain with his wife, Vicki; his children, Wendy and Justin; and the rest of his family, as well as with the Peoria First congregation in this season of loss.

A celebration of life service was held April 25 at Peoria First with a large crowd attending. The full obituary can be found at https://www.schmidthaller.com/obituaries/leonard-matheny2/#!/Obituary.

Wendell Cline Eller, 99, of Bridgewater, Va., who served for a time on the denominational staff of the Church of the Brethren, passed away on April 6. He worked as director of Audio-Visual Education for the Church of the Brethren for seven years from June 1, 1955, through Aug. 31, 1962. Prior to that, starting in 1953, he was on the staff of the Department of Audio-Visual and Broadcast Education of the National Council of Churches, working in Chicago as evaluation assistant. A memorial service was held April 25 at Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren.