F. McQuown

Bloomington - F. Gordon "Shorty"
McQuown, 96, of Bloomington, passed away at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday,
April 1, 2014 at Martin Health Center in Bloomington.

His funeral will be held at 11 a.m.
on Saturday, April 5, 2014 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in
Bloomington with Pastor Chad D. Lueck officiating.  Visitation
will be from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, April 4, 2014 at
Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Memorial Home in Bloomington and 1 hour prior
to the service on Saturday at the church.

Interment will be at East Lawn
Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Bloomington.  Memorials may be
made to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church or Midwest Boston Terrier
Rescue, 103 Karadan c/o Beth and Jim Alvis, Mahomet, IL 61853 or
Town and Country Kennel Club, 2507 Fox Creek Road, P.O. Box 5093,
Bloomington, IL 61702.

Shorty was born on September 2,
1917 in Chapin, IL, a son to Katherine Mae and George B. Whiteside
McQuown.  He married Lucille D. Gaiser on June 5, 1937 in
Bloomington.  She preceded him in death on December 25,
1997.  He later married Patricia L. Witherell on June 27, 1998
in Bloomington.  She survives.

Survivors include, his wife,
Patricia; a grandson, Chris (Cindy) Shaffer of Grimes, IA; a
granddaughter, Lynne (Barry) Lotenberg of Arlington, VA; four great
grandchildren, Morgan Shaffer, Sienna Lotenberg, Lucas Lotenberg,
Eliana Lotenberg; two sisters, Betty Popejoy of Normal, Georgia
Boriack of Bloomington; two stepchildren, Scott Witherell of
Westchester, IL., Mark Witherell of Lexington, IL., step
granddaughter, Ashley (Cory) Plath of Normal and a step great
grandson, Michael Plath.

In addition to his first wife,
Lucille, he was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Kay
Shaffer; two brothers Mac McQuown and Fritz McQuown; and four
sisters, Evelyn McQuown, Mary Troxel, Ann Brock and  Dorothy
Keller.

It is no surprise Shorty died on
April Fools Day, not to say he was a prankster but he certainly had
an innocent sense of humor.

Shorty attended Browns Business
College.  He worked as a sales engineer at American Foundry
Company and later as a payroll clerk at Eaton Asphalt.

He was a charter member of Good
Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bloomington. He was active in the Town
and Country Kennel Club where he was also an obedience dog
trainer.  He was a member of the Leroy Pistol and Rifle Club
and a lifetime member of the NRA.

Shorty loved all things "Boston
Terrier".  For 50 years, he and Lucille bred Boston Terriers,
showing both in obedience and confirmation.  All of which were
champions!  Shorty cherished his Boston Buddies and still
missed T.J. who preceded him in death in 2013.  Shorty
delighted taking T.J. and Pat with the Sheltie, Heidi, off on the
dog show circuit, both dogs showing in competition, 2-3 days
running.  He was still training dogs at the age of 85 at the
Town and Country Kennel Club.

He loved a challenge as
demonstrated in his love for crossword puzzles and learning to play
Bridge at the age of 80. He was a vibrant, private, loyal,
determined, self-made man.  A couple of his favorite sayings;
'the pendulum swings both ways' and 'you can't beat the Lord for
giving'.

Shorty was an avid outdoors man as
you could expect from someone growing up during the Great
Depression.  He loved to fish and hunt squirrels and
rabbits.

One of many favorite stories from
his grandson; "I couldn't have been more than 7 and visiting
grandpa's.  It was evening and he and his brother Fritz were
getting ready to leave the house.  So, typical 7 year old
"Where are we going?  Where are we going?" Grandpa looks down
at me, "Up Mike's, down Jake's, where the make the jelly
cakes."   Well you can imagine the thought process of a 7
year old who hears the words 'jelly cakes'.  Unbeknown to me,
this was just a typical grandpa-teasing little quip.  So, my
expectations on this journey involved 'jelly cakes'. Come to find
out, we were just taking brother Fritz home, but in his typical,
loving way, he saw the disappointment on his grandson's face, so he
detoured to the nearest doughnut shop."

Shorty was a medical miracle,
overcoming a broken neck and a stroke in 2003. He was proud that he
was 96 and agreed with folks saying that he looked
younger.

Special thanks to his caretakers
for the last 10 years, Sonya and Melvin, Monica R., Lisa B., Tina,
Bobbie P., Michelle S., Jirita and Judy G.;  the nurses and
CNA's at Manor Care and Martin Health Center; Dr. Kindred and Judy
for their care and attention; and special friends Joe and Susan
Accardi and Kathy LeBreton for all the birthday cards.

He was truly the 'salt of the
earth' and a treasure to his family.

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