Viola “Lucille” Musser

Viola “Lucille” Musser, 87, of Shumway, IL, passed away on Tuesday July 29, 2025 at St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham, IL.

Services will be held at 12:00pm on Saturday, August 9, 2025 at the Fourth Street Church of Christ in Effingham. Visitation will be held on Saturday from 10:30a.m. to 12:00pm prior to the service. Burial will be in the Beecher City Cemetery at a later date.

Lucille was born on March 19, 1938 in Mt. Pulaski, IL, the daughter of Fay O. and Pearl O. Walls. She married James R. “Jim” Musser on September 3, 1960. Lucille is survived by her husband of 65 years, Jim; daughters, Beth Koester of Stewardson IL, Cindy (Tim) Goeckner of Olathe, KS, and Emily (Erik) Shay of Watseka, IL; grandchildren, Hilary Koester of Altamont, MacKenzy Koester of Shumway and Matt (Jessica) Koester of Stewardson, Ryan (Alex) Goeckner of Coopersburg, PA, Mason (Zach) Goeckner of Mansfield, TX, Logan Goeckner of Olathe, KS, Ethan Shay of Watseka, IL and Eli Shay of Watseka, IL; great-grandchildren, Keaton Sawyer, Hadley Sawyer, Silas Koester, Sawyer Koester, Wade Koester, Juniper Goeckner and Rowan Goeckner.

Lucille was a devoted wife and loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She graduated from Mattoon School of Nursing in 1960. She was hired at the Effingham County Mental Health Center, later to be known as Heartland Human Services, in 1972, as the Sustaining Care Coordinator. In 1979, Lucille accepted the position of Alcoholism Program Developer/Counselor and later became certified as a Poly Drug Abuse Counselor. Lucille made
a difference in many people’s lives. She was employed at Heartland Human Services until her retirement in 2012. She enjoyed toll painting and took many classes with her friends. She also enjoyed shopping with her girls. Spending Saturdays “doing whatever we wanted”, “going wherever we wanted” “eating wherever we wanted” and “buying whatever we wanted”. Her faith was very important to her and she was a lifelong member of the Fourth Street Church of Christ in Effingham, IL.

She was preceded in death by her parents, in-laws, Si and Ruth Musser and son-in law, David Koester.

The Musser family would like to give a special thank you to the St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital nursing staff, especially, Dana Hakman, RN. Dana’s kindness, empathy, compassion and care for our entire family was above and beyond anything we could have hoped for.