Marilyn Felkel Lingle, 93, died on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
Burial will take place at Oak Grove Cemetery in Hillsboro at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22. Her memorial service will immediately follow at 12 noon, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hillsboro. Hough-Dean Funeral Home is serving the Lingle family.
Mrs. Lingle was born on August 16, 1932, on the Felkel family farm, south of Taylor Springs. She was the youngest of six children born to Anna (Stank) and Clarence Felkel.
She graduated Hillsboro High School in 1950 and continued her lifelong pursuit of learning by attending the University of Illinois, then taking classes through Eastern Illinois University, Lincoln Land Community College and Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. She was a member of Phi Theta Kappa International.
She married Ivan Lee Lingle on October 4, 1950. They eventually settled into a home on Jefferson Street, where they lived for 50 years. She poured her energy into restoring the house, then keeping it in good shape for those to come.
Mrs. Lingle honed her artistic skills in the 1960’s and one of her paintings won a Best of Show award at the 1964 U of I State Art Show in Champaign. In 1966, she took a job at WSMI Radio, where she wrote radio ads and occasionally worked ‘on air’. After retiring from the radio station in 1987, she became well known throughout Montgomery County as a feature writer and columnist at the Montgomery County News and The Hillsboro Journal-News.
She was active in many local organizations: the Old Settlers Association, the Hillsboro Women’s Club, the Hospital Auxiliary, the Montgomery Players of Hillsboro, the Encore Players of Litchfield, two book clubs and numerous bridge clubs. She was a member of the Hillsboro Country Club and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. She enjoyed playing bridge, golfing, gardening, reading and traveling. She and her husband traveled the world, and she continued with occasional journeys after his passing.
Mrs. Lingle was especially proud of her volunteer work for the Literacy Lifeline program at Graham Correctional Center, where she tutored for more than a decade during the 1980’s and 1990’s. She received the Volunteer of the Year Award in 1995 and an Award of Merit from the Illinois State Board of Education for 1994-95.
Later in life, she focused full time on her writing. She authored and published the book Configurations in 2004. For many years, she was a regular fixture during Old Settlers at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, where purchasers of her book could receive a personally autographed copy.
Mrs. Lingle is survived by her three children, Ivan Dale Lingle of Virginia, Aimee Lee Lingle (husband Pat Galligan) of Edwardsville, and Clarence Craig Lingle (wife Dori) of Webster Groves, MO. She is also survived by seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren (with another on the way).
She was preceded in death by her husband; sisters, Dorothy Wiley, Verna Ondrey and Carol Levine; brother, George Felkel; and infant sister, Marjorie.
Memorials may be made to the Montgomery County Animal Control Shelter, 11252 County Road 900 North, Hillsboro, IL 62049, or Imagine Hillsboro (Pool), PO Box 234, Hillsboro, IL 62049.
To leave an online condolence or to order flowers, please visit www.houghdeanfh.com.
