Carl Robert Perabeau, 83, formerly of Bushnell and Galesburg, and most recently of Bourbonnais, passed away at 1:22 p.m. Thursday, March 25, 2021 at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois.
He was born April 3, 1937 in Ellisville, Illinois, the son of George and Minnie (Byers) Perabeau. He married Eloise May Forshee on December 5, 1970 in Galesburg. She preceded him in death on December 12, 2014, after 44 years of marriage. He was also preceded in death by his parents, five brothers and ten sisters.
Carl is survived by three sons, Ricky Eugene (Dana) Perabeau of Clarksville, Tennessee, Charles Leslie (Gayle) Perabeau of Bourbonnais and Casey Lee Perabeau of Champaign; three daughters, Cynthia Tyree of Fort Worth, Texas; Lisa Sue Perabeau of Denver and Jennifer Lynn (Eric Crawford) Hallesy of Jacksonville; 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren and 3 great great-grandchildren; three sisters, Betty (Ed) Leahy of Henderson, Sheryl Davis of Galesburg, and Peggy Leadbetter of Abingdon, and numerous nieces and nephews and their families. He had a particularly soft heart for his grandchildren.
Carl attended Galesburg Schools and later earned his GED while serving in the U.S. Air Force. He served in the Air Force from 1954 to 1957. He later joined the U.S. Army and served from 1961 to 1978. He served in Korea and three tours of duty in Vietnam. After retiring from the U.S. Army, he worked for the Illinois Department of Corrections for 20 years, retiring in 2002. He and May were foster parents to dozens of children. He was a former member of the Smithfield Church of the Nazarene.
As he requested for his services, visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, April 3, 2021, at the Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral Directors and Cremation Services Abingdon Chapel. Graveside service with military rites will be at 12:30 p.m. at the Abingdon Cemetery. Dr. Charles Perabeau will officiate. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, facemasks and social distancing guidelines will be followed.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which he himself regularly supported. Online condolences may be made at www.h-p-w.com.
