A 63-year-old Aviston woman was pronounced dead on the scene by the Union County Coroner after she slipped and fell 250 to 300 feet from the top of Inspiration Point in deep Southern Illinois.
Coroner Jon Shaffer pronounced Marcia Blaies dead about a half hour after the fall occurred between 1:30 and 2 Saturday afternoon. Blaies was with her husband and some friends when they went up the trail and then climbed to the top of the point. She fell into a wooded area below. The fall is not considered suspicious.
Illinois State Police are handling the investigation.
Blaies was a retired IT specialist, worked part-time delivering funeral notices to area businesses, and volunteered for the auxiliary at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese.
Memorial services will be held at 7:30 Friday evening at the Moss Funeral Home in Breese. Visitation will be from four to 7:30 at the Moss Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the American Parkinson’s Disease St. Louis Chapter or the charity of the donor’s choice.
