Aldeane Norton, daughter of Henry and Jessie Gollon, died on July 7, 2026, in Savoy.
A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 14, at the Morgan Memorial Home in Savoy, followed by the burial service at Stearns Cemetery outside of Fithian.
Mrs. Norton was born on her grandparents’ dairy farm in Murphysboro on May 26, 1931. She graduated class valedictorian from Grand Tower High School in Grand Tower in 1949. She married her high school sweetheart, Gene Wills, on May 9, 1951.
The couple lived in southern Illinois until 1956, when they moved to Vermillion County, with their newborn son, Dale. The family lived in Muncie until July of 1965. At that time, they moved to Hillsboro when Mr. Wills was hired to work at the newly constructed CIPS power station in Coffeen. Mrs. Norton received her bachelor degree in education from Greenville College. She taught in elementary schools for 23 years, the last 18 of which were as a second grade teacher at Beckemeyer Grade School in Hillsboro.
In 1994, they moved from Hillsboro to Savoy to enjoy their retirement and their proximity to Illini sports. However, after a brief battle with cancer, Mr. Wills died on Oct. 3, 1997. She married Tom Norton of Jackson, MO, on Dec. 6, 2006. Tom had been a classmate of the couple at Grand Tower High School, and he was a retired river boat pilot. He died unexpectedly on Feb. 14, 2019.
Mrs. Norton returned to Illinois in July of 2021, where she resided at Windsor of Savoy until her death.
She loved teaching elementary school in the Hillsboro school district and she was an outstanding teacher. She was a devout Christian whose faith provided great comfort to her, especially following the untimely deaths of both of her husbands. In her later years, she cherished time spent with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and with her many friends at Windsor of Savoy. She was also an avid fan of the Fighting Illini men’s basketball team, and she was looking forward to the upcoming season.
Mrs. Norton is survived by her son, Dale (Cindy) Wills of Hinsdale; grandson, Drew (Katie) Wills; great-grandson, Mack Wills of Chicago; granddaughter, Chelsea (Eric) Vannatta; and great-granddaughters, Lily and Charlotte Vannatta of Upper Arlington, OH.
In addition to her husbands, she was preceded in death by her parents and her only sibling, Bud Gollon.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hillsboro Educational Foundation, 1311 Vandalia Rd., Hillsboro, IL 62049, or to the Muncie Baptist Church, 203 S. Main St., Muncie, IL 61855.
Condolences may be left at www.morganmemorialhome.
