Herschel Lash Ambuehl

Herschel Lash Ambuehl, age 97, passed away at home October 16, 2026, at 10:05 PM.

Funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at the Farina United Methodist Church, Farina, Illinois. Visitation will be held from 12:30 p.m. to start of service. Burial will take place in the Farina Cemetery. Ed Blomberg will be officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Farina United Methodist Church or donor’s choice. Online condolences may be left at www.pagelfuneralhome.com

Herschel was born November 15, 1928, in Fayette County, the son of William and Mila (Lash) Ambuehl. He was baptized and later confirmed at the Loogootee Lutheran Church. He attended Grades 1-6 of Grade School at the rural one-room Ambuehl School House near his home. He then attended the Farina Grade School and Farina La Grove High School, graduating in 1946. He married Barbara Jeanette Smith on April 22, 1951, at the Farina United Methodist Church where he became a member for the rest of his life. They celebrated their 75th Wedding Anniversary in April of this year.

As the ambulance paramedic said, “There is a very real thing called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or Broken Heart Syndrome”, a very fitting description, since Barb’s funeral was only the day before.

In 1953, they moved from Farina to the Ambuehl family farm when he started farming. Herschel was a hard worker. During his High School years, he had begun working part-time at Blomberg’s Trucking where he continued to work off and on for nearly 40 years while farming. He also worked part-time many years as a Union Laborer and even worked one winter at the Norge Factory in Effingham (until he screwed his finger to an appliance on the assembly line – that was the end of his factory work.) Herschel retired from farming in 1991, but he and Barb continued to live in the family farm home right up until their passing.

Herschel enjoyed gardening, fishing, bowling, cooking, baking, and mowing his yard even as recent as a few weeks ago. He especially loved watching farm work being done in the area, watching all the farm equipment pass by their house.

He is survived by his son, Dennis (wife Jamie) of Shelbyville, IL and Fort Myers, FL; daughters, Janice (husband Dave) Hoelscher of Mason, IL, Sharon (significant other Denny Simonavice) Copple and Patty Donaldson of Vandalia, IL; 13 grand-children and spouses; 28 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild, sister-in-law’s, Virginia Yund of Providence, RI and Marianna Rose of Yuba City, CA; and Barb and Herschel’s fur baby, Tommy.

Herschel was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara; his parents William and Mila Ambuehl; brothers, Merle Ambuehl (and wife Wilma) and Donald Ambuehl (and wife Sylvia); sisters, Floye Johnson (and husband Ralph) and Marie Kruse (and husband Ray); brother-in-law, Ben Smith (and wife Rose); brother-in-law’s, Richard Yund, Ted Marty, John Rose; two son-in-law’s, Clarence Copple and Dannie Donaldson; and 3 great-grandchildren.