Jeffrey Rentfro

Jeffrey “Jeff” Dale Rentfro, 63, of Aledo, Ill., formerly of Milan, died at home at 12:32 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2024, after an aggressive battle with B-cell Lymphoma in addition to Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Per his wishes, he will be cremated and probably in spite of his wishes, a celebration of life will occur at a later date.

Jeff was courteous enough to let his mother keep her own birthday when he was born a day later on Mar. 12, 1960, in Effingham, Ill. to Leland Dwight and Ada “Ruth” (née Meadows) Rentfro, the fifth of five children. When he was five, they moved to a house in rural Milan, where he lived most of his adult life with his own family later on.

In PE class at Rockridge High School, during the very ‘70s unit of learning to dance The Hustle, he met and fell in love with an underclassman, Sherrie Dillie. After his father passed away before his senior year, they separated for a bit, but none of that part matters–what matters is that they rejoined and were married on Aug. 14, 1982, in Rock Island, Ill., and hustled off on a family adventure that would include needing to smoke a very timely, hospital-stairwell cigarette upon learning that immediately following the birth of his son Chad would be the surprise appearance of his other son Shawn. The couple also added a baby girl six years later, Kelsey, after some convincing that "two kids" really should've meant "two pregnancies."

Jeff was always a hard worker, holding so many different laboring, manufacturing, and driving jobs over his adult life that it was always hard to write his resume without forgetting his multitude of skills. In his 50s, he went to college for the first time to earn an HVAC certification, an accomplishment that he was very proud of.

He showed affection not usually through words or physicality but through action–look, he may not hug you, but he’d help you fix your car or build your shed. When he wasn’t working, he loved sports–watching them (Cubs and Bears, of course, with some Hawkeyes mixed in) and playing them. Until his years of physical labor caught up to him, he spent many summer nights under the diamond lights, wearing high socks and #3, swinging away at a slow-pitch softball, or bowling with a wicked curve, or teaching his kids how to throw a perfect Nerf spiral.

Clad pretty much always in that quintessential ‘Dad’ outfit—a t-shirt, jeans, white tennis shoes, and a ball cap—Jeff was fiercely loyal and kind, and though he was usually a bit of a pacifist, he had a great subtle wit and a fire within him that’d come out if you crossed what he believed to be an uncrossable line. Asking for help wasn’t his style, though offering it certainly was. Life wasn’t always easy or fair, but in its face, he stood up for what was right and fair anyway. Our world has always needed more of that.

Left to listen to classic rock, remember that ever-present mustache and great head of wavy brown hair, and tell stories in his memory are his devoted wife of 41 years, Sherrie; sons, Chad (Christie) Rentfro of Matherville and Shawn (Amanda) Rentfro of Moline; daughter, Kelsey (Daniel) Rentfro-Cline of Orion; grandchildren Grayson (and Destiny), Samantha (and Braedon and AJ), Henry, and Meredith; brothers Gary (Carolyn) Rentfro, of Milan, and Robert Rentfro, of Matherville; sister Cheryl (Jim) Posateri of Taylor Ridge; mother-in-law Carrol Anderson and sisters-in-law Vickie (Mary Byam) Dillie and Lorrie (Bob Shaefer) Minear; and numerous other family and friends who met, played with, worked with, and liked him along the way.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Leland (1977) and Ruth (2000), and his brother Michael (2018).

In lieu of flowers, please consider holding a door open for someone without an expectation of gratitude or having a beer in a garage while listening to the Cubs on AM radio in his honor.

A celebration of life will be held at Camden Centre in Milan on January 21, 2024, from 1 to 4pm. Jeff only dressed up a handful of times, and while he’d tell you he looked “damn good in a suit,” he wouldn’t want this event to be a stuffy affair at all. If you want to truly honor his memory, feel free to wear a Cubs, Bears, or Iowa Hawkeyes shirt or hat, jeans, and tennis shoes. We’ll be playing classic rock and telling stories. If you can’t come, we’d love to hear your stories anyway. Write an email or send a video to his daughter, Kelsey, at klrcline@gmail.com. Don’t worry if they’re raucous and not PG; family gatherings were both as well.

Family and friends are invited to share memories and express condolences on his Memory Wall at mvcremation.com.