BELLEVILLE, Illinois - Howardine June Custer, 89, of Belleville, died Sunday, March 23, 2008, at Four Fountains Convalescent Center, Belleville.

Service will be at the George Renner & Sons Funeral Home, Belleville, Illinois. The Rev. James Slone will officiating.

Graveside services will be at Greenwood Cemetery, Muscatine.

Visitation will be at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church or to Hospice of Southern Illinois.

Howardine was born July 25, 1918, in Muscatine, Iowa, the daughter of Richard and Mary Bierman Massey. She married Frank E. Custer Jr. on October 25, 1941. He preceded her in death on May 21, 1990.

She was a former secretary and business manager. She was an active member of the Mulford Evangelical Free Church, Muscatine, where she taught Sunday School for 35 years and directed the annual Christmas play for many years.

In Belleville, she was a member of the Bible Boomers class at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church.

Surviving are two sons and a daughter, Thomas Custer and wife, Shirley, of East Peoria, Illinois, Jerry Custer and wife Deb of Morton, Illinois, and Dr. Cynthia Littlefield and husband, Dr. Kim of Belleville, Illinois; 11 grandchildren, Jeff Custer, Chris Custer, Corey Custer, Shawn Custer, Teresa Stephenson and husband, Lance, Bryan Custer, Lindsay Winters and husband, Gene, Megan Custer, Amanda Kucharczyk and husband, Mark, and Emily Littlefield, and husband, Andrew.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank E. Custer Jr.; her parents,; two sisters, Alvina (Howard) Crow and Florence (Clarence) Norris; and four brothers, Byron (Martha Rutke) Massey, William (Francis Smith) Massey, Lemuel (Francis Smith) Massey, and Richard “Doc” (Elizabeth Robbins) Massey