Dr. Ignacio Del Valle 98, of Taylorville passed away on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at Springfield Memorial Hospital. He now rests in Heaven with Jesus his Savior and his many family members. Known as “Del” by friends and family, he was born on November 24, 1927, in Tampico, Mexico, the son of Joaquin and Agustina (Sanchez) Del Valle. He married Mary Kay McMillan on October 6, 1956, in Benld, Illinois.
Dr. Del Valle graduated from medical school at the University of Mexico, Mexico City on July 31, 1951. He began his surgical internship before moving to St. Louis to continue his training, and had the intention of returning to Mexico to work with his brother’s practice and care for his mother. While working in the operating room in St. Louis, he met Mary Kay, the love of his life, and together they began their life in the United States. He completed his surgical training in St. Louis in 1957 and passed the American Board of Surgery in 1958. He became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1969. Dr. Del Valle’s first practice was in Litchfield before working in Stonington from 1958 until 1960. In 1960 he began practicing with Dr. Paul Hagen in their clinic at 311 S. Main Street in Taylorville. Dr. Del Valle and Dr. Hagen worked together for 21 years, and Dr. Del Valle’s son, Dr. Rick Del Valle, joined the practice in 1989. In 1993, Ignacio and Rick built and moved to a new office on Bidwell Street where he worked until his retirement in 2000. He spent countless hours at St. Vincent Memorial Hospital and greatly enjoyed his work.
Dr. Del Valle remained close to his family in Mexico but was extremely proud of becoming a U.S. Citizen. He was a member of the Army Reserve and proudly served his country as a Lieutenant Colonel with the U.S. Army. He deployed with his unit to Saudi Arabia and worked as a surgeon during the Gulf War in the spring of 1991. He always remained grateful to the United States.
Throughout his entire life, Dr. Del Valle had an insatiable desire for learning. He was a voracious reader and spent the last few years learning French. He was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church. In his retirement years he enjoyed spending time working in his yard and remained physically fit with a lifelong love of boxing and in previous years had enjoyed tennis and racquetball.
He will be remembered by all three of his children as being a loving father. He instilled the values of respect for their mother and the importance of family; love of God and loyalty to our country were frequent life lessons. He also instilled an invincible work ethic that is still carried on by each of them. Even their childhood friends recounted how he had been a strong positive influence on them.
He is survived by his wife: Mary Kay Del Valle of Taylorville; children: Michael Del Valle (Sharon) of Woodridge, Dr. Rick Del Valle (Mary) and Kathy Fergin (Tom) both of Taylorville; grandchildren: Amy Schweitzer (James), Jeff Del Valle (Catie), Kelly Johnson (Kevin), Edward Del Valle, Timothy Del Valle (Glory), Matthew Hooper (Catherine), Blake Hooper (Hailey), Grant Hooper, and Anthony Fergin; 14 great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and 5 siblings.
A funeral mass for Dr. Del Valle will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Taylorville with Fr. John Burnette officiating. The visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday March 11, 2026 at McClure Funeral Home in Taylorville. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery. Memorials may be made to St. Mary Catholic Church or School. McClure Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Taylorville is assisting the family with arrangements.
