Harold Junior Land

Harold Junior Land, 74 of Topeka passed away at 4:09 am, Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at Carle Health Methodist Hospital in Peoria, surrounded by his family. He was born to Harold and Mary (Watson) Land on December 27, 1949, in Pekin, IL. He married Carol Siltman-Terrill on June 29, 1991, in Topeka, IL. Junior was preceded in death by: his parents, Harold and Mary Land; his sister, Darlene Land; three brothers-in-law, Joe Stoehr, Bob Westerhouse, and Bob VanEtten; two nieces, Bobbi Jo Tyler, and Amber Land; and one nephew, J.D. Siltman. He is survived by: his wife, Carol Land; two sons, Scott (Pam) Terrill and Matt (Chelsea) Terrill, both of Green Valley; three grandchildren, Chris Terrill, Kylie (Seth Newcomb) Terrill, and Emily (Nick Sondag) Terrill; five great grandchildren, Ryan Terrill, Noah and Theodore Newcomb, and Hadley and Lucah Sondag; five sisters, Vivian Stoehr, Peggy Westerhouse, Linda VanEtten, Regina Trout, and Cherie Helfers; 3 brothers, Gary (Jodi) Land, Terry "Turk" (Mary) Land, and Doug (Janice) Land; and several nieces and nephews. Junior was drafted into the United States Army as an 11B Infantryman in 1969 where he completed Expert Jungle Training in Panama before being deployed to Vietnam with the 9th Infantry Division. During months of heavy combat operations near Saigon and the Mekong River Delta, Junior received two purple hearts, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Bronze service stars. Junior was honorably discharged in 1971. He was a proud veteran who supported the DAV, VFW and multiple other veteran organizations. He always had an American Flag on display and most importantly, he served as a mentor for younger generations of veterans in his family. Junior retired from the United States Post Office after 20 years in 2016 and was a member of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union. He loved the outdoors and kept busy hunting, fishing, splitting wood, caring for his horses, and all the duties that came with caring for his property. In the summertime, you could find Junior in his garden working hard to produce a big harvest of vegetables to preserve for his family. He enjoyed NASCAR, riding his Harley, and most importantly, loving his wife, boys, and grandchildren. Junior treasured his time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren, always taking the time to teach them valuable lessons when the opportunity arose. He loved a good game of cards and trying his luck almost daily with scratch off tickets. He had a perfectionist side, but only due to his "always do it right", competitive personality. Junior was "one of the good ones" - a loving, honest, hardworking man who will be missed deeply by his family and friends who were fortunate enough to know him. His funeral service will be held at 12:00 pm, Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Henderson Funeral Home & Crematory, 2131 Velde Dr, Pekin with Pastor Steve Oaks officiating. A visitation will be one hour prior from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm also at the funeral home. Burial will be in Forest City Cemetery, Forest City, IL with military honors provided by the United States Army and the Joint Honor Guard American Legion Post 138 and VFW Post 6408 of Havana. Memorials may be made to Forman Ambulance Service in grateful appreciation for saving his life twice. Funeral Service Saturday, May 18, 2024 12:00 PM Henderson Funeral Home & Crematory 2131 Velde Dr. Pekin,IL 61554 Visitation Saturday, May 18, 2024 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Henderson Funeral Home & Crematory 2131 Velde Dr. Pekin,IL 61554