Semple, John “Jack”

John Gordon “Jack” Semple, age 83, of Athens, passed away at 6:04 AM on Thursday September 22, 2011 at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.

He was born in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 1928, to parents, Arthur and Lela Oglesby Semple, and to a family of three sisters and a twin brother.

Jack is preceded in death by his parents and a sister Marge. He is also preceded in death by his second wife, Adrienne, in 1995.

He married Helen Davis in April 1951. After graduating from the University of Illinois, he joined the U.S. Marine Corp, serving as a Second LT during the Korean War until 1952.

Jack then worked with Angus Cattle as a herdsman and manager until 1973. He later worked at Monfort of Colorado retiring from there in 1984.

In his later years, Jack bought a small horse farm in Cantrall, IL raising cattle and boarding horses until 2010.

He was a member of the New Life Baptist Church in Athens and a past-member of the Athens Rotary Club.

He married Jo Fisher from Chatham on April 20, 1988.

Surviving are his wife of 23 years, Jo Fisher; two sisters, Sally from Texas and Judy Bell of New Mexico; a twin brother, James of West Virginia; two daughters, Kathy Siegrist of Laurel, MT and Holly Miller of Middleton, WI ; and two sons, Scott and Doug Semple of Round Lake Beach, IL.

Services will be held at New Life Baptist Church in Athens where visitation will be held from 2:00 until time of funeral services there at 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 25, 2011.

Burial will be held at Roselawn Memorial Park in Springfield, Illinois

Rev. Milt Crain officiating.