Genie Ann Ring, 27, and her daughter, Lisa Marie, perished in a blaze that gutted the first floor of a two-story wood-frame home in Summum where they lived, according to Ron Pavley, Fulton County Coroner. Ring’s son, Nickie, 3, was found outside and was badly burned.
The two died Tuesday morning, Oct. 30, 1990, when fire swept through their home, and the 3-year-old son was critically burned. Nickie was reportedly in critical condition late last night in the burn center of Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.
Authorities do not know if Genie Ring brought her son outside and sent back into the burning house for her daughter, or if the boy escaped on his own.
The bodies were found in the kitchen, Pavley said. He also said he is waiting for results of the autopsies, which were performed Tuesday afternoon.
The state fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire.
Ring’s boyfriend, who lived with her and the children, reportedly left for work about a half-hour before the fire broke out.
The Astoria and Summum volunteer fire departments brought the blaze under control in about 15 minutes, according to Roger Lindsey, Astoria Fire Chief. He said four fire trucks responded to the call, which came at 6:50 a.m.
Pavley said a couple from Arizona visiting a neighbor tried to call 911, not knowing that rural Fulton County does not have the 911 emergency telephone system.
“In this particular case, I don’t think it would have made that much of a difference,” Lindsey said.
“There are a lot of sad hearts,” Lindsey said. “This is a small community. You hear about that stuff happening in bigger cities, but you never think it’s going to happen here. We’ve got several firemen who are pretty emotionally upset too.”
Funeral arrangements were incomplete at press time.
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Genie Ann Ring, 27, of Summum, formerly of Ashland and Greenview, and her eight-month-old daughter, Lisa Marie, were pronounced dead at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, at their residence, the result of a fire in the home.
Injured critically in the fire was her three-year-old son Nickie, who remains a patient at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield where he was taken following the fire.
She was a member of the Sweetwater Christian Church.
Genie Ann Ring was born Aug. 6, 1963, in Peoria, a daughter of Carl Franklin and Betty Seely Ring.
Survivors include one son, Nickie Lee, at home; her parents, Carl Ring of Ashland and Betty Ring of Summum; one brother, Billy Ring of Summum; one sister, Anne Schisler of Summum and one nephew, Scot Schisler.
Lisa Marie Ring was born Feb. 5, 1990, in Canton, the daughter of Genie Ann Ring and Kerry Ross “Roscoe” Danner.
Surviving are her father, of Summum; one brother, Nickie Lee Ring, of Summum; her maternal grandmother, Betty Ring of Summum; and her maternal grandfather, Carl Ring of Ashland.
Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Massie-Buchanan Funeral Home in Ashland. Interment will be in the Ashland City Cemetery.
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Investigators have not determined the cause of the house fire that claimed the lives of a woman and her daughter in Summum on Oct. 30, but they have ruled out arson.
“It was as close to accidental as can be,” said Ted Anderson, an agent for the Illinois Division of Arson Investigation.
Anderson said the fire began “in the main part of the house and spread into the living room.” He declined to give any more information.
Three-year-old Nickie Ring, who escaped the burning house, is still listed in critical condition in the burn center at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. The boy, who was found standing on a neighbor’s porch, is being treated for severe burns.
Genie Ann Ring, 27, and her 8-month-old daughter, Lisa Marie, perished in the blaze that gutted the first floor of their two-story wood-frame house.
Preliminary results of autopsies performed on the bodies, which were found in the kitchen, show that the woman and baby died of smoke inhalation, according to Fulton County Coroner Ron Pavley.
Ring’s boyfriend, Kerry Ross “Roscoe” Danner, who lived at the house, left for work about a half-hour before the fire broke out, Pavley said.
The Astoria and Summum volunteer fire departments brought the blaze under control in about 15 minutes after responding to the call, which came at 6:50 a.m.
Mike and Kathy Hickle of Mesa, Ariz., who were visiting in the Don Gauwitz home, tried to get help by dialing 9-1-1, not knowing Fulton County was not on that emergency line.
They stopped by The Argus office last week asking us to stress the importance of having all children educated if a situation like this ever happened in your home. They also wanted to tell what a great job the members of the Fire Department did in taking control of the tragic situation.
Current Obituaries in the Astoria South Fulton Argus