Earl Gilliland

Earl Gilliland, age 90, of Mt. Carroll, Illinois, passed away Saturday, June 10, 2023 at the Rock River Hospice Home in Sterling. A funeral service will be held 11am Thursday, June 15, 2023 at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mt. Carroll. Visitation will be held 9:30 – 11am prior to the service at the Church. Memorials may be made in Earl’s honor for the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mt. Carroll, or the Stockton Educational Foundation.

Earl was born May 11, 1933, in Geddes, South Dakota, the son of Earl and Pearl (Halley) Gilliland. He is a 1952 graduate of Mt. Morris High School. After one year of college, he enlisted in the Army and served during the Korean War. Earl then received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture from University Illinois. On November 10, 1956, Earl married Delores Mennega. They raised two children, David and Dori, and celebrated 62 years of marriage until Delores’s passing in April of 2019.

Earl worked 11 years as a Farm Advisor and Youth Advisor for the Carroll County Extension Service in Mt. Carroll. In 1970 he began a 24 year career for the Stockton Schools.

He was a member of 1st Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mt. Carroll, National Rifle Association, Retired Teacher’s Association, and the Mt. Carroll American Legion. Earl enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, travelling, and just being in the outdoors. Studying history and photography were life-long passions and gave him many hours of enjoyment. Family and friendships were most important to Earl over the years.

Earl will be dearly missed by his son, David (Gail) Gilliland of Stockton; his daughter, Dori Gilliland of Mt. Morris; his sister Phyllis (Willard) Haberer of Sterling; a sister-in-law, Dale Mennenga of Oregon; a brother-in-law, Dave Rittenhouse of Rockford; and many nieces and nephews. Earl is preceded in death by his wife, Delores, and both parents Earl and Pearl Gilliland.