John D. Cole

John D. Cole passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on October 29, 2017 at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria IL at the age of 92.

John is survived by his wife, Dorothy; children, Doug (Linda) Cole of East Peoria, Dave (Kathy) Cole of Germantown Hills, and Richard (Alice) Cole of Washington. He is preceded in death by brother Don Cole of Indianapolis IN.

John was born May 16, 1925, in Taylorville, IL to Clarence and Ruth Cole. They moved to Altamont, IL in 1939 where he graduated from Altamont H.S. in 1943.

He served his country in the U.S. Army from 1943-1945. In 1945, he went to Purdue University under the GI Bill of Rights and later transferred to Bradley University where he graduated in 1949 with a B.S. in Business Administration. He worked at Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain and Rossetter Ford dealership in Peoria, and then at Caterpillar for 27 years before retiring in 1982.

In 1948, he met Dorothy McCullough and they were married on August 14, 1949 at La Prairie United Presbyterian Church in rural Sparland. They were devoted to each other and inseparable for 68 years. They enjoyed and were so proud of their 3 sons, 7 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren. Family gatherings were always filled with lots of fun and love. He also enjoyed golfing, especially with his 3 sons and grandson on Father's Day.

John and Dorothy took many vacations and travelled to all 50 states in this wonderful country. In 1981, they began square dancing with the Caterpillar Square Dance Club. For 29 years, they enjoyed dancing 2-3 times per week locally and many weekend dances in neighboring cities and states

He was a member of Crossroads United Methodist Church in Washington.

Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. Thursday, November 2, 2017, with the funeral service to follow at noon, both at Crossroads United Methodist Church, 1420 N Main St, Washington, IL. Pastor Dan Doty will officiate. Graveside services will be at 3:00 p.m. Thursday November 2, 2017 at La Prairie United Presbyterian Cemetery, 701 County Road 400E, Sparland, IL. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Crossroads United Methodist Church in Washington. To share memories and condolences with the family, visit www.masonfuneralhomes.com.