Aileen (Mattox) Cover

Marion - Aileen Cover, 93, of Marion, passed away Thursday, January 11, 2018, at The Anchor of River to River in Marion.

A memorial service, hosted by her family, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, January 14, 2018, at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1201 N. Fair Street, Marion, with Pastor Lance Leeds officiating.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Southern Illinois or to Aldersgate United Methodist Church Choir. 

Aileen was born on August 7, 1924, in Marion, the middle child of Clarence and Lilly Grace (Overby) Mattox.

After graduating high school, life for Aileen changed with the outbreak of World War II. She wanted to do her part for the war effort so she set out for St. Louis, quite a step for a Marion girl, to work for MacDonald Douglas aircraft manufacturer. Here she met Diane Abshur and the two became the Illinois versions of “Rosie the Riveter”. With their skills in high demand and a newfound sense of adventure Aileen and Diane accepted a job with Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles, California. Upon arriving in L.A., they both volunteered to work at the USO to help returning injured service members. It was here that Aileen met “Woody” Cover, a true American hero and Purple Heart recipient who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was love at first sight for the two of them. He finished his Naval tour of duty and they married in L.A. on June 23, 1945.  Following Woody’s retirement from the Navy, Aileen and Woody came full circle, moving back to Marion, where they lived happily until the Lord called Woody home in 2005.

She is survived by her daughters, Geri (Bruce) Lyon of Carterville and Shirley Nuss of Walled Lake, Michigan; grandchildren, Candace Lyon of Makanda, Michelle (Jason) Hensgen of Carterville, Tiffany (Jerimah) Davidson of Carterville, and Melissa (Billie) Joselyn of Michigan; and great-grandchildren, Camryn, Layla, Hayden, and Joselyn.

Aileen was preceded in death by her parents; husband; sister, JoAnn Hatton; and brother, Jim Mattox.

Aileen was a faithful member of Aldersgate Methodist Church in Marion where she played the organ for several years.

She had a great love for music and was a talented pianist who also enjoyed sewing and traveling the world. Aileen’s greatest joy came from spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

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