Published on May 4, 2026 4:16 pm
Last Updated on May 4, 2026 4:16 pm
The body of a woman has been donated to science after her death at an Effingham truck stop.
Effingham City Police and Rural Med EMS were notified of the death of 68-year-old Bonny L. Blue at Petro Truck Stop on West Fayette Avenue at 6:15pm Friday. Officers located a vehicle near the fuel pumps. The driver of the vehicle advised officers that he and his wife were transporting his wife’s sister, who was on Hospice, from Michigan to Texas to live with her sister. When they stopped at Petro to give her medication, they found Blue unresponsive. Rural Med EMS assisted at the truck stop, as did the Coroner’s Office.
Blue’s body was taken to the Effingham County Morgue where the investigation was continued. Due to certain immediate criteria to be a donor, the Coroner’s Office contacted the SIU School of Medicine, who accepted the donation on Friday evening. Blue’s body was transported to SIU Monday morning.
Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said Blue’s family was very appreciative of the Effingham Police Officers and the Rural Med personnel who assisted them at the scene. They also were thankful that SIU School of Medicine in Carbondale fulfilled Blue’s wishes that her body be donated to science.
Medical information from Blue’s family, Hospice, and her primary physician were requested by the Coroner’s Office. No foul play was involved and her dead was classified as “Natural”.
