07/11/2016
Past President of the Dixon Area Chamber Jeff Lovett passed away over the weekend. The Chamber and community have lost a truly great leader in Jeff's passing. We will all miss him and extend our profound sympathy to his immediate and extended family. We have posted his obituary below and included a photo of Jeff as President of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Foundation Board. It was taken when he arranged for Tim McCarthy (Secret Service Retired)who stepped into the line of fire at the assasination attempt on President Reagan to speak here in Dixon. Jeff was a patriot and an admirer of President Reagan, and truly another of Dixon's finest.
JEFFREY ARTHUR LOVETT (March 18, 1958 – July 10, 2016) Jeffrey Arthur Lovett died peacefully this Sunday morning, July 10, 2016, after a valiant eleven-month battle with cancer. He was the oldest child of three born to Donald Robert Lovett and Carol Joan Pulver. He was born in Temple, Texas, on March 18, 1958. Jeffrey attended Dixon High School and graduated from there in 1976, Sauk Valley College in 1978, and Northern Illinois University in 1980 with a B.S. degree in finance. On February 14, 1975, he married Lisa Linn Reed and they had two daughters. Jeffrey led a full and active life. After graduating from college, Jeff served as state bank examiner with the Illinois Commissioner of Banks and then became the Cashier, Board Secretary, and Loan Officer for the State Bank of Paw Paw. In 1985, Jeffrey began employment at Dixon National Bank as an Assistant Vice President in the loan department. In 1992, when Dixon National Bank was sold to AMCORE, Jeffrey was made Senior Vice President/Chief Lending Officer, which position he held until March 1999 when he was named President/Chief Operation Officer. Jeff was later named a Regional Market President for the group of AMCORE banks that he managed. In 2010, Midland States Bank purchased the banks that Jeffrey managed and he became one of three Regional Market Presidents, having oversight of the branches in Dixon, Oregon, Freeport, Sterling, Rock Falls, Princeton, Peru, and Mendota. Even though the name of the bank kept changing, Jeffrey unflaggingly served the local community and provided the same steady support. Following the family’s commitment to community service, Jeffrey was very involved with community organizations. While living in Ashton for five years, he was Trustee on the Village Board, past President of the Ashton Lions, member of the Ashton Business Association and Ashton Fire Department and organizer and first President of the Ashton Summer Celebration. While living and/or working in Dixon, he had been past President of the Dixon Evening Lions Club, Dixon Family YMCA, Dixon Petunia Festival, founder and Past President of Dixon Main Street, board member of Sinnissippi Centers, and the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Preservation Foundation. He also served for roughly ten years on the Board and numerous terms as President for the Great Lakes Belted Galloway Association. He previously served on the board of the Dixon Chamber of Commerce and the Sauk Valley College Foundation. He chaired the Dixon Mayor’s Economic Development commission as appointed by Mayor James Burke. He currently, in 2016, serves on the Board of Directors for the Dixon Fire Department Pension Plan for the City of Dixon, is a Past President and Board member for Sinnissippi Centers, Inc., is a past President and Board member for the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Preservation Foundation. In 1995, he was awarded the Dixon Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year Award and is also a past Dixon Evening Lions Club Lion of the Year. On the personal side, Jeffrey enjoyed a lifelong interest in many areas of history, including the Civil War, local history, and genealogy. He enjoyed Civil War reenacting for several years, sharing this with his daughters and nephew Jeremy. He wrote many books, which he self-published, about the homes in which he lived, several family lines, and his friends’ family histories. He and Lisa enjoyed the farm and their family, raising cattle, horses, and chickens. Jeff is survived by his loving wife, Lisa L. Lovett and his daughters, Heather L. Lovett of Muncie, IN and Sarah J. Lovett of Phoenix, AZ. Jeff’s granddaughters include: Haley Lenhart, Lillian Richardson, Katherine Richardson, Marianna Al-Ghizawat. Jeff is also survived by his parents, Donald and Carol Lovett, of Hendersonville, North Carolina; sister Joan (Tim) Tripp of Hendersonville, North Carolina; brother Don (Nikki) Lovett of Dixon, Illinois; and by his 4 nieces and 4 nephews. He was preceded in death by two grandchildren, Nora Katherine and William Arthur Richardson. He will be forever admired and greatly missed, not only by his family, but by his community and everyone who knew him. Visitation will be held 4-7:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 13, 2016, at Preston-Schilling Funeral Home, Dixon. Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, at Faith Assembly Church in Grand Detour, with Rev. Li Arellano, pastor, officiating. Burial will follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Oregon. A memorial will be established by the family. Condolences may be sent to www.prestonschillingfuneral home.com.
