John "Roger" Kidd, 77, of Mendota passed away April 20, 2022 at OSF St. Anthony's Medical Center, Rockford.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. at Restland Cemetery, Mendota with Rev. Sandy Smith officiating. Visitation will be held Saturday, May 7, 2022 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. at the Merritt Funeral Home, Mendota.

Roger was born July 13, 1944 in Mendota to Warren and Ora (Druen) Kidd. He graduated from Mendota High School in 1962. He married Barbara Hecathorn of Earlville on July 14, 1967 at the Earlville Methodist Church.

One of Roger's passions in life was farming. As a fourth generation farmer, he started out grain and cattle farming with his father Warren. Once Warren retired, Roger's wife Barbara took on all the duties usually bequeathed to a hired man. He lived and farmed in Ophir Township all within a country block of the original centennial Kidd Homestead and the farm he was raised on. Roger put great pride and effort in selling Golden Harvest Seed for 40 plus years. He was always an advocate for his customers, which yielded him the top honor of District Dealer of the Year for Golden Harvest four separate times as well as numerous service excellence awards. In his early years, he did custom combining and during winter you could always see him providing snow removal services for his neighbors. He also provided excellent combine tutelage when instructing his daughter on the ins and outs of farming. Roger was a lifetime member of the LaSalle County Farm Bureau.

Roger was the proud father of Julie Lynn and Beth Ann (deceased in infancy). He never missed cheering his daughter on in volleyball or attending a school function she was involved in. In addition, he was the proud grandparent of Erica Grace Workman. He delighted in eventually taking on babysitting duties during farming seasons. He would be known to utilize his mechanical inclindness and ability to think outside the box to create quite the imaginative playtime, like creating a teepee for his granddaughter in the middle of the living room. Roger also had a soft spot for all the grand furbabies along the way. A smile and chuckle was often seen when they visited.

He is survived by his wife Barbara; daughter Julie; granddaughter Erica; brother Terry (Karen) Kidd and two sisters Linda Buettner and Janet Piller.

He was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Beth and two brothers in law Wayne Buettner and Ken Piller.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mendota Area Senior Services, Mendota High School Agriculture Department or a charity of the donors choosing. To honor Roger's love of farming, please feel free to come adorned with a farm hat of your choosing, as he was seldom seen without his standard orange Golden Harvest hat.