Ilene Mae Whitis

Ilene Whitis -- BourbonnaisIlene Mae Whitis, 85, of Bourbonnais, died Tuesday (Jan. 8, 2008) at her home. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. Thursday until the 7 p.m. services at the Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home, Bourbonnais. The Rev. Brad Buhro will officiate.Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. (EST) Friday in Pleasant View Union Cemetery, Fayette, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Noel and Ilene Whitis Scholarship Fund at Olivet Nazarene University.Mrs. Whitis was a wife, mother, teacher, counselor and friend. She was born Nov. 24, 1922, in Jerry City, Ohio, the daughter of the Rev. James J. and Lavina Taylor Spengler. She spent time in China where her parents were missionaries. Following graduation from Chesterfield High School in 1941, she earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Findlay in 1962 and a master's degree at the University of Toledo in 1968. On Dec. 31, 1941, in Fayette, Ohio, she married Noel Whitis Sr., a graduate of Olivet Nazarene College. Together they served Nazarene churches at New Richmond, St. Paris, New Hampshire, Dayton, Findlay, and Fayette, all in Ohio. She had belonged to the Church of the Nazarene in Ohio and in Indiana.Surviving are her husband of 66 years, Noel Lee Whitis Sr. of Bourbonnais; two sons and daughters-in-law, Noel Jr. and Judy (Davidson) Whitis of Bourbonnais, James and Cindy (Jenkins) Whitis of Indianapolis, Ind.; two daughters and sons-in-law, Natalie and Dennis Buhro of Kendallville, Ind., Cheryl and Mark Smith of Bourbonnais; 10 grandchildren and spouses, including Matt and Amy (Cserep) Whitis of Bourbonnais, Gregg Whitis of Ann Arbor, Mich., Brad and Michelle (Lafevor) Buhro of Middletown, Ind., Josh and Jessica (Brosman) Buhro of Kendallville, Ind., Jennifer Smith of London, England, Jessica (Smith) and Andy Corbus of Bourbonnais, Hillary Smith of Nashville, Tenn., Alisa, Scott, and Laura Mossbarger, all of Indianapolis, Ind.; and 11 great-grandchildren, Hope, Hannah, and Luke Whitis, all of Bourbonnais, Brenden, Brett, Bryce, Brock, and Mackenzie Buhro, all of Middletown, Ind., and Grey, Emma, and Kate Corbus, all of Bourbonnais.Deceased are her parents and one brother, Ed Spangler.

Ilene Mae Whitis

November 24, 1922 - January 8, 2008