Mrs. Alta Nadine Stonecipher, age 96, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 8, 2025.
She was born on July 20, 1929, at her family home on Emma Street in Christopher, Franklin County, Illinois, the daughter of Nathan Caley Chrisman, Senior Agent with the Illinois Central Railroad, and Carrie Marie McAnelly Owens Chrisman, a skilled tailor. In 1944, her family moved to Centralia, Illinois, where she attended high school, played clarinet in the school and piano at home, and grew into the gracious young woman so many remember. It was there that she met the love of her life, Ernest “Joe” Stonecipher, Jr., beginning a lifelong romance that started when he walked her home each evening after her shifts at the Illinois Movie Theatre; the two married on August 1, 1948, and enjoyed a devoted marriage that blessed them with two children, Ernest “Joe” Stonecipher III in 1950 and Christie Stonecipher Cistola in 1955. She attended McMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois in 1948, and throughout her life she exemplified creativity, determination, and resilience, surviving polio as a young adult and colon cancer as a senior. She was an exceptionally talented seamstress who crafted coats, formal gowns, and fashionable clothing, and she lovingly kept statistics for every baseball game her family played. A brilliant and dedicated bridge player, she often belonged to four clubs at once, and professionally she served with distinction as Buyer and Manager for Ritchie’s – Gifts of Distinction. She and her husband were longtime members of First Baptist Church in Centralia, where they built deep spiritual roots and friendships. In 2019, she moved to Murray, Kentucky, where she resided in assisted living and remained surrounded by her loving family.
She is preceded in life by her parents; her half-sisters, Wayven Abernathy, Bertha Mae Chrisman Roe, and Lucille Martha Chrisman Ghent.
She leaves behind a legacy of unwavering love and thoughtfulness, especially evident in her lifelong tradition of sending cards to every grandchild and great-grandchild for every holiday and birthday. Her children survive her, Ernest “Joe” Stonecipher III and wife Dana of Murray, KY and Christie Stonecipher Cistola of Centralia, IL; her grandchildren, Sean (Stacey) Stonecipher of Sedalia, KY, Shea (Scott) Lowe of Murray, KY, Kacee (Landon) Barrow of Murray, KY, Andrew Stonecipher Cistola of Gainesville, FL, and Nicholas (Amanda) Stonecipher Cistola of Fort Collins, CO; and her great-grandchildren, Chase Stonecipher of Sedalia, KY, Sayde Lowe of Murray, KY, Sayler Lowe of Murray, KY, Brylee Barrow of Murray, KY, Layla Barrow of Murray, KY, Adalynn Barrow of Murray, KY, Frankie Love Cistola of Gainesville, FL, Kimber Cistola of Ft. Collins, CO, and Rylan Cistola of Ft. Collins, CO. Her life was marked by grace, strength, kindness, and a deep devotion to her family, and she will be remembered always for the love she gave so freely and the joy she brought to all who knew her. Her family has selected a cherished photograph from her high school years for use in remembrance.
A graveside service will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Centralia, Illinois. Online condolences can be made at www.jhchurchill.com
