The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 54

THIRD EDITION D6 Pantagraph Friday, November 3, 2006 www.pantagraph.com Obituaries Seriously, he's a rapper Funerals today -J Ik-- IP ayi; V' srvu m. a f. Mil i rirriia i inn Kevin Federline says his work merits a listen By Sandy Cohen ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES Let's face it, Kevin Federline is pretty much a walking punchline. But when you meet him in person, surprise: he's soft-spoken, he looks you in the eye and he seems grounded, if a little out of touch. Federline aka K-Fed and Mr.

Britney Spears wants to be taken seriously as a rapper. His debut CD, "Playing With Fire," is out this week. The 28-year-old says he's more than just a tabloid target: He's a working father of four dedicated to developing himself as an artist. "That's like the big transition, how I can get people to relate to that," Federline says thoughtfully while dragging on a Marlboro Light outside a Hollywood TV studio. "They're thinking about the family life and K-Fed and all this stuff, he's living off her and blah, blah, blah.

They don't know that I paid for my own album and I paid my way. I paid my dues to be able to do this." Federline took a dance-strewn route to his rap dreams, working as a backup dancer for artists including Pink, Destiny's Child, 'N Sync and Michael Jackson. But the Fresno, native says music "was always in the back of my mind since I was young." It's just that break-dancing was big when he was a boy, he explains, so he learned the moves. Then he heard he could make money doing it. The middle child in a family of six, Federline moved to Los Angeles nine years ago to work as a dancer and found success almost Associated PressDANNY MOLOSHOK Kevin Federline, right, speaks with a crew member during a rehearsal for Direct TV's "CD USA" show in Los Angeles.

Federline's debut CD, "Playing With Fire," was released Tuesday. fame. When his wife got pregnant a few months into their marriage, Federline began building a recording studio in their Mai-; ibu mansion. He started working on his album as soon as their son, Sean Preston, was born. The home studio allowed him to be near the baby while he figured out how to make a he says.

"I just wasn't very familiar with putting songs together. So I took a good seven-month lesson and went on my way after that." He brought in writer-producers such as Kanye West collaborator Bosko and Jonathan "J.R." Rotem, who has worked' with Rhianna and 50 Cent. line's son, Kaleb, in July 2004. Spears and Federline wed two months later. (He and Jackson also have a daughter, Kori, 4.) Their romance seemed to both horrify and amuse the nation.

The idea that America's favorite pop princess would take up with a chain-smoking background dancer who was already in a relationship was grist for plenty of gossip columns; the couple's wild exploits (some of which were captured for a UPN reality show) just made their relationship more of a target. Shortly after marrying Spears, Federline turned his attention to making music seemingly giving credence to critics who claimed he was using Spears to further his own if 1 Download queen disrobes for charity CENTRAL ILLINOIS Raymond L. Engel COXGERVILLE Raymond L. Engel, 93, of 205 Atherton, Congerville, died at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday (Nov.

1, 2006) at his residence. His funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Congerville Mennonite Church, Congerville, the Rev. Phil Bach-man officiating. Burial will be in Imhoff Cemetery, Congerville.

Visita Raymond Enqel tion will be 4 to 7 p.m. today at the Otto-Argo-Calvert Memorial Home, Car-lock. Memorials may be made to Congerville Mennonite Church, Congerville, or Congerville Fire Rescue Squad. He was born July 21, 1913, at Carlock, to Gilbert Allen and Winnie Stutzman Engel. He married Lorraine Elkins on Dec.

10, 1936, at Danville. She survives. Also surviving are three sons, Raymond Richard Engel, Congerville; John Wayne Engel, and Gilbert (Barb) Engel, Normal; 11 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren. Also surviving is his daughter-in-law, Marilyn Engel, Bloomington. His parents; one son, Thomas Leslie Engel; one brother, Robert Engel; and one grandson, Carl Erigel, preceded him in death.

He was a member of Congerville Mennonite Church, Congerville. He had formerly worked on the Schrock family farm and dairy, Schrock Hi-bred Seed and Fertilizer Congerville, for a number of years which later became Standard Oil. He later worked for First Mississippi Chemical Co. which later became Arco Chemical Co. until he retired.

He enjoyed woodcarving, leaded glass work and photography. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Thelma B. Gosser Kennedy DECATUR Thelma B. Gosser Kennedy, 92, of Decatur, passed away at 3:43 p.m.

Wednesday (Nov. 1, 2006) in Lincoln Manor. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Dawson Wikoff West Wood Street Funeral Home, Decatur. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m.

Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be in JT Thelma Gosser Kennedy Graceland Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association or Tabernacle Baptist Church. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family via e-mail to www.daw-son-wikoff.com. Thelma was born Aug.

15, 1914, in Cains Store, Ky, the daughter of Ester and Emma Beasley Kissee. She was a homemaker. She was a member of Tabernacle Baptist Church; the DMH Ladies Auxiliary; taught Sunday school for many years; and was the past president of the Women's Missionary Union. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting and knitting. She had a love for plants and flowers.

Her green thumb could make anything grow. She married Eldridge Gosser on Oct. 25, 1935. He preceded her in death on Feb, 10, 1975. She then married Robert Paul Kennedy on Feb.

18, 1981. He preceded her in death on July 10, 2005. Surviving are her daughter, Sue Musgrove and husband, Don, of Decatur; stepchildren, Kathleen Rakowski and husband, Dr. Kenneth of New Fair-bury, Sheila Fawcett and husband, John, of Decatur; Dr. Kevin Kennedy and wife, Jane, of Gig Harbor, Patricia Rode and hus- band, Donald, of St.

Louis, Behary, Michael 6:30 p.m. memorial Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Bloomington. Brown, Collins 10:30 a.m. at Beck Memorial Home, Bloomington. Eveland, Bobby 11 a.m.

at Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton. Jacobs. Alice 11 a.m. at Elias Funeral Home. Streator.

Southerland, Sherman, 10:30 a.m. at East Lawn Funeral Home, Bloomington. Stachurski, Mary G. Manning, 1:30 p.m. at Calvert Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington.

Stremlau, Martin 10:30 a.m. at Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home, Bloomington, and 11 a.m. at Epiphany Church, Normal. Studeman, Ella Faye, 11:30 a.m. at Calvert-Belangee-Bruce Funeral Home, Heyworth.

Welsh, Hazel Jury, 11 a.m. at First Christian Church, Bloomington. White, Thomas E. 7 p.m. at Calvert Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington.

Wolf, George Willard, 10 a.m. memorial service at First Presbyterian Church, Normal. Funerals pending Abbott, J. Michael 58, of Lincoln, 9:33 a.m. Thursday (Nov.

2, 2006) at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Lincoln. Peasley Funeral Home, Lincoln. Barnard, William 80, of 217 Ivanhoe Way, Bloomington, 3:20 a.m. Thursday (Nov. 2, 2006) at BroMenn Regional Medical Center, Normal.

Calvert Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington. Jeanine McCoy and husband, Patrick, of St. Charles, and Maureen Williams and husband, Jeff, of Decatur; brother, Bub Kissee of Champaign; sister, Reva Grider of Mount Zion; grandchildren, Steve Musgrove and wife, Peggy, of Niantic; and Deanna Stacey and husband, Aaron, of Dewitt; 12 stepgrandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and three stepgreat-grandchildren. Thelma was preceded in death by her parents; two husbands; three brothers, Wilbur Kissee; Walter Kissee; and Curtis Kissee; and three sisters, Marie Jasper; Stella Swanson; and Artie Gosser. The family would like to give a special thanks to Dr.

Fritz and all of the nurses and staff at Lincoln Manor for their care and support. Mom was much loved and will be greatly missed. Beverly B. Preston ARMINGTON Beverly B. Bradish Preston, 71, of East Brookfield, wife of a former Armington resident, died Oct.

27, 2006, at Overlook Masonic Health Care Center, Charlton, after an extended illness. Service and burial: at the convenience of the family in Worchester County Memorial Park. O'Connor Brothers Funeral Home, 592 Park Worcester, is in charge of arrangements. Among the survivors: her husband, Roy P. Preston formerly of Armington.

John K. Ilygh ODELL John K. Rygh, 63, of Odell, died at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 1, 2006) at OSF Saint James-John W.

Al-brecht Medical Center, Ponti-ac. Service: St. 10 a.m. Saturday at Ponl Catholic Church Odell, Father Peter Pi-lan officiating. Burial: St.

Paul Catholic Cemetery, Odell. Visitation: 4 to 7 p.m. today at Duffy Funeral Home, Odell, John Ryqh with a wake service at 4 p.m. Memorials: charity of the donor's choice. Survivors: his wife, Marilyn Frazier Rygh, Odell; son, John Rygh, Odell; two daughters, Donna Rygh, Odell, and Suz Rygh Jones, Pontiac; brother, Bob (Peg) Rygh, Odell; sister, Lois (Bill) Pygh Stevenson, Dwight; and one grandchild.

Los Angeles, Richard Sherman, would not accept a telephone call when contacted Thursday by The Associated Press. "No. 5, 1948" as the work is called has been owned by some of the world's richest men over the years, including S. I. Newhouse the New York publishing magnate, who had sold it to Geffen.

J1 if He was still dancing and dating former girlfriend Shar Jackson when he and Spears fell in love in 2004, something Federline says he "never expected." "I was never interested in (her) that way," he says. "It was always just whatever to me." The two first met when Federline was 20 and Spears was 16, he says. When they reconnected a few years later, "it was one of those love-at-first-sight type deals," he says. "I've been in relationships since I was 13 years old so I know what I want. Her personality and her attitude and all that stuff, it really works.

I don't know how sometimes, but it really works." Jackson gave birth to Feder more mysterious keeping my clothes on. when I got the call from Mr. I thought, "Wow at 40, they still want me?" And I thought it's almost an inspiration like a "you go, girl" moment. I feel empowered that you can be married and have three children and still be sexy and confident and look great. My mom would have killed me before, but I'm an adult woman now, and I'm ready to show the world that you can have it all at 40 be fabulous, 40, and pose for Playboy.

So, what was it like? I made my career off posing in swimsuits and doing all the swimsuit issues and posters, but I will tell you that that little bit of material on an itsy bitsy bikini taking that off was very nerve-racking the first time. But I felt proud of myself. I worked out really hard, and the reason I wanted to do it the most is because I am posing for a purpose: a portion of the proceeds from each issue sold is going to go to my charity That would I am the celebrity spokesperson for Resolve, the national infertility association, and my three precious children were born through infertility procedures. I struggled for many years trying to have children. My beautiful son was born through in vitro fertilization.

I had my beautiful- twins via a surrogate. So I wanted to give back. That is very important to me, to make fertility mainstream so everyone understands it. If you want to have your miracle child, there are options: adop- rare sydrome, Adams, 49, appears to be a rare example of someone who has largely but not totally recovered from spasmodic dysphonia, a mysterious disease in which parts of the brain controlling speech shut down or go haywire. As many as 30,000 Americans are afflicted, typically in their 40s and 50s, experts say.

Mi 0: Do you have an idea how much might be raised? Our point is that America is so family oriented and President Bush is very pro-family, but so many people have to leave America to have their families, and that's not really fair. Our hope is to help at least 20 to 30 families out there to have their precious babies. ing to SD support groups. Patients are often so anx-' ious about their speech that they stop breathing or have heart palpitations. There is no known cure but many victims have im-; proved their speech by changing tenor or pitch, or doing special breathing and relaxation exercises.

Associated PressDANNY MOLOSHOK Cindy Margolis poses for a portrait in her home in Tarzana, Calif. By Susan Bullinqton Katz ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES She's been heralded for years as the most downloaded person on the Internet, which you know what it means. People love looking at Cindy Margolis. What it hasn't meant, all these years, though, as all those millions of lookers know, is seeing even one picture of this 21st Century pinup queen without at least a little something covering her. No longer.

Margolis, who has been titillating fans since she was an un-dergrad at Cal State Northridge with her own line of greeting cards, has posed very au natural for Playboy. The December issue, with her on the cover, hits newsstands today. The pages of pictures on the inside leave nothing to the imagination. It was for a good cause, Margolis, now 41, explained when The Associated Press caught up with her, fully clothed, at her home in Tarzana. 0: Why now? My decision to do Playboy is literally 20 years in the making.

I've always prided myself in keeping my clothes on, being the girl next door. I've had the number-one downloaded (celebrity) Web site, and for years I've been known as the "Queen of the Internet" in the "Guinness Book of World Records," America Online, (all while) keeping my clothes on, and I've been very proud of that. Every couple years when Mr Hefner would call, I would very graciously decline, because my mom would kill me, and I thought it was Hampered by By Rachel Konrad ASSOCIATED PRESS DUBLIN, Calif. A balding, bespectacled working stiff inexplicably loses his voice except when speaking in rhyme or pinching his nose. It may sound like a farcical plot for a popular cartoon satirizing American office culture, but "Dilbert" cartoonist Scott Adams says he recovered less than a week ago from just such an affliction.

"I don't want to give false hope to people who are suffering from the same thing," Adams said, sitting at his drawing tablet in his suburban San Francisco office. "I don't even know if my voice is going to last. Maybe this is an illusion. It came back but in a few days it could go away again forever." tion, surrogacy, fertility procedures. It is also sadly very expensive, and not all insurance companies cover it.

How does your posing add to the cause? First we're going to sell a certain amount, and then all the rest after that will go to Resolve. That was important to my husband, as well. Dilbert cartoonist talks again One of the most peculiar aspects of SD is that victims are typically unable to have intimate conversations in their normal voice. Yet they can speak under different circumstances, such as immediately after sneezing or laughing, or in an exaggerated falsetto or baritone, or while reciting poetry, accord Geffen reportedly gets highest price ever paid for a painting 1 Clinton Letting your wishes be known, protecting your assets, relieving yout family of the stress of arrangement. Some of the advantages of Advance Funeral Arrangements.

Alex A. Calvert, Director Sera'm? A Failis ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK It may well be the world's most expensive paintingever. But nobody's talking about it, except in whispers especially not the office of entertainment mogul David Geffen, who reportedly sold the Jackson Pollock work for about $140 million. Geffen's business manager in.