Les W. Oaks

Les Oaks, 67, of Rozetta, IL passed away peacefully from cancer, with family by his bedside, on July 27, 2012. He was born on March 19, 1945 and was the son of Muriel (Magee) and the late Earl Oaks, Sr. Les was raised and educated in the Biggsville area. He married Bonnie Fassett in 1963. They had two children, Dennis & Brenda, and were married for 16 years. Les was a cattle and grain farmer and he particularly enjoyed raising Angus cattle. He farmed with his father-in-law, Gene Fassett, for many years. After farming, Les began working at IPC, which later became Farmland Foods. He worked there until his retirement and made many good friends. Later Les married Nancy Shadle. She had several grown children of her own, which included Jeff (Melanie) Ainsworth and their family (Skyler, Alecia, Kristin, & Jeffrey Jr.) of Little York, who continued to be involved in Les's life after Nancy's passing in 2009. During his school years, Les participated in basketball and track; he was proud of the records he set running. When he was older he enjoyed playing pool and visiting with friends. Les has always loved nature and being outdoors, especially when taking care of cattle and horses. He was also a great cook and specialized in grilling different kinds of foods. Les truly enjoyed life to the fullest, and had a wide variety of friends, which he always made time for. He had a great attitude and made everyone feel special. Les was able to fill a void in a lot of people's lives and was a great friend to many; he will be sorely missed. Survivors include his mother, Muriel Oaks of Biggsville; a brother, Earl (Sue) Oaks Jr. of Morton; two sisters in Monmouth, Kay Oaks & April (Bill) Dowell; a son, Dennis Oaks of Biggsville; a daughter, Brenda (Greg) Close of Reynolds; and grandchildren, Nicholas & Barbara Close of Reynolds. Services:Services will be held at the Turnbull Funeral Home in Biggsville, IL. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 31st. The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 1st. Burial will be at the Biggsville Cemetery. Memorials have been established for the American Cancer Society and the Biggsville Cemetery.