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Elayne Brechtel-Rech
ROCKFORD -- Elayne M. Brechtel-Rech, 81, of Rockford entered peacefully into heaven surrounded by her family on Wednesday, July 7, 2004, at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center.
She was born August 4, 1922 in Winslow, the daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Abels) Ocker. She was a 1940 graduate of Winslow High School.
In 1941, she married her first husband, the late Dwain L. Brechtel and in 1963, she married her second husband, the late Gene F. Rech.
She was employed at Prange's and Bergner#'s for more than 30 years. She was a member of Our Savior#'s Lutheran Church. She had a great passion for cooking and was a superb seamstress.
Her greatest love was raising her children, several grandchildren and her great-grandson, Erick. Her home and personal sense of fashion resemble a woman with class, elegance and a bit of sassiness. Her life recipe will be remembered by her entire family.
She is survived by her children, Linda (Tom) Walz of Huntley, Beth (Tom) Charter of Rockford, Diane (Gary) Aupperle of Pekin, Pamela Krum of Schaumburg, Michael (Gwyn) Brechtel of Rockford and Gary Krum; grandchildren, Lisa (Tom) Link, Scott (Jennifer) Walz, Tori Pirrelo, Tracey Dietmeier, Chad (Kim) Aupperle, Courtney (Andy) Filarski, Todd (Jennifer) Krum, Kristine Brechtel and Megan Brechtel; great-grandchildren, Erick Dietmeier, Alexandria De Castris, Taylor Zayas, Bryce Aupperle, Katelin Link, Jenna Link, Olivia Krum, and Mitchell Krum; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, Dwain, and her second husband, Gene, in 1996. The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the medical staff on the Critical Care Unit of St. Anthony#'s, Dr. Ingrassia and a very special thank you to nurse Tom.
Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Our Savior#'s Lutheran Church in Rockford, with Pastor Lisa Hufford officiating. Visitation will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Fitzgerald Funeral Home and Crematory, Mulford chapel in Rockford, and at 10 a.m. Monday until the time of service at the church.
Memorials will be made to the family for a children's charitable fund to be established at a later date.
Tina M. Rucker
FREEPORT -- Tina Marie Rucker, 37, of Freeport, died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at
St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford.
Tina was born April 22, 1967 in Sandwich to William and Majory (Knight) Hooper.
She married Earl Rucker on April 27, 1985 in Freeport. She was employed at Newell Rubbermaid for nine years. After that she became employed in St. Charles as a Corrections Officer for the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Tina enjoyed family, friends, being a foster parent and collecting cows. She also enjoyed being a member of Freeport Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Earl; her parents of Freeport; three sons, Bruce, Nathan and Derek Rucker, all of Freeport; three daughters, MaKayla, Cheyenne and Selena Rucker, all of Freeport; four brothers; three sisters; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her special friend, Don Newill.
Service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Freeport Baptist Church with the Rev. Kurt Strong officiating. Visitation will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the church.
A memorial has been established.
Richard Armentrout
FREEPORT -- Richard D. Armentrout, 51, of Freeport died Friday, July 9, 2004, at Stephenson Nursing Center.
Born Oct. 10, 1952, in Columbus, Ohio, he was the son of William and Frances (Dehart) Armentrout. He married Sandra A. Miranda in Freeport. Richard was a former resident of Clearwater, Fla.
Surviving are his wife, Sandra; two sons, Josh Armentrout of Freeport, and Shawn Armentrout of Dunedin, Fla.; one daughter, Krystle Armentrout of Freeport; two brothers, Robert (Don-Marie) Armentrout of Largo, Fla., and Doug (Karen) Armentrout of Palm Harbor, Fla.; several nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.
Richard enjoyed their loving dog, Sadie.
He was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents.
Memorial services will be held later in Clearwater, Fla.
Denver Attig
POLO -- On Friday, July 9, 2004, a wonderful father, husband and friend, Denver Attig, 89, left this world to join the kingdom of believers in God's eternal home.
Denver, who lived in Polo, was formerly of Lanark. He entered this world Sept. 15, 1914, in Washington, Ill., the son of the late Edward H. and Ida (Willhardt) Attig. When he was 5, his parents moved to Minnesota. to live for 17 years before moving back to Washington. He attended school in Minnesota. before going to Brown's Business College in Peoria.
On March 16, 1940, he married Verla Mae Wykle at the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Washington. After their honeymoon, they moved to a farm near Brookville, where they farmed and raised their family for 39 years.
Denver served on the school board for three terms and on the county board for six-and-a-half years. His faith in God led him to be an active member of his church, serving on many committees and teaching Sunday school for many years. Among his favorite pastimes were farming, fishing, hunting, traveling, and playing cards. Since 1979, he and his wife of 64 years have lived in Polo.
Among those who will miss his presence are his wife, Verla; his children, Richard (Irene) Attig of Portland, Ore., and Nancy (Dale) Keyt of China, Mich.; and grandchildren, Michael Attig and Amy and Brian Keyt. Also surviving are his sisters, Shirley (Wilbert) Diebel of Boulder, Colo., Iona (Robert) Alton of Boulder, Donna (Ralph) Knoles of Boulder, and Ruth (William) Presley of Metamora.
The service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Emmanuel United Methodist Church, Polo, with the Rev. Robert N. Sathuri officiating. Burial will be in Fairmount Cemetery, Polo.
Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.
Arrangements were completed by Benson Funeral Home in Polo.
Melvin E. Folk
LANARK -- Melvin E. Folk, 88, of Lanark died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at CGH Medical Center, Sterling.
Born Dec. 12, 1915, in Polo, he was the son of Frank A. and Bertha G. (Rucker) Folk.
He married Velma J. Fawcett on Jan. 22, 1955. She preceded him in death on April 7, 1989. He later married Beneta (Saunders) Lawton on July 12, 1997.
He served in the Army Air Corp in World War II.
Melvin was self-employed for 50 years in the limestone and gravel hauling business. A member of Lanark Church of the Brethren, he was a member of the Lanark Lions' Club for more than 30 years, and was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. His hobbies were bowling, hunting, fishing and card playing.
Surviving are his wife, Beneta, of Lanark; two daughters, Sharon (Henry) Yoeckel of Lanark and Sherry (Randy) Greene of Mount Carroll; two sons, Larry Folk and special friend, Peggy Fondek, both of Lena, and Terry (Christine) Folk of Lanark; three stepdaughters, Sandra (Larry) Lawson of Cedarville, Toni Lawton of Davenport, Iowa and Jeanne Thulen of Clinton, Iowa; four stepsons, Arthur (Jane) Elmer Jr. of Machesney Park, Phillip (Nancy) Elmer of Freeport, David (Kaye) Lawton of Thomson, and John (Jane) Lawton of Albany; 38 grandchildren; 65 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; three sisters, Helen Schreiner of Sterling, Frances (Ray) Voss of Mount Morris, and Viola Dykema of Polo; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his widow, Velma; his parents; one grandson; three sisters; and five brothers.
The service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Church of the Brethren in Lanark, with Dan Rusmisel officiating. Burial will be in Lanark Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at Church of the Brethren in Lanark.
A memorial fund has been established for the Lions' Club's work for the prevention of blindness.
Arrangements were made by Leamon Funeral Home's, Ltd.
Sylvia L. Phillips
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Sylvia Lenore (Gothard) Phillips, 95, died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at Good Shepherd-Fairview Home in Binghamton.
She was born May 21, 1909, in Grant County, S.D., to Pauline (Troxell) and Elmer Gothard. She was raised in Stockton. After graduating from Stockton High School in 1928, she received her registered nurse degree from Evangelical Deaconess Hospital in Freeport in 1931. Sylvia practiced nursing, mainly private duty, in Freeport until 1951, and in Richmond, Va., until her retirement in the early 1970s.
She married Milton Douglas Phillips in 1936, in Stockton. The couple had three children.
In 1967, Sylvia and Milton built their retirement home at Woodhaven Shores in Quinton, Va. She was a member of the Providence Forge Presbyterian Church and a member and leader of the Woodhaven Garden Club. In the 1970s, she was instrumental in restoring the ecological balance of Kent Lake after a nearby interstate highway project damaged the feeder streams.
In 1999, Sylvia moved to the Good Shepherd-Fairview Home and Apartments in Binghamton. She became a member of the East Side Congregational Church.
Friends and family remember Sylvia for her extraordinary qualities, especially her unselfishness, her openness, her even temperament, her seemingly endless capacity to give of herself, and her wonderful sense of humor.
She was preceded in death by her husband in 1995; her parents; and two sisters, Beatrice Halpin and Lorena Nagel.
She is survived by a sister, Nola Parkinson; three children, Rae Marie (Fred) Bostrom of Vestal, Ruth Ann Robbins of Broken Arrow, Okla., and Roger Milton (Sue) Phillips of Alpena, Mich.; four grandchildren, Rick (Wendy) Bostrom, Kate Russell, Art (Hannah) Russell, and Nathan Phillips; and four great-grandchildren, Michaela Russell, Matthew Hausmann, Breanna Russell, and Eliana Russell.
Two informal memorial services will be held. The first will be held at 5 p.m. Aug. 6 at the East Side Congregational Church, 284 Robinson St., Binghamton, N.Y. 13904. The second will be held at noon Aug. 8, following the morning worship service at the Providence Forge Presbyterian Church, Providence Forge, Va., 23140.
Expressions of sympathy in Sylvia's memory may be made to the memorial funds of either church.
Elwood G. Stevens
PECATONICA -- Elwood G. "Steve" Stevens, 78, of Pecatonica, died Thursday, July 8, 2004, in the Medina Manor Nursing Center in Durand.
He was born May 29, 1926, in Ridott to Guy and Daisy (Bouray) Stevens.
On Jan. 8, 1949, he married Joan Marie Daughenbaugh in Freeport.
He graduated from Leaf River High School in 1944, and was employed at Twin Disc Inc. in Rockford as a shipping clerk.
As a U.S. Navy veteran, he entered active service June 6, 1944, and was discharged May 22, 1946, with the rank of Coxswain V6. He received the American Area Ribbon, the European-African-Middle Eastern Ribbon and the World War II Victory Ribbon.
He was a member of the Pecatonica Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post No. 8416 and the Eugene J. Barloga American Legion Post No. 0197, also in Pecatonica.
He was also an avid Bears and NASCAR fan.
The family wishes to express a special thank you to the Medina Manor Nursing Center and the Hospice of Freeport Health Care and Services.
Survivors are his beloved wife, Joan Marie; loving daughter, Jackie Lynne and fiance, Brian Boomer; beloved grandson, Nicholas D. and fiancee, Jodi French and son, Jaeven; very special grandson, Morgan S. McGee, all from Pecatonica; daughters in heart, Gina Coletta Stien, Pam Marino and Delora DeLaCruz; special in-laws, Leon and Carol (Daughenbaugh) Heitter of Ridott, and Larry and Sharon (Daughenbaugh) Mains of Macomb, Mich.; many nieces and nephews; and special extended family, Marjorie Haas, Pearl Cole, and Lee and Penny (Haas) Harbison and family.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Merwin Stevens.
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. July 24 at the Daughenbaugh Funeral Home in Dakota with the Rev. Diane Jochum of Freeport officiating. Burial will be in Ridott Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. until time of service at the funeral home.
A memorial fund has been established in his name.
Edwin H. Silberman
WINNEBAGO -- Edwin H. Silberman, 73, of Winnebago, died at 9:45 p.m. on Sunday, July 11, 2004 in his home after a couragous seven-year battle with cancer.
He was born April 28, 1931 in rural Pecatonica, to Clayton and Edith (Fritzenmeier) Silberman.
Edwin married Carol Evenson of Durand on Feb. 27, 1970.
He was employed as carpenter by Barber Colman-Reed Chatwood in Rockford for 35 years, then retired in 1995.
He served as a Sgt. First Class in the U.S. Army serving in Korea from 1951 to 1953.
Edwin loved to garden and use his artistic talents to build things out of wood. He also enjoyed bowling and was a former owner of The Pee Bowl.
He graduated from Pecatonica High School.
Survivors are his wife Carol of Winnebago; three sons, Jason of Winnebago, Edwin-Glenn of Rockford, and Steven of Atlanta, Ga.; two daughters, Vicki Conn of New York, and Ann Marie Shriver of Ripon, Wis.; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; one brother, Don Silberman of Espanola, N.M.; two sisters, Ruth Lewis and Gloria Silberman of Rockford; several nieces; nephews; cousins; and aunts.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Carol Schauer; and two brothers, Robert Silberman and Merrill Silberman.
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 16 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Durand with Rev. Lee Bennight officiating. Cremation rites accorded.
A memorial fund has been established in his memory.
Arrangements by Kenneth L. Countryman Funeral Home in Pecatonica.
Marie Wyss
SHANNON -- Marie Wyss, 96, of Shannon, died Sunday, July 11, 2004 at the Freeport Rehabilitation and Health Care Center.
She was born Dec. 1, 1907 in Exeter Township rural New Glarus, Wis.; daughter of Peter and Barbara (Klassy) Steiner.
She married Oscar J. Wyss Feb. 20, 1941, in New Glarus. He died Feb. 11, 2000.
They had farmed in the Browntown and Lena area before retiring and moving to Monroe and then Shannon in 1988.
She was a member of Salem United Church of Christ in Lena. She enjoyed gardening and growing flowers. She loved sharing her cooking, canning and baking with family and friends.
She is survived by two daughters, Judith (Merek) Bastian of Shannon, Ruth (Albert) Thede of Shannon; three grandchildren, Jason (Dawn) Thede of Freeport, Debra Bastian of Buffalo Grove, Joy (Bradley) Lott of Tampa, Fla.; three great-grandchildren, Jake Robert Thede and Bailey Leigh Thede of Freeport, and Olivia Paige Lott of Tampa, Fla.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; two sisters, Elizabeth Altmann and Barbara Stauffacher; three nieces and one nephew.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Chapel of Peace at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Freeport, preceded by a visitation starting at 10:30 a.m.
Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Hermann Funeral Home in Shannon.
A memorial fund has been established for the Salem United Church of Christ.
Leverne Mitchell
FREEPORT -- Leverne Mitchell, 89, of Freeport, died Monday, July 12, 2004 at FHN Memorial Hospital.
Arrangements are pending at the Hermann Funeral Home in Stockton.
Kathryn L. Brown
FREEPORT -- Kathryn L. Brown, 74, died Saturday, July 10, 2004, in Bartlett.
She was born Oct. 16, 1929, in Freeport to Harry D. and Kathryn R. (Hill) Johnson.
She married George O. Brown in Freeport on June 12, 1949.
Her greatest joy in life was spending time with her children and grandchildren.
Survivors are one daughter, Pam (Rick) Taylor of Muncie, Ind.; one son, Doug (Beth) Brown of Bartlett; five grandchildren, Rich, Todd and Trisha Taylor, Brandt (Carrie) and Scott (Kelly Skawski) Brown; one brother, Charles D. (Ginny) Johnson of Freeport; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and two brothers, Harry H. and Theodore R.
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church in Freeport with the Rev. David Krueger officiating.
A memorial has been established for the American Heart Association.
