Obituary of Wilma Marie Motes

Wilma Buttgereit Stuller Motes, 82, of Eagleville, Tennessee passed away October 19, 2023, at Alive Hospice in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 23, 2023, at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., with the funeral mass to follow at 11:00 a.m. Wilma will be interred at Cothran Cemetery, Haunt Hollow Rd, Rover, Tennessee. Wilma was born to William Buttgereit and Anna Vits Buttgereit outside of Pana, Illinois on November 16, 1940. She was the youngest of three daughters raised in the Catholic faith. Wilma graduated from Pana High School in 1958. After high school, she worked for the University of Illinois Crippled Children's Division. Wilma had many diverse interests, including the Performing Arts. She participated in Productions at The Little Theater on the Square in Sullivan, Illinois and the Springfield Theater Center in Springfield, Illinois, where she met her first husband Harold Stuller. She and Harold married in 1964. Wilma then turned her attention to working in the family business, Stuller, Inc., which operated Steak ‘n Shake restaurants in the Springfield, Illinois area. Wilma eventually assumed the role of President and CEO and held those positions until her death. Wilma’s interests included a love of horses. She was a founding member and past president of the Illinois Walking Horse Association and the Spotted Saddle Horse Association of Illinois. She was a lifetime member of The Walking Horse Owners Association, the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association, and the Spotted Saddle Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association. She was also a member of Cannon County Trail Riders, Dixie Long Ears and the Middle Tennessee Mule Skinners. It was through the horse business that she met her second husband, Hall of Fame trainer, Mack Motes. She and Mack married in 2012. Wilma was preceded in death by her parents, William and Anna Buttgereit; her husbands, Harold Stuller (2003) and Mack Motes (2022); and her sister, Charlotte Ruhl. Wilma is survived by her sister, Carolyn May (Missouri); two children, Derek Stuller (Arkansas), Angela Bobzin-Crowell (Illinois); two stepchildren, Lynda Motes Hill (Ben) (Tennessee), and Mack Motes, Jr. (Tennessee); seven grandchildren, Shawntee Stuller Burris (Phil), Derek l. Stuller, Danielle Karl (Caulyn), Dustin Bobzin, Danika Bobzin, Mandy Lynn Motes, Isaac Motes Hill (Abby); several beloved great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, many special family members by love; and her dog, Pixie. Wilma friends from all over and was loved by many. She will be missed.