Cecil Lee Atchison, 89, passed away at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013. Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, at Morton and Johnson Funeral Home in Benton. The burial will be in Franklin Cemetery. Military rites will be conducted at the cemetery by the American Legion in Benton, VFW Posts and the Illinois National Guard Honor Squad. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Cecil was born in 1924, in Franklin County, to Fred (Fritz) and Veda (Underwood) Atchison of Whittington. Cecil is a veteran of World War II and served honorably in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. He served his local community in the VFW Honor Guard for several years. He was a retired coal miner. He was married to Mary Horner in 1950. She preceded him in death in 2005. Together they had three children. He is survived by his children, Cecil (Sharon) Robert Atchison of Marion and Connie (Craig) Cook of Thompsonville; five grandchildren, Kent (Tara) Atchison of Springfield, Kristie Cook of Mount Vernon, James (Jessica) Cook of Carmi, David Blandford of Atlanta and Steve (Amy) Blandford of Marion; and six grandchildren, Lillian and Eliza Atchison, Lincoln Cook, Dalton, Riley and Cole Blandford. Mr. Atchison is preceded in death by one son, David Lee Atchison in 2009; and three brothers, Bert, Frank and Dave. Published in The Southern Illinoisan on Oct. 29, 2013