July 9, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

10 things you don’t know about me…KERMIT EUGENE ESAREY

KERMIT EUGENE ESAREY will be inducted into the St. Joseph-Ogden Hall of Fame tonight.

  1. Kermit was born and raised in southern Illinois. He graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 1940. He attended the University of Illinois, College of Agriculture, majoring in Agricultural Education.
  2. He was drafted into the Army after his Junior year as a 2nd Lieutenant. He returned to the U of I after his release from the military and received his Bachelor’s degree.
  3. He began his teaching career at Scotland High School where he taught for one year. He then taught at Cisne High School for four years. He moved to St. Joseph and started teaching at St. Joseph High School in 1952. He completed his Master’s degree that same year from the U of I and continued his teaching career at what is now St. Joseph-Ogden High School until his retirement in 1982.
  4. He was also the FFA advisor while teaching at SJO.
  5. Kermit was married to his wife, LaDema for 73 years. She preceded him in death in 2017.
  6. They had one daughter, Gail, who lives in Arlington, Texas with her family.
  7. After Kermit’s retirement, he and LaDema moved to Texas to be closer to their family.
  8. While they resided in St. Joseph, Kermit and LaDema were active members of the St. Joseph Methodist Church. Kermit was also a member of the local Lion’s Club and the IAVAT.
  9. Kermit was awarded the Honorary State FFA Degree in 1979 as well as an honorary membership in the Alpha Tau Alpha fraternity. Kermit supervised more than 20 student teachers during his career at SJO.
    He would often say that some of his greatest satisfactions in life were to visit with former students and encourage them to become successful in ag related fields. In 2020, his daughter Gail established a scholarship at the U of I in his name to be awarded to a student majoring in the agricultural field.
  10. Kermit passed away in 2019 at the age of 97.
in Life, People
Banner
Related Posts

Senior spotlight… Luke Cohen

October 22, 2019

October 22, 2019

Every week we ask a senior five questions. This week we talked to Luke Cohen. What do you want to...

Senior Spotlight with Jordan Stiverson

October 2, 2019

October 2, 2019

Every week we ask an SJO senior five questions. This week we spoke to Jordan Stiverson. 1. What is the...

‘They want to show their support of the law enforcement and their family’

June 2, 2021

June 2, 2021

Jim and Jen Wagner support their community, so when a friend came in to their store, Wagner signs and Graphics,...

Dukeman shines in classroom and in athletics

March 7, 2019

March 7, 2019

School comes easy for St. Joseph-Ogden High School junior Hannah Dukeman. Dukeman, who plays softball for SJO in addition to...

‘I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it’

December 28, 2022

December 28, 2022

Girl Scout Emily Elsbernd knew what she wanted to learn while working on her Gold Award. “I knew all along...

St. Joseph man peacefully protests against police brutality: ‘We need to listen’

June 4, 2020

June 4, 2020

Jon Arteaga isn’t looking for any praise by protesting at the corner of Main Street and Route 150 in St....

Plotner to be honored with scholarship

January 22, 2019

January 22, 2019

Mary Derenne decided to start the new year right. Even though she had been thinking about it for a few...

‘I will always have memories that I won’t forget’ by Kenly Taylor

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

Hello! I’d like to take a few minutes to welcome each and every one of you to the St. Joseph-Ogden...

‘There was a spunk and tenacity to her that would never quit, concede or fail’

February 2, 2023

February 2, 2023

Tiffany Kelley was many things. A loving mother. A great friend. An inspiration and a fighter. The St. Joseph resident...

Kids Say

May 16, 2019

May 16, 2019

Every week we ask five students from a local school to answer a question on a worksheet. This week the...

St. Joseph youth Dalton revs it up at motocross nationals

July 29, 2019

July 29, 2019

This week, Tristan Dalton is trying to become a national champion. The 11-year-old St. Joseph resident is competing at the...

‘Having a trip on the books gives us something to look forward to’

June 4, 2020

June 4, 2020

It’s a crazy time in the travel industry, that’s for sure. While some news tends to lean towards the doom...

It takes a Christmas village

December 10, 2024

December 10, 2024

Roberta Morris’ childhood dream was to be an architect. Instead, she worked as a pipe fitter at the Clinton Nuclear...

10 things you don’t know about me… Rylee Sjuts

May 15, 2019

May 15, 2019

We asked St. Joseph-Ogden’s Senior Class President and graduation speaker Rylee Sjuts to tell us 10 things we didn’t know...

Senior Spotlight… Joey Acton

July 9, 2019

July 9, 2019

Every week we ask an SJO senior five questions. This week we talked to Joey Acton. This post is sponsored...

Comments
Leave a Reply