Paul Clarence Marley, 88, died on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at his residence at Hickory Estates in Pana.
Visitation will be held at St. Louis Catholic Church on Monday, March 2, from 10 to 11 a.m., followed by a funeral mass at 11 a.m. A meal will be served after interment.
Mr. Marley was born on June 26, 1937 and lived his life within a 20-mile radius. He graduated from Nokomis High School in 1955 and served as a cook in the Illinois Air National Guard. He was on active duty during the Bay of Pigs crisis.
Mr. Marley married Patsy Brooks on Nov. 26, 1960, at St. Louis Catholic Church in Nokomis. In 1965, the couple moved into a house in rural Oconee that they resided in for over 55 years. He farmed both grain and livestock with his brother, Carl, for over 50 years.
An avid sportsman and deer hunter, Mr. and Mrs. Marley opened their home to rambunctious deer camp activities every fall. In September 1990, he was featured in International Bow Hunter magazine for a Boone and Crockett record-breaking eight-point buck. At the time, this buck was the second largest bow killed eight-point buck in the world and the seventh largest eight-point buck ever killed by any means. Mr. Marley proudly mounted the buck himself and it hung in a place of honor in the family home.
Mr. Marley is survived by his children, Paul (Marla) C. Marley, Jr. of Oconee, Inez (Darrin) Vits of Dixon and Rita (David) Harper of Rochester; nine grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; and one great-great-granddaughter.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Patsy (Brooks) Marley; parents, Bernard and Lucia (Gleich) Marley; and his nine siblings, Josephine Cronin, Bernard Marley, C.F. Marley, Raymond Marley, Lucia Johnson, Teresa Knobeloch, Carl Marley, James Marley and Mary Weihmeir.
Memorials may be made to St. Louis Catholic School in Nokomis. Stiehl-Dawson Funeral Home in Nokomis is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be left online at www.stiehldawsonfh.com.
