Ferrel John Meinschein Sr.

Ferrel John Meinschein, 96, of Litchfield, IL, passed away on Monday morning June 15, 2026, at Gillespie Health and Rehab. 

Ferrel John Meinschein was born to George and Edith Meinschein in Posey County, Ind., on April 30, 1930. He attended schools in Mount Vernon, Ind., and graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1948, where he was a member of the MVHS Football Hall of Fame. He and his wife, the former Joyce Ann Darr, met in high school and were married at the Trinity Evangelical and Reform Church in Mount Vernon, Ind., on June 4, 1950. Ferrel graduated from the Indiana College of Mortuary Science and later attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He served as a president of the Mount Vernon Lions Club. He also served two terms as Posey County Coroner in Indiana and was nominated as the 1962 Democratic candidate for Posey County Sheriff but withdrew to move to Litchfield, Ill., where he co-owned and operated Gerlt-Meinschein Funeral Home from 1962 to 1984.

In 1984, Ferrel formed the Funeral Service Association (FSA), which was a merger of Meinschein Funeral Home, Bass Funeral Home in Hillsboro, Ill., and McCracken Funeral Home in Pana, Ill. In 1988, he retired as president of FSA and sold it to Service Corporation International. While in Litchfield, Ferrel also served as president of the Litchfield Rotary Club, was a member of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association and was a director at the Litchfield Bank & Trust for 20 years before retiring from the board in 1995.

Ferrel always had a love for Hawaii, flowers and plants. This led to his creation of FJM Landscape Design and Ferrel's Creative Ceramics. In 1996, he and his wife moved to Daphne, Ala. He worked part-time at the Radner-Bellamy Funeral Home in Mobile, Ala., and at the Steelwood Resort and Golf course in Loxley, Ala. Additionally, while in Alabama, Ferrel was a member of the Master Gardeners Club, the Camellia Club, and the Lake Forest Country Club and Men's Golf Association. He was also a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Daphne. In 2018, he and Joyce returned to Litchfield and were members of Zion Lutheran Church.

Ferrel loved to travel with his wife; they took many trips to Hawaii and Europe. In 1999, he traced his family ancestry back to 1606 in Altengronau, Germany, and in 2001 organized a family reunion welcoming relatives from Germany to Indiana. His Alabama garden was immaculate and featured citrus trees and tropical plants. His favorite flower was the Camellia; he even bred his own variety of the type and named it after Joyce. His family fondly remembers him for his talented storytelling—he published his memoir My Journey from Marrs in 2006—and his love of football, sweet treats and all of nature’s beautiful things, like warm weather, bird song and brightly colored flowers.

Ferrel was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Melvin and George Meinschein; sisters Dorothy Freimiller, Mary Painter and Carolyn Zuber; and his beloved son, Ferrel “John" Meinschein, Jr.

Surviving Ferrel are his wife of 76 years and his three daughters, Leigh Ann (Tom) Roach of Golden, Co., Julie Beth (William) Timmermann of Litchfield, and Cynthia Lynn (Steven) Saxby of St. Louis, Mo. He also leaves behind seven grandchildren: Colby (Bridget) Vancauwelaert of Coal Creek Canyon, Co.; Ryan (Liz) Mansholt, Tyler (Marisa) Mansholt, and Nathaniel (Tara) Saxby, all of Denver, Co.; Rachel (Jared) Weller of St. Louis, Mo.; Hope (Matt Bocklage) Timmermann of Columbia, Mo.; and John (Hillary Thompson) Timmermann of Alton, Ill. Ferrel was also fortunate to have several nieces and nephews and seven great-grandchildren: Breckin and Marley Vancauwelaert of Coal Creek Canyon, Co.; Charlotte and Alexander Weller of St. Louis, Mo.; and Lou and Josie Mansholt and Vivienne Saxby, all of Denver, Co.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Litchfield Family Funeral Service.

Funeral Services will be conducted at 10:30 am, Thursday, June 25, 2026 at Litchfield Family Funeral Service, Litchfield, IL, with Reverend Fred Kraemer officiating.

Memorials may be made to Pilots for Christ.

Please visit www.litchfieldffs.com to leave condolences or light a candle in his memory.

Litchfield Family Funeral Service, 700 S. State St., Litchfield, IL, is in charge of arrangements.

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