Tammy Sue Herlocher

Tammy Sue Herlocher, 66, of Palestine, IL, passed away on June 19, 2026, at Deaconess Gateway Hospital in Newburgh, IN.

Every good recipe starts with what you're handed, and Tammy was handed a good start. She was born on April 6, 1960, in Lawrenceville, IL, and grew up in the Birds area. Her grandmother was the steady hand in those early years. There were days at her grandparents' farm with a houseful of cousins, and the Devin kids close by, the ones she didn't just play with but came up alongside. Her grandmother took her to church, too, and that mattered most of all. A faith in Jesus got worked into her early, the way the most important things go in first, before anything else has a chance to set. Ephesians 3 names what was taking root in her then, a love that goes wider and longer and higher and deeper than a person can measure, the kind you can be rooted and grounded in for the rest of your life.

She didn't wait long to start building one. She married Tom Herlocher while she was still in high school, graduated from Palestine High School in 1978, and became a mom in 1979 when Thomas Jr. was born. From there, her life had a clear center: her house and everyone who called it "home." She did a short stint at Lexel in Hutsonville and sold Avon for years, usually with her granddaughter Heaven along for the ride and a treat waiting at the end of the route. But homemaking was the work she chose, and she gave her whole self to it.

And the table was the heart of it. Simply put, the woman could cook. Chicken and noodles made by hand, oyster dressing, oyster crackers, bread and cookies and desserts all from scratch. Once the kids were up and out the door in the morning, she headed for the kitchen. She kept baking days with her sisters-in-law and her mom to get ready for the holidays, and every holiday brought noodles rolled out by hand. But the noodles were never really the point. The full table was. The people around it were. And she showed up for those people. Every event, every activity, anything her family had a part in, she was there and refused to miss it. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren brought life to her living, and she was proud of every last one of them, about as proud a great-grandma as you'll find. She loved them all the way down.

She had a way of collecting other kids, too. Her children's friends became hers. Anyone who came through the door got treated like family and got a place at the table, and if you walked out of Tammy's house hungry, that was on you.

Tammy ran her house on two things in equal measure: a soft heart and a firm hand. The soft heart showed up as silliness. Whatever was going on, she wanted you laughing, wanted you to spot the funny part of the thing you were worried about, wanted the people around her happy. She had a knack for it. Then again, she'd had plenty to practice on. (She married Tom, after all.) The firm hand showed up early. She put a stop to Tom's drinking, nipping the habit before it could shape their life together, because she understood what it could cost them. She gave him an ultimatum, and she held the line. A good measure of the family they built came from that kind of resolve.

Tammy never wanted to be the center of attention, but when her grandson Dalton was diagnosed with cancer, she stepped into a spotlight she'd have rather avoided to make sure he got the help he needed. In fact, she'd probably be put out by all the attention coming her way now, and that reluctance tells you everything. She spent sixty-six years making sure the focus stayed on everyone else. That was the whole recipe.

She married Thomas "Tom" Herlocher, Sr. on October 15, 1977, and he survives. She is also survived by her son, Thomas Herlocher, Jr.; her daughter, Amanda (Travis) Horton; her grandchildren, Heaven Herlocher, Josiah Herlocher, Dalton Herlocher, and Willow Herlocher; her great-grandchildren, Rhett, Salem, and Jolyne; her nieces, Danielle Steimel and Ashley Eveland; and several great-nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Everett and Sandra (Collins) Eveland, and her brothers, Larry Eveland and Jim Eveland.

A time of visitation will be held from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24th, at the Outer West Market Church of Christ, and a funeral service officiated by Jeremiah Patterson will immediately follow at 2:00 p.m. Burial will be in the Palestine Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to her memorial fund, with checks made payable to "Goodwine Funeral Homes." Memorial envelopes will be available at the church. Donations may also be made online at www.goodwinefuneralhomes.com/payments. The Goodwine Funeral Home in Palestine is assisting the family at this time.