CARBONDALE, Ill. (WSIL) -- The owner of a business in Carbondale for the last 30 years will be laid to rest along with his wife Tuesday afternoon.
Customers left flowers and sympathy cards at Monah's International Groceries at the Murdale Shopping Center to pay their respects to Rosli Habibullah and his wife Guillerma.
Some customers like Lorena Cobra and Barry Verbois, of Paducah, Kentucky, learned of the couple's deaths when they walked into the store Monday morning.
"He's gone. Oh my gosh," Cobra said.
Ken Keidel, of Murphysboro, Illinois, has been coming to the store to grab polis sauerkraut for the last four years. Keidel to the family for funeral expenses.
"I hope they appreciate it because it was kind of a tragic event," Keidel said.
Keidel says Habibullah was a friendly presence at the store offering help whenever he could.
"I'd ask how to cook stuff and he'd show me what seasonings to add," Keidel said.
Verbois says he and Cobra ship boxes full of food, clothes and other items to family in the Philippines with help from Habibullah.
"He would remember certain things about them, what they liked. If they were out of something he would let them know and he would order it," Verbois said. "That's why people came here."
Amy Naputo, a store employee, says she had lunch with the couple last week before they died in a crash near Champaign according to family.
"I cried while driving home. I just miss them so much," Naputo said.
Naputo says the family's daughter is committed to keeping the store open.
"[She] has a good vision to make this store grow so that her dad would be proud," Naputo said.
A local gas station owner said that Habibullah's death is a big loss to the community. He told News 3 that Habibullah would drive from Carbondale to Chicago and back just to get certain items for customers.
"Just an all around nice man," Verbois said.
The store will be closed Tuesday as employees plan to attend the funeral. The store will reopen Wednesday morning.
