John Wayne DeWerff

John Wayne DeWerff “Duke”, 70, of Nokomis, died on Saturday, November 6, 2021, at 12:55 p.m.

            Visitation will be held Wednesday, November 10th at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in rural Nokomis from 5 to 7 p.m. and in the morning of Thursday, November 11th from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The funeral services will follow at 11 a.m.

            John was born December 6th, 1950, in Pana, IL to Luther and Inez (Johnson) DeWerff. He married Carolyn Aherin on July 7th, 1972, in Farmersville, IL. He and Carolyn, who survives, loved raising their kids on the farm. John was able to see his last harvest come in just a week before he was taken to his eternal home.

            Throughout his life, John was best described as tough. He lived with Multiple Sclerosis for 25 years and he never complained. He continued to farm and to roof. Only his brother Ron and the roofing crew know exactly how he was able to climb grain bins or make his way up steep roofs.

            Over the years John cheered on many teams...the St. Louis Cardinals, the Nokomis Redskins, any team that Dan and Greg coached, and all the teams that his grandkids played on. John attended Illinois State University where he left his mark on the mound. He shared his love of baseball through coaching over several decades. He was a leader on the field, various community boards, and served as an elder at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

            John lived by the motto “If you are going to do something, do it right.” John did it right!

            John is survived by his wife, mother Inez DeWerff of Nokomis, his four children Angie (David) Wolfe of Effingham, Jodi (Jeff) Kinkelaar of Effingham, Dan (Lisa) DeWerff of Nokomis, and Gregory (Lauren) DeWerff of Watseka. Sister Cheryl (Johnie) West of Morrisonville and brother Ron (Dawn) DeWerff of Nokomis; eleven grandchildren, Grant, Landon, Parker, Garrett, and Averie Wolfe; Mia, Claire, and Cal Kinkelaar; and Ryder, Sutter, and Nash DeWerff. He was preceded in death by his father, mother-in-law and father-in-law Roy and Nelda Aherin, and brother-in-law Nyle Schmedeke. Memorials are suggested to the MS Foundation, St. Paul's Lutheran Church,  the Nokomis Athletic Fund.

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