Barbara J. (Ellison) Checkley

Barbara Jane Checkley, 84, of Ashmore, Illinois passed away peacefully Friday, December 30, 2022 at Charleston Rehabilitation. Funeral services will be held at noon, Saturday, January 7th, 2023 at Adams Funeral Chapel in Charleston. Visitation will be held from 10:00 AM until time of service at the chapel. Burial will be in the Enon Cemetery. Memorials in her honor may be made to the Repair of the Respite Building at Camp New Hope and left at the visitation/service or mailed to Adams Funeral Chapel, 2330 Shawnee Drive, Charleston, IL  61920

Barbara was born January 13, 1938, in Allenville, Illinois, the daughter of Ralph Honn and Mildred Elton (Gillespie) Ellison. She married Monty Checkley on September 6, 1959 in Kansas, Illinois and he preceded her in death on July 3, 2022. She is survived by her daughters, Bonny (Steve) Stark of Ashmore, IL and Pam Checkley of Mattoon, IL; two granddaughters, Kelsey (Nathan Pollard) Stark and Ashley Stark; and two great-grandchildren, Preston Pollard, and Owen Pollard. She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Joseph Checkley; and brother, Donald Lee Ellison.

Barbara graduated from Kansas High School class of 1956. She attended Ashmore Presbyterian Church where she was a member of session. She was the past president of the Ashmore PTA and the Grand Marshall of the Ashmore Day Parade in 2003. She was a member of the East Central Illinois Tractor Club, Coles County Council on Aging, a past Election Judge for Coles County, and as an employee of the Farm Service Agency she was a past board member of IASCOE. She was a 50 plus year member of the Eastern Star-Ashmore and a proud board member of the Parent Group, Camp New Hope and CCAR.

As a young girl Barbara loved her horses and jersey cows. She was a member of 4-H and had won many awards showing her Jersey Dairy Cows. She was a cheerleader for the Kansas High School and had won the American Legion School Award while attending school. She was an avid St. Louis Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts fan.  She never missed a sporting event for her grandchildren and loved to put together a bucket of her famous no bake cookies for the granddaughter’s volleyball tournaments. Barbara would especially save her vacation days to help her father and Monty farm doing the seasons. Her family was her world, and she will be missed by everyone who knew her. 

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