John Wayne Illyes

John Wayne Illyes, 73, of Palestine, IL passed away unexpectedly at 12:02 p.m. on December 31, 2017 at Casey Health Care in Casey, IL. He was born August 13, 1944 in rural Palestine, the son of John W. Illyes, Sr. & Marjorie (Espy) Illyes, both of whom preceded him in death. He attended the local schools and graduated from Palestine High School in May of 1962. He earned an associate’s degree from Vincennes University in 1964 before moving on to the University of Illinois, where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Finance in 1966 and a Master’s of Science in Finance in 1967, with a concentration in investments. He spent 40 years in Chicago working for the Nuveen and Speer Investment Companies, researching investment opportunities and writing about them for their publications. He received several awards for his investment articles. He is survived by his former wife, Rosalie (Tragarz) Illyes; by his son & daughter-in-law, John S. & Jackie Illyes; by his daughter, Meredith Illyes; by three grandsons; by his brother, Richard Illyes; his aunt, Jean Illyes (Palestine, IL); his uncle, Wendell Goodwin; several cousins and other relatives; as well as his special friend and caretaker, Cheryl Mefford. Wayne enjoyed hunting for and collecting Indian artifacts out in the fields in the spring and summer, and would often hunt them with his friend, Jean Bell. He was very fond of cats, especially his black cat, Pfizer and his tiger cat, Sizemore, whom he adopted. Wayne also liked to metal detect to see what kinds of old metal objects he could find. There will be no public services. Burial will be held at Oak Grove Cemetery at a later date. The Goodwine Funeral Home in Palestine is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Crawford County Humane Society or to the Central Wabash Archaeological Society, with envelopes available at the funeral home.