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Obituaries

Vernon Lee Foat, 76, Westfield, Wis.

Vernon Lee Foat, 76, Westfield, Wis., died Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. He was born Sept. 2, 1939, to Raymond and Louise Foat in Woodstock.  On Dec. 10, 1975, he married Janet Rounds in Woodstock.  He was an amateur roller skater in McHenry who participated in competitions. He worked most of his life as a produce grocer and retired from Alexander’s of Westfield. He enjoyed fishing, Western movies and music, repairing small engines at his repair shop, and operating J+V Video, a store he shared with his wife. Survivors include a sister, Nancy Nusbaum; five children, Michael Foat, Jeffrey (Linda) Foat, Toni (Jim) Hoy, Candy Foat and Christina Angel; two stepchildren, Ralph (Diane) Rounds and Janet (Timothy) Bieschke; 22 grandchildren; 14

Faith Evelyn Kies, 16, Woodstock

Faith Evelyn Kies, 16, Woodstock, died Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Phoenix, Ariz. She was born Dec. 2, 1999, to Stormy and Sue (Kavanagh) Kies in McHenry. She was a sophomore at Woodstock North High School where she was an honor roll student who held herself to very high standards, insisting that she receive A’s in every class. She participated in many school activities. She worked on the school play last semester by preparing the props for every performance.  She was on the track and field team at school, and she enjoyed running other 5K events with her family for fun. She enjoyed being an office assistant at the high school because she liked to help people, and she always

Wayne K. Gieseke, 77, Garden Prairie

Wayne K. Gieseke, 77, Garden Prairie, died Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, at Mercy Harvard Hospital, Harvard. He was born Sept. 1, 1938, to Lester and Mildred (Bieger) Gieseke in Evanston.  On Feb. 4, 1961, he married Josephine K. Lohr in Arlington Heights.  He served in the U.S. Army.  He was a member of the Plumbers Union 130 U.A. Survivors include his wife; three children, Wanda (Jeff) Grover, Wendy (Gordy) Rinda and Wayne (Pam) Gieseke Jr.; three grandchildren, Colin Grover, Kelsey Grover and Georgia Rinda; two sisters, Jean Strom and Donna Anderson; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. A memorial gathering will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, at Schneider-Leucht-Merwin

Margaret Sandner Eyre, 98, Woodstock

Margaret Sandner Eyre, 98, died Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016. She was born May 9, 1918, at the corner of Lawrence and Mannheim roads on a tomato and onion farm. The farm was owned by Mr. Busse and farmed by her parents, Ed and Elisabeth Sandner, Austrian immigrants who arrived before World War I. They farmed for a half share of the crops.  She was inducted into the National Honor Society at York High School. Upon her graduation in 1936, she attended Gregg Business College. Her first job was working for the Donnelley Publishing Company, and later she became the office manager for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in Elmhurst.  In 1943 she met her husband, Leonard W. Eyre, a cowboy from

Jean Alice (Faulkner) Handke, 92, Woodstock

Jean Alice (Faulkner) Handke died Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, at Hearthstone Manor, Woodstock, joining her beloved husband, Jim.  She was born Nov. 24, 1923, to James and Ruth (Williams) Faulkner in Chicago. On July 31, 1949, she married James Handke in San Jose, Ill. She resided there until the family moved to Wheaton in 1932. She graduated from Wheaton High School in 1941, and continued her education at Western Illinois University in Macomb, where she received a Bachelor in Education in 1946. She began her teaching career in San Jose where she taught commercial subjects at San Jose High School for four years. It was there that she met and married her husband. They resided in San Jose for five

Carol Ann “Chippy” Sweeney, 73, Woodstock

Carol Ann “Chippy” Sweeney, 73, Woodstock, died Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, at Centegra Hospital, Woodstock, surrounded by her loving family. She was born July 21, 1942, in Pittsburgh and was raised in Chippewa Township, Pa.  She attended school in Beaver Falls, Pa.  Nicknamed Chippy, she loved gardening and maintained several gardens at home and at her campsite. She worked and managed several floral departments for Jewel Foods for 15 years until semi-retiring, then worked in several gardening areas at Flowerwood in Crystal Lake until her retirement. She enjoyed volunteering throughout the years at the Woodstock Moose Lodge. She also served on the Board of Officers for the Women of the Moose and was elevated to Collegiate Degree of Honor. Survivors include

Karin Nulle, 63, Woodstock

Karin Nuelle, 63, Woodstock, died Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, at Advocate Condell Medical Center, Libertyville.  She was born June 9, 1952, at Fort Bragg, N.C. As a result of her military upbringing, she was a former resident of many places around the world including Virginia, Norway and Germany. She lived in Woodstock for the past 25 years. She was a 1974 graduate of Indiana University, and served for more than two decades as executive director for the Illinois Head Start Association’s Community Action Agency for McHenry County. She was a past president of the Woodstock Rotary Club where she was very active. She also was active in the Woodstock community, in particular with the Christmas Clearing House program.  Survivors include

Richard A. Soboleski, 77, Woodstock

Richard A. Soboleski, 77, Woodstock, died peacefully Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, after a long battle with heart disease. Born in Chicago, he was self-employed as a home-improvement exhibition producer and retired from his livelihood 15 years ago. He was a Chicago sports fan and particularly loved the Bulls, Cubs and Bears. Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Judith; three sisters, Patricia (Nick) Pagoria, Delores (Don) Chapman and Julie (Victor) Victa; and many beloved nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Julius and Ann (Jotowski) Soboleski; and his stepmother, Clara (Kryger) Soboleski.  Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at St. Mary Catholic Church, 312 Lincoln Ave., Woodstock, until the funeral Mass at

Norlita Chidester, 70, Woodstock

Norlita Chidester, 70, Woodstock, died Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, at her home. She was born May 17, 1945, to Maximo and Vicenta (Sales) Aggacid in Bacarra Ilocos Norte, Philippines. On Dec. 17, 1971, she married Robert A. Chidester in Oak Park. She graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in nursing. She went on to further her education at Loyola University in Chicago where she obtained her master’s degree as a nursing instructor. She also had a master’s degree from Governors State University. She worked at Cook County Hospital for more than 35 years. She was proud to have attended her class reunion celebrating her 50th graduation anniversary from the University of the Philippines. She loved to garden

Rudy Torres, 69, Wonder Lake

Rudy Torres, 69, Wonder Lake, died Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in his home. He was born Nov. 11, 1946, to Francisco and Christina Torres in San Antonio, Texas. Sharing his life and resources was his personality. He enjoyed cooking and hosting family parties. He was an excellent guitar player and always knew every word to every song. He loved animals, especially his beloved dog Jack. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his loving family and will be missed by all who knew him. He is survived by many children including Doreen (Darby) Brown, Michell (Bob) Ariss, Rudy (Amy) Torres Jr., Robert (Jennifer) Torres, Christina (Eric) Schubert and Rico Reed. Other survivors include many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; five siblings,

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