Macz Funeral Homes

01/03/2026

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Sterling Silver Heart Cremation Urn Pendant
☎ Call 618-532-5511

12/31/2025

12/31/2025

James Richard Haskell, 80, of Centralia
James was a dedicated, faithful member of the Pentecostal Church of God in Centralia. He had a servant’s heart and would eagerly help his church family and community. He knew the importance of advancing God’s Kingdom by shining a bright light to expel any darkness. James was affectionately known as the peanut brittle man, sharing with grateful buyers the church’s delicious peanut brittle, all around town.

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12/30/2025

Legacy Touch

12/29/2025

Margaret Pepple
Margaret and Wayne farmed for a short time in Illinois before moving across the country a couple of times due to Wayne’s military service. They moved back to Illinois briefly, and finally settled down in Palo Alto, CA. They never lost their ties to Illinois, though. In retirement they enjoyed splitting their time between their house in Palo Alto and Margaret’s beloved childhood home in Odin.

Margaret was always busy her whole life. She spent a summer working in a dress factory in a nearby town as a teenager, where she honed her sewing skills. While Wayne was serving in the Marines, she worked in retail in San Diego and North Carolina. She drove a van transporting students home from Castilleja girls’ school in Palo Alto, volunteered at a local food pantry, worked in a daycare center, and was a long time member of the Order of the Eastern Star. She was a highly skilled seamstress, sewing everything from her wedding dress to placemats for every holiday or season, pillows, decorative items, and dresses for her daughters and herself. Her culinary skills were greatly appreciated by her family and friends. She also had a musical talent that she passed down to her children. Besides playing the piano, she was a member of a hand bell choir well into her 90’s.

Margaret was devoted to her church, where she was a long-time member. She served in many capacities, such as secretary, held leadership roles in membership, and organized activities for the members of the church. She was an elder for many years, visiting those who were sick and couldn’t attend church, taking them communion, serving at the communion table, and numerous other duties. Margaret spent countless hours volunteering for anything and everything that needed to be done. She didn’t see her work at the church as a duty, though, but as a privilege.

View Margaret Pepple's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

12/29/2025

It’s not the moment they died.
It’s not the funeral.
It’s not the “I’m so sorry” texts or the casseroles dropped at your door.

It’s everything after that.

It’s the part no one warns you about—the gray space of grief.
Where the world keeps moving, but you’re suspended.
Not fully in the past. Not fully in the future.
Just… here. In between.

Where you forget what joy used to feel like.
Where smiles feel foreign and guilt creeps in if you catch yourself laughing.
Where people assume you’re “doing better” because you showed up to work or answered a text.

But inside?
You’re lost.
Not broken exactly. Just… altered.
Like a radio slightly out of tune.
Like a photo that won’t come into focus.

The gray space is quiet.
But not peaceful.
It’s the space where grief settles when the world stops watching.

And if you’re in it—
You’re not alone.
You’re not doing it wrong.
You’re surviving the part no one talks about.

And one day, color might return.
But for now, it’s okay to sit in the gray.
Written by: Aimee Suyko - In Their Footsteps

12/29/2025

David Krietemeyer, 78, of Centralia
David was a proud graduate of Centralia High School, Class of 1965. He served in the United States Army during Vietnam, in Germany from 1966-1968. He truly was a loyal employee of Wheaton Plastics in Centralia, working there for thirty-eight years. David was the third person hired in 1969, and he was the last one out, when Wheaton closed. He was grateful to be a Grandpa, delighted to be a part of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s lives.

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12/28/2025

⚜📖⚜📖⚜📖⚜📖⚜📖⚜📖⚜
Macz Sunday Blessings
Isaiah 40:4
"Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain."
#

12/27/2025

Legacy Touch
Personalized Fingerprint Dog Tags

12/27/2025

📆 December 31 is the Deadline for the next Matthews Aurora Children’s Foundation Grant.

Here at Macz Funeral Homes we 💕love to be community partners. Eligibility and the grant application can be can be found at https://matthewsaurora.com/solutions/marketingsolutions/matthews-childrens-foundation/

12/25/2025

🎄🤍Christmas can be a season filled with beautiful memories, but it can also quietly remind us of those who are no longer with us. For some, joy and grief exist side by side this time of year.

We want you to know how thankful we are for the trust you place in our family and for allowing us to support you during life’s most tender moments. No matter how this season feels for you, hopeful, heavy, or somewhere in between—you are never alone.

We are holding each of you close in our thoughts, and our door and hearts remain open. Wishing you peace, comfort, and moments of quiet reflection this Christmas.

~ Tom & Traci