Obituary

DECATUR - H. Lee Henneberry, 72, of Toulon, former Decatur area resident, died at 9:59 a.m. Friday (Aug. 3, 2001) in Kewanee Hospital. Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Tuesday in St. Patrick Catholic Church, celebrated by Father Donald Wolford. Visitation will be 5 to 9 p.m. Monday in J.J. Moran & Sons Funeral Home, with a 5 p.m. vigil prayer service and a Broken Wand ceremony at 8:45 p.m. Burial will be in St. Isidore's Cemetery, Bethany. Lee was born June 15, 1929, to Harry E. and Zita McKey Henneberry in Decatur.

He married Rita Marie Walsh on June 24, 1950, in St. Joseph's Church in Ivesdale. Lee was a graduate of Millikin University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in art education and a master's degree from the University of Illinois. He began teaching in Toulon schools in 1951 and retired in 1985. He was selected as the Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 1975. He was a lifetime member of the Illinois Teachers Association. He was past president of Ring 14, Decatur Magic Club. He was a former member of Peoria (PMA) and Quad City Magic Club (QCMC). He was a 50-year member of the Order of Merlin Excalibur of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. He was also a member of Society of American Magicians and the Magic Collectors Association. He was a member of British Ring 25 in England and the London Magic Circle MICM (Member Inner Magic Circle) with Gold Star. He was a member of the St. Dominic's Catholic Church in Wyoming.

Surviving are his wife; daughters, Marg Rogers of Bishop Hill; Mary Miller of Bloomington; Maria Vandiver of Bloomington; Michelle Baldwin of Bettendorf, Iowa; sons, Michael Henneberry of Princeton; Mark Henneberry of El Paso and 11 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers. Lee and Rita with their children entertained with a family variety show. They traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.