Melvin R. Mann

Melvin Richard Mann, 82, of Lanark, Illinois passed away January 14, 2026, at Javon Bea Hospital, following a brief illness. A visitation will be held 11am – 12:45pm Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at Law Jones Eastland, Lanark. A graveside service will follow at 1pm in the Lanark Cemetery.

Born January 20, 1943, in Lena, Illinois, Melvin was the son of Harold and Lola (Koppean) Mann. He grew up in the Lena and Freeport area, attending Immanuel Lutheran School in Freeport until he left school at 16 and began working. He learned the cement trade with his uncle Albert Mann and worked for many years as a cement finisher in the Freeport area, including time with the Helm Group, retiring in 2005.

Melvin married Rosemary Warfield on March 20, 1970. Together they raised a blended family of seven children and celebrated a full life of family and community. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great‑grandfather.

An outdoorsman at heart, Melvin loved fishing — especially trips to the Mississippi River and lakes in Wisconsin — and he shared that passion with family and friends across decades. His grandchildren remember him as a gentle, caring grandfather who loved walks, fishing trips, and simply spending time with them. Melvin was also known for his helpful spirit in the neighborhood, regularly mowing yards and lending a hand wherever it was needed.

Melvin will be dearly missed by his wife, Rosemary; two sons, Travis (Corinne) Mann of Bailey, Colorado and Allen (Debbie) Mann of Lanark, IL; and five daughters, Joy Raymond of Camanche, Iowa, Judy Ponder of Fulton, IL, Michele Ponder of Janesville, WI, Darla (Bret) Logemann of Overland Park, KS, and Georgia Staley of Muskegon, MI; eleven grandchildren and six great‑grandchildren; a brother, Kevin Stucky of Carmi, IL; two sisters, Linda Breeze of Janesville, WI and Nancy Thompson of Cedarville, IL and other loving family members and friends who will miss his steady presence.