Obituary

  Viola - John Kness, 96, a resident of the Mercer County Nursing Home, formerly of Viola, died Wednesday, Aug. 24, 1994, at the Mercer County Nursing Home.
Services were held at 11 a.m., Saturday at the St. John's Catholic church in Viola, the Rev. James DeBiaschop and Deacon Frank Smith officiating.
  Burial was in the St. John's Cemetery in Viola.
  Memorials may be left to St. John's Catholic Church, the Viola Area Food Pantry, the Viola Library or the Mercer County Nursing Home.
  Fippinger Funeral Home, Aledo, was in charge of arrangements.
  He was born April 26, 1898, in Wanlock, a community located one mile north of Gilchrist. He was the son of John and Elizabeth Brock Kness. He attended the Greene Summit County school and later attended the University of Illinois.
  He married Mary McArdle Sept 10, 1918, in Matherville. She died in 1921. He then married Pauline Smith Aug. 26, 1925 in Aledo. She died in 1931. He later married Julie Weyer May 6, 1945, in Rock Island. She died in 1960.
  In addition to working on the family farm, he purchased his own farm east of Shale City, and later became manager of the Kness Coal Company, a firm which his father founded one half mile north of Viola. He was employed for a short time with the Farmall Company of Rock Island and Lock and Dam 17 New Boston until becoming affiliated with the J.I. Case Company for 21 years retiring in 1962.
 He was instrumental in laying the line from Viola to Milan for the Northern Utility Company and upon retirement he served on the zoning board for the city of Viola until moving to the nursing home in Aledo.
  Survivors include two daughters and sons-in-law Joan and Otis Mack of Viola and Imogene and Kenneth McFate of Columbia, MO; one son and daughter-in-law, Ralph and Giuliana Kness of Fayettsville, NC; 12 grandchildren; 19 great grandchildren; and several great great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, five brothers, Vincent, Matthew, Martin, Leo and Louis; one sister, Mary Lindquist; two sons, Charles and George; one granddaughter; and two great grandchildren.
  Pallbearers were John Mack, Steven Mercer, Stephen TouVelle, Dean Morgan, Alan Taylor, and Richard Larson. Honorary pallbearers were Ralph Taylor, William Lilliman, William Lindquist and Robert Lindquist.
(Aledo Times Record, Wednesday, August 31, 1994)