Ila Lorene Warner (Herrin), age 92, of Delton, Michigan, daughter of Violet Marguerite Herrin (Archambeault) and Iley James Herrin, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.
Ila was born in 1933 and spent her childhood in Argos, Indiana. She attended Argos Community Schools and graduated in 1951. While in high school Ila was on the Honor Roll, President of the local Sunshine Society and a cheerleader. Ila was raised with her younger sister and brother, Mary Jo Stephenson (Herrin) and James Dewey Herrin. Ila was blessed to have a childhood friend, Ann Lemon (Van Der Wheel), as her life-long confidant and “partner in crime,” much to the dismay of Ann’s younger brother, Lynn Van Der Wheel.
In 1954, Ila married Jack Earl Warner, eventually moving to Michigan as they began to start their family. Jack and Ila had four children, Ned (Indianapolis, IN), Tod (St. Joseph, MO), Del (Delton, MI), and Lisa (Hickory Corners, MI). Ila is preceded in death by her parents, sister and brother as well as her husband, Jack, and her son Tod. Ila’s legacy is survived by her four children, three grandchildren, Amanda (Noblesville, IN), Samantha (Battle Creek, MI), Jacque (St. Joseph, MO) and five great grandchildren, Avery and Myles, Grady, Benjamin and Jackson. Since Ila was the oldest of three and Jack was the youngest of ten, there are numerous nieces and nephews where she enjoyed their company during family get togethers.
In 1965, Ila and Jack purchased a cottage at Wall Lake near Delton, Michigan. After a few years of transporting children and pets between Wall Lake and Hastings, Michigan, it was decided to “winterize” the cottage whereupon Ila began enjoying year-round lake life until her death. Ila enjoyed lake living, an occasional golf game at the Hastings Country Club, and for a brief time water skiing, that is until her husband, with his unconventional boating skills and erratic rate of speed, caused her to go outside of the wake, lose a ski, and wipeout to the degree that her hair, bathing suit, and her demeanor were in total disarray and forever scarred. Following that episode she reluctantly agreed to “spot” skiers but decided her time in the lake would be limited to swimming and less adventurous water activities. At that moment she decided that gardening would be a more calming and a less calamitous endeavor.
Later in life, as an empty-nester, and after the retirement of her husband, Ila re-entered the workforce and was well known in the Delton community as the afternoon lady at the Delton Coin Laundry. Ila could be easily recognized by her colorful smocks and various lapel broaches. Regarding her late in life employment, her children suspected something was on their mother’s mind when she asked them to write letters of recommendation. If truth was to be known, she later admitted that her husband became somewhat of a nuisance when he began telling her how to run a household. It had apparently become a major source of
annoyance being that she had an impeccable record regarding this task for quite some time. During this period at the Laundromat, she often commented to her children and grandchildren, “laundry is my life!” Ila enjoyed her part-time employment among beloved co-workers until she was 83.
Ila was known for her fastidious sense of fashion. Simple, elegant, and comfortable was her mantra. She was also well known for her independence and strong will. In fact, her family and circle of friends would not be surprised to know that she chose her own cremation urn.
In addition to gardening, one of Ila’s passions was the written word and much like her father she was a voracious reader and was often found intently focused on the pages of various novels. With that in mind, in lieu of flowers, Ila would appreciate any memorial contributions be directed to the Argos Public Library.
At Ila’s request, there will be no formal funeral activities but rather to honor her memory, a brief visitation service will be held at the Earl-Grossman Funeral Home in Argos, Indiana on Monday, June 29 from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. A graveside service will be held immediately after the visitation at the Maple Grove Cemetery.
