Manford 'Gene' Poole

TUNNEL HILL, Ill. — Manford Eugene "Gene" Poole, 74, of Tunnel Hill, Ill., died Saturday, March 21, 2009, at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Ky.

Gene was born Aug. 2, 1934, in Mill Creek, Ill., to Manford James and Effie Lorene (Sims) Poole. He married Rosanna Schierbaum Jan. 6, 1956, in Cornith, Miss.

He was an avid fisherman and a deacon at Bethlehem Gospel Mission Church. He was plant superintendent at Unimin Corp. For 15 years, he battled a rare muscle disease called inclusion body myositis.

Survivors include his wife; three sons, Donald Poole and Frankie Poole of Tunnel Hill, Robert Poole of Creal Springs, Ill; a daughter, Jenny Walker of Goreville, Ill.; three sisters, Wanda Sue Goodwin of Town Creek, Ala., Peggy Evelyn Smith of Gordonville, and Shelby Louise Webb of Tamms, Ill.; 11 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; five stepgrandchildren; and eight great-stepgrandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and a granddaughter.

Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Blue Funeral Home in Goreville.

The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Clark Madden and Howard Strunk officiating.

Burial will be at Bethlehem Cemetery in Tunnel Hill.