Local News
Related Photos
-
Cathy Thoele
Discussion
Area farmers come to the aid of a family devastated by tragic loss
SIGEL — Dana Schutte went from room to room in her house looking out windows as neighbors showed up with combines and trucks to harvest soybeans that normally would have been harvested by her son.
But John and Dana Schutte’s son, Brett, was killed more than a month ago when he was hit by a vehicle while walking on a sidewalk near U.S. 45 in Sigel.
“We’ve got such wonderful neighbors and friends,” said a tearful Dana Schutte.
In fact, the couple have had so many people offering to help, they have had to respectfully decline.
“We don’t have enough for them to do,” she said.
Neighbors from every direction and friends of both the late Brett Schutte and his parents came to the rural Sigel farm Wednesday to harvest nearly 300 acres of soybeans John and Brett planted.
“It’s just amazing. A lot of these people don’t have their own crops cut, yet they’re doing this for us,” she said.
Mark Behl, who coordinated the harvest help, said the response was overwhelming.
“I just made a few phone calls. Everyone took care of themselves,” he said.
Not being a farmer, Behl said he was able to spend the time making the phone calls to other farmers for help. According to Behl, the farmers were more than willing to sacrifice their own time while struggling themselves to get in a harvest that hasn’t been this late in decades.
A close friend of Brett’s, Behl said he and a couple of others wanted to do something for Brett’s father, John.
“We knew he was going to have trouble getting crops out and decided to get everybody together,” he said.
That help included 10 combines, five grain carts and more than enough trucks.
While the Schuttes have more than 300 acres of soybeans and 250 acres of corn, Behl said the amount of soybeans harvested is limited by field conditions, but they planned on getting it all done.
“We’ll come back maybe Saturday,” he said.
The corn, however, is too wet to harvest at this time.
Effingham Equity provided fuel for the combines, and the Sigel Knights of Columbus served a meal for all those who helped.
“We appreciate it,” John Schutte said.
The Schuttes both agree they have a lot of good neighbors.
“We’ll never be able to repay them,” Dana Schutte said. “Our hearts are full of gratitude.”
Brett was a fifth-generation farmer who farmed with his father on land that’s been in the family for nearly 150 years. It’s what he loved to do, according to his mother.
“It’s all he ever talked about since the time he could crawl up a tractor seat,” she said.
Behl believes Brett would not have been surprised by the support.
“I think Brett would have been very pleased.”
Cathy Thoele can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 126 or cathy.thoele@effinghamdailynews.com.
- Local News
-
-
A dream come true
The Early Learning Center in Effingham has two new additions to its playground this year, and it’s not shiny new slides or colorful jungle gyms.
-
T-town village donates to school programs
Teutopolis hasn’t had a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program for more than a decade, but the village still had a fund for donations that had been made to the program.
-
Alcohol sales stir up extra revenue
Since voters allowed liquor sales in Farina earlier this year, village officials and store owners have noticed a change — and it’s positive.
-
Police release 'person of interest' sketch in Schmitt murder investigation
Effingham police released a sketch Tuesday of a "person of interest" in the June murder of Effingham resident Jack Schmitt.
-
Elderly couple escapes burning house thanks to neighbor
An elderly Shumway couple was able to escape a house fire unharmed Sunday night thanks to a neighbor who alerted the fire department and came to the aid of the husband and wife.
-
Giving Back
In many ways, Autumn Worton is like many other 21-year-old women.
-
Making a Difference
Mack Myers of Kinmundy has lived with a hereditary neurological disorder his entire life, and he credits the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for helping him cope with the disorder that’s affected him since 1947.
-
Area unemployment inches higher
Unemployment rates increased in nearly every area county last month, according to monthly statistics released this week by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
-
Local historians want to preserve, relocate bowstring bridge
The old Flensburg bridge is a rare glimpse into days gone by, though the modern-day resident has to use some imagination to see the bridge’s historical significance.
-
Drug checkpoint questionable
Motorists traveling southbound on Interstate 57 near Kinmundy Tuesday morning drove through a drug interdiction checkpoint — the first-ever in Marion County — even though the U.S. Supreme Court has taken a dim view of similar efforts.
- More Local News Headlines
-
