Martha Jean “Marti” DeLuka, 88, of Nokomis, died on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, at Pana Health and Rehab.
Visitation was held on Sunday, Oct. 22, at Stiehl-Dawson Funeral Home, located at 200 E. State Street, in Nokomis. Funeral ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, at Stiehl-Dawson Funeral Home with Dan Easterday officiating. Interment will follow the ceremony at St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in Nokomis.
Mrs. DeLuka was born May 7, 1935, in Pana, the daughter of John and Alta (Smith) Inman. She graduated from Pana High School with the class of 1953 and went on to work for Sugar Creek Creamery as a bookkeeper for many years. She married Richard “Dick” Stombaugh, and they later divorced. She then married Eldon “Luke” DeLuka on Nov. 14, 1962. Together they owned and operated Mid-States Insurance in Nokomis for several years, before purchasing the local Schlitz distributorship in 1968. They operated DeLuka Distributing together until Mr. DeLuka’s death on May 15, 1989.
Mrs. DeLuka continued to operate the business until her retirement in 1999. She was a member of the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois and was a longtime member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Nokomis. She enjoyed shopping, traveling the world with Mr. DeLuka and making regular visits to the Ozarks.
Mrs. DeLuka is survived by her son, Mike (Annie) Stombaugh of Nokomis; granddaughters, Cori (Shawn) Poage and Hayley Stombaugh, both of Phoenix, AZ; great-grandchild, Quinn Poage; and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; and siblings, Margaret White, Jim Inman, and Janie Meachum.
Memorial contributions may be made to: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or Paws Care of Montgomery County, PO Box 25, Hillsboro, IL 62049.
Please visit www.stiehldawsonfh.com to share memories of Mrs. DeLuka, or to offer condolences to her family.
