Bertha Louise “Shorty” Ganswind, 99, of Centralia, passed away Thursday, January 21, 2021 at Fireside Nursing Home in Centralia. Shorty was a loving mother and great cook and loved all of her family dearly. She had a hug for everyone. She loved to bowl and bowled 27 years at Bank’s Bowling Alley. She was an avid Cardinals baseball fan. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Centralia and her favorite time was spending it with her family.
Funeral Services for Shorty Ganswind will be held Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at the Sutherland-Garnier Funeral Home in Centralia. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Centralia. A Visitation will be held Wednesday, January 27, 2021 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at the Sutherland-Garnier Funeral Home with a limited amount of visitors in the funeral home at one time. Due to health concerns, face masks and social distancing will be observed. In honor of Shorty, memorial donations may be made to the Fireside House Activity Fund or Trinity Lutheran Church in Centralia and will be accepted by the Sutherland-Garnier Funeral Home at 235 North Sycamore Street in Centralia, IL 62801 (618) 532-3523, who is honored to be of service to the Ganswind family. Online condolences may be made to the family by visiting www.sutherlandfuneralhome.com and the funeral home’s facebook page.
She was the mother of three children: Bill Smallwood and wife Diane of Noblesville, IN; two daughters: Marilyn (Smallwood) Lollar and husband George of Gulf Shores, AL and Tonia Oberg and husband Bill of Centralia; five grandchildren: Angel Edson and husband Michael, Brett Smallwood, Ric Lollar, Michelle Conway, and Taylor Oberg; six great-grandchildren: Carrie, Daniel, Cory, Ian, Connor, and Ava.
Bertha Louise Ganswind was born November 29, 1921 in Centralia, the daughter of William Gale Chasteen and Lucy (Atchison) Chasteen. She married Dewey Smallwood in 1938 and they later divorced. She married Robert “Buddy” Ganswind on January 24, 1953 and he preceded her in death on August 23, 2020. Shorty was preceded in death by her parents: William and Lucy Chasteen; husband: Robert “Buddy” Ganswind; three sisters: Doris Taylor, Dortha Sprous, and Juanita Belcher.
