Flower Monk, 92, of West Union, IL, passed away on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at Robinson Rehab & Nursing in Robinson, IL.
Some people spend a lifetime becoming who they are. By the end of her life, Flower had become something rare and beautiful to the people around her. She became “Mam.” It was a name that began at home, when her grandchildren started calling her “Mammy,” and over time, it was shortened to “Mam.” It fit her so naturally that before long, it was the name everyone used. And in many ways, it told you everything you needed to know. Mam was warmth. Mam was welcome. Mam was the kind of person who made a house feel like home the moment you walked through the door. Everybody loved Mam, and it is not hard to understand why. No one was a stranger to her. Everyone was welcome at her house. She had the heart of a nurturer, and she lived that out in ways that were both practical and deeply personal. She took people in. She cared for them. She noticed what was needed and got to work.
Much of that work came through her kitchen. Mam was a great cook, and with five kids to raise, she almost had to be! Still, it was never just her own family she fed. Neighborhood kids ate there, too, and she learned to cook enough food to stretch to whoever happened to show up. For years, the family gathered at her house for lunch. Her chicken and noodles were a favorite, and her pies were so good that she made them for the West Union Cafe. When the cafe won the Fork in the Road competition, many would tell you her pies undoubtedly had something to do with it.
Mam’s love was never confined to one spot. It moved from the kitchen to the garden, where she tended tomatoes, green onions, corn, zucchini, and cucumbers, and then back again, using what she grew to feed whoever gathered at her table. And if she was not cooking or tending the garden, she was often sewing. She sewed for years, making many wedding dresses over time and helping mark some of the happiest days in other people’s lives. She also made blankets for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, leaving them with something warm and lasting, stitched together by the same care that shaped so much of her life.
In truth, all of it came from the same place. Whether she was feeding people, sewing for them, or simply making room for them, Mam was always caring for others, and children felt that care most of all. She babysat local kids for years and always had the grandkids around. She became a grandma by the time she was 38, and from then on, she was rarely without at least one grandchild close by. In many ways, she became everybody’s grandma in West Union.
Over the years, she poured herself into the life of our community. She was very active with the West Union Fourth of July Committee and was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. She believed that showing up made the town stronger, and at the center of that belief was her faith. Mam was active in the West Union Baptist Church, where she served faithfully in many ways. She was on the Southern Baptist Association Board and helped on the kitchen committee, serving at innumerable church dinners. Her faith was not loud, but it was clear. It showed up in her open door, her full table, her willing hands, and her devotion to others. She lived a life of service because she belonged to Jesus, and the people around her were blessed by the way she made His love visible in so many ordinary things.
She married Ira Dean Monk on October 20, 1950, and he preceded her in death on September 21, 1999. She was also preceded in death by her parents, James W. & Nellie L. (Thompson) Graham; her step-mother, Ruby Graham; her step-fathers, Edgar D. Stone and Earl Elledge; her sister, Vera Gale Sweitzer; her sons, Ira Dean Monk, Jr. (in infancy) and Robert Monk; and her daughter, Cynthia Collier.
She is survived by her children & their spouses, James I. & Theresa Monk (West Union, IL), Beverly L. & Robert Correll (Hutsonville, IL), and Terry W. & Elaina Monk (Marshall, IL); her son-in-law, John Collier (TX); her daughter-in-law, Sheila Monk (Marshall, IL); her grandchildren & their spouses, Aaron & Denise Correll, Jamey & Damien Tingley, Aaric & Jodi Correll, Jason & Freda Collier, Joshua & Kerry Monk, Bonnie Monk, Betsey Monk, and Tina & Greg Lloyd; by her great-grandchildren, Dillon Monk, Neeley (Correll) Stoll, Lucas Collier, Griffin Correll, Jonah Melcho, Catherine Collier, Brylee Tingley, John Lloyd, and Tom Lloyd; and by several nieces and nephews.
A time of visitation will be held from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 26th, at the Prust-Hosch Funeral Home in West Union. Funeral services will immediately follow and be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday. During the service, there will be a time of sharing, allowing family and friends to reflect on this dear woman’s life. Burial will be in the Harrison Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Harrison Cemetery, with envelopes available at the funeral home.
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