Marie Eileen De Smet, 75, of Milan, passed away peacefully Monday August 3, 2026 at home,

surrounded by her family.

A memorial visitation will be held from 4:00 to 7:00pm Monday August 10, 2026 at

Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, Milan. Memorial donations may be directed to

St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Marie was born on January 21, 1951 in Clinton, Iowa, the daughter of David E. and Minnie

(Thompson) Hebdon. She married James De Smet on January 15, 1972 in Rock Island.

Marie worked as a nurse before choosing to stay home to raise her four children. After her

children were grown, she returned to the nursing profession, where she dedicated more than

20 years to caring for others. She concluded her career as the Clinical Coordinator for Diversified

Therapy, retiring in 2014.

Marie found her greatest joy in spending time with her family. She loved quilting, crocheting,

gardening, and sewing, creating beautiful dresses for her granddaughters and even sewing her

own wedding dress. She and her true love, James, cherished countless evenings together on

their porch swing in their gazebo, enjoying the peaceful paradise they had created together.

Those moments, surrounded by family and the beauty of home, were among her greatest

treasures.

Those left to cherish her memory include her husband of 54 years, James; daughters, Amy

(Frank) Benac, Milan, Lori (Sean) Bahen, Reynolds, sons, Dan (Candace) De Smet, Illinois City,

Scott (Jennifer) De Smet, Davenport; grandchildren, Ryan, Megan, Jordan, Breanna, Emma,

Daniel, Molly, Annabelle, Ian, Natalie; great grandchildren, Jackson, Ripley, Theodore, Parker

and Eleanor; sister, Karen (Gary) Block, Central City, Iowa and brother, Kenneth (Darcy) Hebdon,

Colorado City, Colorado.

Marie was preceded in death by her parents, David and Minnie; and a brother David E. Hebdon

Jr.

Online condolences may be left for the family at wheelanpressly.com