Charles C. Gleason, 86, of Geneseo, died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, at Hammond-Henry Hospital, Geneseo. A funeral mass celebrating his life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at St. Malachy’s Catholic Church, Geneseo. The Rev. Michael Pakula will officiate. Burial will be in St. Anthony’s Cemetery, Atkinson, where military rites will be accorded by the Charles DeCrane Atkinson American Legion Post. Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, at Vandemore Funeral Home, Geneseo, where a Rosary will be recited at 6:45 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Charles Gleason Memorial Fund.
He was born March 5, 1923, in Grundy County, Mo., the son of Charles Henry and Dorcas (Scott) Gleason. He enlisted in the Illinois National Guard (33rd Infantry Division) in 1944 and was deployed to the Pacific where he trained in the Philippines for the invasion of Japan. He was on the boat for Japan when the war ended. He served in the occupation forces and was demobilized from the Army in 1946 with the rank of sergeant. He married Rose Marie Lund Feb. 12, 1949, in St. Anthony’s Church, Atkinson. The couple lived on and then bought the family farm in Atkinson, where they farmed and raised their family. They moved to Geneseo in 2005. Along with farming, he had been employed at the Rock Island Post Office for 25 years. He was also a seed dealer for DeKalb and Kingscross Seed Companies. He was a member of the American Legion Post No. 724, where he served on the firing squad. He also served on the Atkinson Drainage Ditch Committee. Farming was his love. He was a member of St. Malachy’s Catholic Church. He enjoyed woodworking, gardening, target shooting and tractors. He loved to be with his grandchildren and his Border Collie Obie.
Survivors include his wife, Rose Marie (Lund) Gleason; a daughter and spouse, Patricia and Robert Krause of Colorado Springs, Co.; two sons and spouses, Donald and Kathy Gleason of Geneseo and John and Janet Gleason of Davenport, Iowa; seven grandchildren, Eric Moburg, Matt Gleason, Mark Gleason, Steffanie Gleason, Justin Gleason, Jennie Gleason and A.J. Skinner; seven great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Elma Norton of Eagle Point, Ore. and Eva Lawrence of Kansas City, Kan.
Geneseo, Ill. —
