{"id":43251,"date":"2026-07-29T10:36:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=43251"},"modified":"2026-07-29T10:36:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:36:53","slug":"mary-imogene-rentfro-104-of-stewardson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/obits\/43251-mary-imogene-rentfro-104-of-stewardson\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary &#8220;Imogene&#8221; Rentfro (104) of Stewardson"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>Mary \u201cImogene\u201d Rentfro, 104, of Stewardson, Illinois, passed away on July 27, 2026, at Heartland Senior Living in Neoga, Illinois.<\/p>\n<p>Imogene was born on October 23, 1921, in Strasburg, the daughter of Royal Edward and Francis Dott (Bland) Rankin. She grew up with the values of hard work, devotion to family, and faith that would guide her throughout her long and meaningful life. On June 19, 1939, she married Henry T. Bales, and together they shared 46 years of marriage until his passing on November 3, 1985. Later in life, she found love again with Charles \u201cTom\u201d Rentfro, and they were blessed with 12 years of marriage until his passing on March 29, 2005.<\/p>\n<p>Imogene devoted her life to her home and family. She was a homemaker who took great pride in raising seven children and helping on the farm, and she embraced those responsibilities with patience, strength, and love. The role she treasured most was that of wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother. She truly cherished being present for her family and creating a warm and welcoming home for those she loved. Her family was the center of her life, and she found joy in the simple but meaningful rhythms of daily living. Faith was an important part of Imogene\u2019s life. She attended Stewardson Christian Church for many years before later becoming a member of Stewardson United Methodist Church. Her church family and her own steadfast beliefs were a source of comfort and strength throughout the years. She lived her life with quiet grace and a spirit of kindness that touched those around her. Imogene was also known for the many pleasures she enjoyed in life. She was a very good baker and took pride in preparing food that brought people together. She loved to watch the St. Louis Cardinals and followed the game with enthusiasm. She also enjoyed playing euchre, especially when it gave her the chance to share time and laughter with others. These interests reflected her warm personality and her appreciation for companionship, tradition, and the enjoyment of everyday moments.<\/p>\n<p>She is survived by her children, Edward Bales of Florida, Carol Baumgarten of Stewardson, Richard (Peg) Bales of Effingham, Danny (Pam) Bales of Jackson, Mississippi, and Loyd Rentfro of Idaho, along with several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n<p>She was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Henry Bales and Tom Rentfro; her son, James Bales; her daughters, Patricia Lading and Janet Schultz; her grandchildren, Angie Schultz, Brandi Wittenberg, and Allen Bales; her brothers, Eugene Rankin and Allen Rankin; her sister, Isabel Howard; her daughters-in-law, Annabelle Bales and Melba Bales; and her son-in-law, David Baumgarten.<\/p>\n<p>The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff at Heartland Senior Living for providing such loving care to our mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, Imogene. Your kindness and support brought comfort to both Imogene and her family, and your compassion will always be remembered with deep gratitude. The care she received was a meaningful part of her later years, and the family is thankful for the dignity and kindness shown to her.<\/p>\n<p>Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, July 31, 2026, at Brummerstedt Funeral Home with Pastor Darin Hansen officiating. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. Interment will follow in Stewardson Cemetery. Memorials in her honor may be made to Heartland Senior Living and may be mailed to 302 W. Main St., Shelbyville, IL 62565. Family and friends are invited to light a candle or share a story at www.lockartgreenfuneralhome.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mary \u201cImogene\u201d Rentfro, 104, of Stewardson, Illinois, passed away on July 27, 2026, at Heartland Senior Living in Neoga, Illinois. Imogene was born on October 23, 1921, in Strasburg, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":43252,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-obits"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mary &quot;Imogene&quot; Rentfro (104) of Stewardson - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/obits\/43251-mary-imogene-rentfro-104-of-stewardson\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mary &quot;Imogene&quot; 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