J. Roger Mann

GALVA, Ill. ? J. Roger Mann, 73, of Galva, Illinois, died Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, in the emergency room at OSF St. Luke Medical Center in Kewanee, Illinois.

A celebration of his life will be at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 1, at the Wethersfield School Gymnasium with Linnea Gustafson officiating. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m., Wednesday at Rux Funeral Home in Galva, Illinois. Cremation will be accorded, and private burial will be held at a later date in Brighton. Memorials may be directed to the Wethersfield Academic Foundation.

Mr. Mann was born April 19, 1943, in Washington, the son of Homer and Darlene (Powell) Mann. He married Jean R. Price on Aug. 19, 1967, in Antioch, Illinois.

He graduated from Wayland High School. He then graduated with a B.S. from Iowa Wesleyan College and began his teaching career at Galva High School in 1965. After four years in Galva, he was a teaching assistant at Illinois State and earned his M.S. degree. He began his career as a math and computer science teacher at Wethersfield High School in 1970. He retired from teaching in 2014, but not from Wethersfield Schools. He continued to be a part of the Wethersfield Schools up until his death. He was listed in the Who?s Who in American Education and was recognized by Western Illinois University as an outstanding math teacher. This nomination came from former students. In 2011 he was a WHS Hall of Fame inductee. He enjoyed carpentry, woodworking, managing computer websites, bicycling, walking, jogging, and any activities involving his family. He also enjoyed helping people out, and his final gift to help others was donating his corneas.

Surviving are his wife; one daughter, Tricia Berry and husband Adam of Johnston; two grandchildren; one sister, Barbara Bock and husband Jim of Fairmont, Minnesota; and two nieces.