Francis Rush

Francis R. “Fran” Rush, of Decatur, IL, died Tuesday, February 16, 2016 in Decatur.He was born 8 January 1913 in Rockford, IL, the son of Michael and Jesse Colloton Rush. He graduated from St. Thomas High School in Rockford in 1931. He was already working for Black & Co. in Rockford when he graduated, and was promoted to manager of the Decatur store in 1939. He married Catherine Mary Higgins in Rockford in 1936; they had 3 sons, David, John [Jack] and Stephen.An avid lifelong golfer, he began caddying at the Ingersoll Golf Course in Rockford in 1925, and shagged balls in exchange for golf lessons from the teaching pro, Cecil Orford. Fran caddied for him for several years in tournaments all over northern Illinois. Fran played at Ingersoll until he moved to Decatur, where he joined the Southside Country Club and was an active golf member for 72 years.Fran’s entire career was spent at Black & Co., first in Rockford, and then managing various Decatur stores. He was named a Vice-President of Blacks in 1971 and retired in 1977, continuing to work for several years after that as a consultant. In June 1980 Fran’s 50th year at Blacks was marked with a lengthy tribute to “Our Man Fran.”Fran had been a parishioner at St. Thomas Church since 1939 and supervised Bingo for many years because of his exceptional math skills. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus.In 1986 Fran and Catherine hosted a 50th wedding anniversary celebration at Southside Country Club in Decatur; his 100th birthday in 2013 was celebrated with family and friends at the Angela Hall at St. Thomas Catholic Church in the afternoon, and then in the evening went to the Decatur Club.Fran was preceded in death by his wife, Catherine, his parents, his brothers Gerald and Bernerd, his sister, Margaret, and his son, Stephen. He leaves 2 sons, David, of Decatur, Jack [Michelle] of Sarasota, FL, his daughter-in-law Diannia [Robert Crum], his cousin Cassie Kelly, County Tyrone, N. Ireland,5 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, niece Marlene McCarter and nephew, Charles Rush.Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 A.M. St. Thomas Catholic Church on Saturday, February 20, 2016, with visitation 4-6 P.M. Friday, February 19, at Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Home, with a prayer service at 3:30 P.M. Interment will be in Graceland Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 2309 W. White Oaks Dr. Suite E, Springfield, IL 62704 or Maryknoll Lay Missioners, P.O. Box 307, Maryknoll, NY 10545. "
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