Local Resident Sees Father, Family Honored in Douglas County

Connie Walton and husband Sam have lived in Effingham for many years and have raised their family in the community but, like many other local residents, have roots elsewhere.

In the case of the Waltons, their roots are in Douglas County, where Connie was raised as part of the Ghere family. There are a lot of Gheres there; Connie's father, Harry, was one of 17 children.

Harry and his siblings grew up during the Great Depression and during World War II. The sense of patriotism seen in those years led Harry and six of his brothers to enter the Armed Forces. One served in the Navy, one served in the Army Air Corps, Harry and the other four served in the Army. One of the brothers, Bobby, was killed in action in Germany while serving with the Army in March 1945.

That's a whole lot of commitment, and people noticed. 70 years later, the sacrifice of the Ghere family is being recognized in Douglas County. 

A ceremony was held Sunday afternoon at the Arcola fire station to mark the dedication of Illinois Route 133, the east-west highway that runs through Arcola and Douglas County, as the "Ghere Brothers Memorial Highway".

Connie Walton said the fire station was jammed with family and well-wishers. State Senator Chapin Rose was on hand, as he had sponsored the legislation in Springfield designating the highway in the brothers' memory.

Connie said Sunday's ceremony was an emotional time, perhaps affecting her even more than her father's death two years earlier.