by Steve Peterson Woodstock area football fans also have a second game in town Sept. 11, in addition to the Woodstock-Woodstock North clash. Marian Ce…
September 9, 2026
Joseph Anton Pienschke, 85, passed away on September 5, 2026, at Valley Hi Nursing Home in Woodstock.
He was born on June 28, 1941, in Belvidere, IL and grew up in Elmwood Park, IL. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corp at the age of 17, serving from 1959 to 1963.
Joe was a plumber for over 60 years and was the Plumbing Inspector for 10 years with the City of Crystal Lake, and part time Plumbing Inspector for the Village of Carpentersville. He also served as a Plumbing Inspector with B&F Technical Code Service and TPI Building Code Consultants. He was a past President of the Northern Illinois Plumbing Association. Joe was the Owner and President of Independent Plumbing Consultants, and he founded an Apprenticeship Program for Plumbers in 1995. He was also an Instructor at the IPC Apprenticeship Program to help plumbing apprentices get their state certifications, with those classes being held at the Black Diamond Plumbing and Mechanical facility in McHenry, IL.
Joe was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Woodstock, serving six years on the church council, and as a Deacon, as well as other committees. He was the Vice President of the Woodstock Area Community Ministries (WACM) for several years.
Joe is survived by his wife of 31 years, June; his sons, Anton (Linda) Pienschke and Salvatore Pienschke; stepdaughters, Jodi (Joe) De Luca and Wendi Lesniak; grandchildren, Joseph (Amanda) Tanke, Cailyn (Courtney) Markin, Michael, Anna, and Christopher Pienschke, Jeff (Chelsey) Lesniak, Jennifer (Sam) Bursell, Sarah (John) Coulter, and Katie and Connor Hamm; and great-grandchildren, Emmett and Nash Lesniak, Henry and Grant Coulter, Reece Tanke, Caden and Liam Stasiewicz, and one more on the way; brother, Kenneth (Cindy) Zimmerman; sisters-in-law Judy (John) Hansen, Jeanne (Gary) Collen, and Penny Zimmerman; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Anton and Estelle Pienschke; his in-laws Raymond and Julia Stolz, and step son-in-law, Walter Lesniak.
A memorial gathering will be held on Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 9:00 AM until the time of the memorial service at 11:00 AM, at Grace Lutheran Church, 1300 Kishwaukee Valley Road, Woodstock, IL 60098. Inurnment will follow at McHenry County Memorial Park Cemetery in Woodstock.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Grace Lutheran Church or to the Alzheimer’s Association.