Ollie M. (Nelson) Stuart

Ollie M. Stuart (nee Nelson), 91, of La Salle, passed away on January 6, 2026.

Funeral services will be 11:00 AM Saturday, January 10, at the Shooting Park Road Baptist Church in Peru with Rev. Mark Wooley. Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery in Hennepin. Visitation will be in the church on Saturday from 9:30 AM until time of services. The Hurst Funeral Home in La Salle has been entrusted with her arrangements.

Ollie was always active. She served as President of the PTA at Matthiessen School when her daughters were young and worked as a crossing guard. After taking courses at IVCC, she worked as a bookkeeper at Mahoney’s Garage in Peru for years but is better known as the owner of the Orange Bowl at the Peru Mall in the 80s and 90s. Not too long after the death of Bob Stuart in 1993, she sold that business. She was the Parish Administrator at Resurrection Catholic church until marrying Odus Eubanks, the pastor of First Congregational Church in La Salle in 2002. The couple eventually moved to southern Missouri where they served congregations in Dexter and Ellington over the next fourteen years. Ollie moved back to La Salle in 2017 and as her health declined, she lived at Heritage Woods Assisted Living in Ottawa, JPO Retirement Home in La Salle, and Allure of Peru.

In each season of her life, Ollie had a hobby. When the girls were young, she sewed prolifically for them and knitted with equal passion. At a later point, she raised and showed Maltese dogs for years. In Missouri, she took up quilting and won the Grand Prize at the county fair two years in a row.

Ollie lived a long, productive life and is survived by five daughters: Debbie Fulks of Lisle, Roberta Soeder of Lacon, Ollie (Bob) Miller of La Salle, Lisa (Mike) Engelman of Camanche, IA, and Joyce (Joe) Hildebrandt of Murfreesboro, TN. She is also survived by her sister, Delores Alteri of La Salle, nine grandchildren, seventeen great grandchildren, and thirteen great-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Orlean Nelson, her husbands, Robert Stuart and Rev. Odus Eubanks, her brother, John Nelson, her sister, Rosie Wrobleski, two infant sons, grandson, Johnny Vitale, granddaughter, Renee Baum, great grandson, Riley Burtsfield, and great granddaughters, Katelyn Meinders and Ruby Hawkins.

The family would like to thank the entire staff at Allure of Peru for their excellent care of Ollie. They loved her, and it showed. Her favorite was Marcos. Thank you to Hannah and the staff at In-Home Care Connection for your loving care of Ollie--“Olliepop” as she was known. An extra special thanks to her roommate, Sandy Crites, who looked out for, loved, and cared about Ollie 24/7. We appreciate all of it.

Memorials can be made to Shooting Park Road Baptist Church.

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