Bytha I. Holsapple (91) of Greenup

Heaven became a little more joyful when Bytha I. Holsapple of Greenup, IL passed away peacefully at 3:11 p.m. on September 3, 2024, at Heartland Senior Living in Neoga, IL at the age of 91.

Visitation for Bytha will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, 2024, at Barkley’s Funeral Chapel in Toledo, IL. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, September 6, 2024, at Friends Grove Church where she was a lifelong member. The burial will be in the Friends Grove Cemetery.

Bytha Irene Holsapple was born on April 26, 1933, to Charles H. Black, Sr. and Cosy L. (Brown) Black in Buckley, IL. She married her childhood sweetheart, Berl O. Holsapple on January 18, 1952.

Survivors include her children Terry Holsapple and friend Chris Polson of Greenup, Kim (Jennie) Holsapple of Toledo and Kathy (Wade) Bradley of Trilla. Grandchildren: Bo (Jami) Holsapple, Sarah (Brandon) Miller, Alissa (Jon) Braden, Drew (Hope) Holsapple, Jami (Colt) Roderick, Jessi (Kyle) Allison, Lauren (Roy) Clapp, Jacki (Shawn) Love, Jenna (Mitch) Hilligoss, Paige (Josh) Kidder and Shelby (Eric) Brewer. She is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law Ron and Kathy Black, special niece Cheryl Wilson, and many nieces, nephews, friends and community members who loved her dearly.

She was proceeded in death by her husband Berl, 8-month-old daughter Charla, 22-year-old daughter LeAnn, daughter-in-law Sheila, brother Charles Black Jr, and sister Betty Black Bowman. She was Gigi to 36 great grandchildren with names she could never remember and half she could not pronounce. Those include Brice, Taylor, Reed, Tucker, Jude, Kiela, Cruz, Kael, Brooks, Bronx, Tanner, Cozy, Graham, Denton, Beckett, Chase, Tate, Parks, Lena, Elzie, Ever, Tipper, Lennon, Slate, Decker, Clove, Charlotte, Charlie, Dottie, Vine, Vail, Ellie, Tully, Sophie, Naeve and Brady.

These include three sets of twins which she always thought was special. Anyone who had the pleasure of meeting Bytha would likely agree that she was a caring, down to earth and joyful person to be around. Despite a life filled with loss and adversity, she never complained about anything. Always sporting her bright red lipstick, she was as unique as her name. A name that she was very proud of. It is difficult to put into words or summarize all her fine qualities and life experience into just a few sentences, but we will try our best and share some of our favorites.

 Bytha was very involved in her grain and livestock farm from early in her marriage until her later years. She always asked about her new baby calves until close to her death. They brought her much joy.

 She won a fishing contest with a 17-pound Northern Pike on Leech Lake in upstate Minnesota. To this date, no man from Cumberland County has every caught a fish that large on that lake.

 She didn’t know how to swim, but for almost 60 years she took her entire family to Kentucky Lake over Labor Day weekend. A tradition that continues to this day.

 At one point she worked for the FBI or maybe it was the SOS. (She might have made that up or maybe we misunderstood… we don’t know.)

 The number of grandchildrens’ sporting events she attended had to be in the thousands. Traveling as far as Australia to watch a couple of her granddaughters play. It was a trip we never let her forget after a sleepwalking incident on the plane which resulted in her down on all fours in the aisle barking like a dog.

 She hosted Sunday dinners on a regular basis. She made the best noodles, cherry cobbler (with the occasional pit), and mashed potatoes. She would eat just about anything, except beef tongue, chicken, lemon flavored food and the vegemite she tried in Australia. She said it tasted like “axle grease”, but she ate it anyways.

 She was exceptionally proud of her 11 grandchildren. One of her points of pride was all 11 had earned at least a bachelor’s degree. Among them are teachers, business owners, nurse practitioners, lawyers and those who work in agriculture.

 She loved fair week and taught her family how to gamble on horse races. And despite being a lifelong Quaker she never passed up an opportunity to take her brother, niece or grandchildren gambling.

 She traveled to 49 states and several countries. Well into her 70’s she traveled to Ireland to kiss the Blarney Stone and climbed Dunn’s River Falls in Jamaica. She was always up for an adventure.

 Before most women could even have a credit card on their own, she started several businesses along with her husband Berl and sister Betty. Among those were the Rainbow Cafe, 3 B’s Hardware and Bumble Bee Boutique. All businesses were successful, and she worked alongside her daughter Kathy daily until her retirement at age 86.

 She was an avid collector of things… all things. She always gave her grandchildren 11 of something at Christmas. These included old telephones, salt & pepper shakers, antique eyeglasses and ball caps to name a few.

 Her favorite holiday was Halloween. She loved dressing up in costumes to scare people, and this tradition was the inspiration for her son’s Pumpkin Patch in Greenup.

 The amount of money she gave away anonymously to people she saw struggling can never be fully calculated. If you still owe money on your charge account with her store, consider your debt forgiven.

 Bytha was exceptionally close to her three children Terry, Kim and Kathy and took great pride in all their accomplishments, but especially in their work ethic, successful careers and the families they lovingly raised. She was equally as proud of her daughters-in-law and son-in-law whom she loved like her own.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Heartland Senior Living nurses and staff. In home care givers: Jewell Byrum, Susan Shoot, Mary Lewis, Amy Boswell and all the friends and neighbors who check in on her regularly.

With her great sense of humor, Bytha would have laughed at some of the memorial suggestions made by the grandkids, but the family feels it is probably most appropriate that donations be made to the LeAnn Holsapple Memorial Scholarship at PO Box 506 Toledo, IL 62468.

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