Wanda Portlock age 86, of Newton passed away Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at Stone Bridge Memory
Care in Effingham, Illinois.
Funeral services celebrating Wanda’s life will be held at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, May 10, 2025, at
the Crain Funeral Home, Newton with Pastor Danny Ferris officiating. Visitation will be held
from 1:00 p.m. until time of services Saturday, May 10 th in the funeral home. Burial will be in
the West Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.
Wanda was born on March 23, 1939, in Newton, Illinois, the daughter of Delbert N. and
Gwendolyn Fern (Anderson) Kerner. Wanda graduated from Newton High School, Class of
- Wanda married the love of her life, Ralph Don Portlock on September 28, 1957, in the
Newton Chrisitan Church. They shared sixty-four years of marriage before Ralph’s passing on
January 30, 2022.
During high school, Wanda waitressed at Wagy’s Café on the square. After she and Ralph
married, Wanda continued waitressing and was the bookkeeper for the Portlock & McCall Shell
Station in Newton. She later went to work at E. R. Moore Cap and Gown as a seamstress.
Wanda retired after forty-two years of service.
Wanda was a member of the Newton Christian Church. She was active in the Women’s
Fellowship and served as church secretary for many years. She was also a long-standing
member of Newton Chapter No. 497, Order of the Eastern Star.
In her free time, Wanda enjoyed gardening and canning. She was a collector of recipes and was
a wonderful cook. She loved spending time with Mr. P. Together, they took motorcycle trips,
volunteered in the community and at the Masonic Lodge and spent hours, with their friend Zoey
Nix, researching the county cemeteries for the Find-A-Grave website. She enjoyed having
company stop by and to share a cup of scalding hot coffee. Wanda loved spending time with the
family, especially the grandchildren.
Wanda will be loved and remembered by her daughters, Bonnie (Richard) Ring of Shelbyville,
IN and Jill (Jeff) Long of Newton; grandchildren, Jason (Melissa) Rauch of Shelbyville, IN;
Joleen (Pat) Lancaster of Shelbyville, IN; Jessica (Andy) Miller of Newton and Jenalee (Eric
Deain) Long of Newton; great-grandchildren, Wyatt Lancaster, Waylon Lancaster, Jaelynn
Taylor, Brantley Miller, Jack Rauch, Kohen Long, Anniston Deain and Madilynn Miller; step
great-grandchildren Wyatt Higdon and Norah Higdon; brother, Mike (Jenny) Kerner of Willow
Hill.
Her parents, husband Ralph, brother James Kerner and sisters Delores Bachman, Betty Owens
and Judy Whitehurst preceded her in death.
Memorial gifts in honor of Wanda may be made to either the Newton Christian Church or to the
Dementia Society of America.
Online condolences may be offered at www.crainfuneral.com.
