Ida May West Bragg (1925-2014)

     Ida May Bragg, 88, of Sullivan passed away 3:30 a.m. Sunday, February 16, 2014, at her daughter’s home in Pekin. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 22, 2014 at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Visitation will be held one hour before the services. Burial will be in Greenhill Cemetery, Sullivan.
     Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, Sullivan, or to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Peoria.
     Ida May West Bragg was born May 27, 1925, the third of four children born to Ivan and Ruby Irene (Enterline) West of rural Bruce. She married R. Earl Bragg on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947. She was preceded in death by her husband on August 20, 2001.
    She is survived by her sisters, Arletta Marie Elzy of Mt. Vernon and Ruby Irene Elzy of Austin, Texas, formerly of Sullivan; and her brother, James William West, and his wife Katie Ellen of Cowden. She is also survived by three daughters, Sue Ann (Charles) Renner of Pekin, with whom she made her home in recent years, Nina Louise (Mike) McGuire of North Platte, Nebraska, and Teresa Carol (Steve) Esterholdt, of Ontario, Oregon. She delighted in her eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, as well as three generations of nieces and nephews.
     She lived most of her life on the centennial farm on which she was born. In addition to raising her girls and caring for children in her home, she served as bookkeeper for the Toggery in Pekin, IL, and as a secretary for the Welfare office and University of Illinois Farm Extension office in Sullivan. She was a capable and respected employee and made life-long friends in her workplaces. A member of the First United Methodist Church of Sullivan, she was a faithful volunteer for funeral dinners and special projects. She enjoyed membership in Civic Club, Home Extension, and Moultrie County RSVP.
     She loved entertaining and visiting with family and friends, as well as traveling with her daughters and her extended family. Her later years were brightened by the fond attentions of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She leaves a legacy of devotion to family and a joyful interest in people and places.