(Donald) Joseph "Joe" Mifflin

D. JOE MIFFLIN MURPHYSBORO: Donald Joseph "Joe" Mifflin, age 71, of Murphysboro, passed away at 6:50 p.m. Saturday, April 8, 2006, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale. Surrounded by his beloved family, friends, and with his new extended family at the hospital. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, 2006, at the First Baptist Church in Murphysboro with Pastor Jeff Gordon officiating and burial will be at Ava Evergreen Cemetery in Ava. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday at the First Baptist Church and from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. Tuesday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Melba Mifflin for an educational trust fund for the grandchildren. Pettett Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. D. Joe was born on January 31, 1935, in Jacob, Illinois, to Andrew and Thelma (Fehringer) Mifflin. He married his high school love of his life Melba Jean Shemoney on December 26, 1953, at Cora Presbyterian Church. Through love, best friends, dad and mom, grandparents and great grandparents, they have shared happiness and illness for 52 years together. To this union their only son James Duane was born on October 20, 1959, and he passed away on January 13, 2004 as a result of colon cancer. This left them with great sorrow. Mr. Mifflin served as a weapons instructor in the U. S. Army from 1957 to 1962 and then Reserves, he obtained the rank as Staff Sergeant. He came back to Southern Illinois to work five years with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, then twenty five years with the SIU Police Department and he worked as a narcotic agent with the Metropolitan Informant Group, now knows as the SIEG. Joe was baptized at the First Baptist Church, where he is a member. He was a former boy scout leader, a 32nd degree Mason and Shriner, a member of the Jackson County Farm Bureau, the Illinois Police Association, the IL Sheriff's Association. Mr. Mifflin was very active in the Mid-America Transplant Services in Illinois and Missouri and a very devoted and avid worker with the State of Illinois, Secretary of State Jesse White's program of tissue donation. He also worked with the So. IL Kidney Memorial Trust Fund Board. Joe loved to cook especially for his grandchildren. Besides his wife Melba Jean, his mother Thelma Fehringer Mifflin of Murphysboro, he is survived by four granddaughters Meghan Marie, Morgan Michelle, Mikah Mackensey, Macie Mariah Mifflin of Murphysboro, a great grandson Aidan James Mifflin Blechle of Murphysboro, a daughter in law Machelle Mifflin of Murphysboro, a grandson in law Jeremy Blechle of Murphysboro, an ex daughter in law Barbara (Glodo) Helfrich of Murphysboro; three aunts Lena Mae Fehringer of Jacob, Helen Mifflin and Althea Mifflin, both of Murphysboro; two sister in laws Betty Derickson and her husband Frank Derickson of Chester and Cleo Shemoney of Ellis Grove; one brother in law Ben Dunn of Murphysboro; three nieces Vicki and Tom Search of Chester, Brenda Jo and Greg Gallagher of Atlanta, GA, and Elaine and Jorge Evans of Springfield, IL; three nephews Kenneth and Brenda Shemoney of Ellis Grove, Joe and Tempa Dunn of Chatham, and Tom and Elaine Dunn of Cobden; many cousin and extended family of MTS including Brian, Don and Sue, John and Judy, Gayle, Virginia, Liz, and Stephanie, Marilyn, Sylvia and many others. He was preceded in death by his father Andrew Mifflin, one son James Duane Mifflin, an infant son in 1962, an adopted sister Johanna Dunn, and his grandparents William and Amanda Mifflin and Charles and Chola Fehringer. Thank God someone cared and shared their kidney for transplant on March 1, 1997, Joe's life was given back to him.

(Donald) Joseph "Joe" Mifflin

January 31, 1935 - April 8, 2006