Obituary of Thelma Dean Zelmer Stewart

Thelma Dean Zelmer Stewart Thelma Dean Zelmer Stewart crossed over February 23, 2010, at the age of 86. She was born on a farm near Modesto on August 12, 1923, the only daughter of Lela (Grimmett) and Hurley Zelmer. "Deanie", as she was fondly called, had one brother, Keith Zelmer. Thelma Dean graduated from Modesto High School in 1940 at the age of 16 and attended Midland Institute of Commerce in St. Louis. She then went to work for NESCO in Jacksonville, Illinois for five years. She was a member of a Central Illinois traveling softball team known as Lotts Ice Cubes. In 1945-46, she played softball and basketball for Handy Bus Lines, a traveling team from Waverly. During the war years, she was asked to play softball for the Litchfield Air Steps, also a traveling team, which made it to second place in the state championships on more than one occasion. She was the real life version of the girls in A League of Their Own. Sports continued to be an important part of her life. When she could no longer participate she followed her favorites on TV. On June 23, 1946, she married Eddie Stewart in Waverly and they had two daughters: Dixie and Deborah. She was later blessed to have three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Her focus in life was always family. Besides helping her husband in their farming operation, she was active in the community. Thelma Dean was a lifetime member of the United Methodist Church, teaching Sunday school and helping lead the MYF. She was a Girl Scout leader and a 4-H leader for twenty years. Later she became active in the Macoupin County Historical Society and geneology. She surveyed and frequently restored cemeteries in the northern half of Macoupin County, and co-authored and published "Tombstone Revelations," an index of the above mentioned cemeteries. Her favorite past-time was gardening and being outside and close to nature. She is survived by: her husband, Eddie; daughters; Dixie Stewart-Gage (Steve) of Girard and Deborah Smith of Chatham, grandchildren; Dawn (Smith) Hovious of Phoenix, AZ and Darby Ferguson (Alyssa) of Girard, and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Keith and grandson Derek Stewart Gage. Funeral Information Visitation is Friday, February 26 from 4:00-7:00pm at Davis-Anderson Funeral Home in Girard. Funeral services are Saturday, February 27, at 10:30 a.m. at the Davis-Anderson Funeral Home in Girard with Rev. Bob Sabo officiating. Burial will be in the Union Chapel Cemetery. Donations Information Memorials may be made to the Girard Fire and Rescue Squad or to the United Methodist Women. Directions Visitation: Davis Anderson in Girard Service: Davis Anderson in Girard Cemetery: Union Chapel Baptist Cemetery