Schedule for Keith Tipsword's Homecoming

More than 80 years after his death in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Effingham County native Keith Tipsword is coming home.

Tipsword was a Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class aboard the USS West Virginia. during the attack of Pearl Harbor. 106 crewmen aboard the West Virginia were killed, including Tipsword. DNA testing positively identified remains as those of Tipsword.

MMc1 Keith Tipsword will arrive into St Louis Lambert Airport on Thursday, November, 10, 2022 at 11:58 a.m. on American Airlines flight #1362 and will make his way back to Effingham, IL to Johnson Funeral Home, 1110 N 4th St, Effingham, IL 62401.

The procession will exit I-70 eastbound at Effingham exit 160 (Keller Drive) and continue down Evergreen Avenue, eventually turning North onto 4th Street to the funeral home.

Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Johnson Funeral Home, Effingham, IL, with visitation prior to service from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Burial will be in Moccasin Cemetery, rural Beecher City, IL.

The procession route from the funeral home to the cemetery on the 15th will be: Starting at Johnson Funeral Home, South on 4th St, West on Evergreen Ave, South on Keller Drive, then eventually continuing onto Route 40 West. Taking Route 40 West to Altamont, IL, Turning North onto Main St (the 4-way stop in Altamont), Continue North on Main St  until 1600th Avenue (Moccasin Road), then turn West on 1600th Avenue and going approximately 1 mile until reaching Moccasin Cemetery on the Right (North side of road). 

Additionally, help is needed placing flags to line the procession route. See below for details. Click or tap image to enlarge.