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Obituaries

Ryley Ansel Finley, 30

Ryley Ansel Finley, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colo., passed away on Dec. 10, 2021, at UC Memorial Central Hospital in Colorado Springs surrounded by his loving family. His sudden passing has left a void in the hearts of those who knew him. He was born May 22,1991, in Woodstock to Robyn Bates and Ronald Finley. He was a self-taught guitarist and passionate in his craft. He was an avid fan of the musical group Coheed and Cambria, of which he would frequent their concerts when able. When he wasn’t playing or composing music, he enjoyed drawing and playing video games – Super Smash Brothers was his favorite. He was affectionately nicknamed “Knuckles” and “Vegeta,” respectively. He was a third-degree blackbelt

Deanna K. Bohn, 76

Born: Feb 20, 1945, in Woodstock Died: Dec 9, 2021; in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Deanna K. Bohn, 76, of Woodstock, passed away Dec. 9, 2021, at the home of her son, Leon Bohn, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She was born Feb, 20, 1945, in Woodstock to Leon C. Rahn and Laurabelle (Strauss) Rahn. She married her husband of 47 years, Larry R. Bohn, on Feb. 17, 1968. Deanna was a 1963 graduate of Woodstock High School. A lifetime member of Grace Lutheran Church, Deanna served early on as a Sunday school teacher and later actively assisted with communion. She, with husband, Larry, were part-owners of Bohn’s on the Square,and Bohn’s Ace Hardware from 1968 to 2018. Deanna, lover of colorful

Marilyn K. Johnson, 65

Marilyn K. Johnson, 65, raised in Woodstock, died peacefully Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, at Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital in Chicago. She was born in Walworth, Wis., on Jan. 25, 1956, to Harold and Rita (Roberts) Ihler. She was self-employed cleaning houses for over 35 years in Chicago. Marilyn loved spending time with friends and family. She enjoyed helping others at all costs and treated everyone as if they were part of the family. She is survived by her two children, Brandon Cunningham and Brian (Karla) Mols; two brothers, Chris Johnson and Brian Ihler; and two sisters, Renee (Keith) Huff and Jackie (Jerry) Colquhoun. She was preceded in death by her parents; a daughter, Kristina Johnson; and two brothers, Harold (Scott)

Gibson ‘Gib’ Kurtz Jr., 88

For the past decade, if you called our father and reached his voicemail, you would have heard: “This is Gib Kurtz. Possibly I’m alive and possibly I’m not, but I’ll try to get back to you if I am.” A view into Gib’s love of life and recognition of death.  On Dec. 3, Gibson Cochran Kurtz Jr. passed away at the age of 88 years young. Gib was a great athlete, a creative, prolific wood craftsman, and a well-respected high school teacher and coach. Gib was driven and passionate about everything he did. He also was an expert linguist of proper English – regularly correcting his adult daughters’ grammar.  Gib attended East St. Louis High School, where he played basketball.

David F. Miller, 92

David F. Miller, age 92, of Monroe, Wis., died peacefully Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, at Monroe Hospice Home. He was born on March 31, 1929, in Dundee, Ill., the son of Chris and Clara (Gloede) Miller. He attended Dundee High School. David married his best friend and the light and love of his life. June E. Landwehr. on Nov. 23, 1951, in Bartlett, Ill. He was a dairy farmer his entire life, and he never really retired. His last day driving a tractor was July 23. He was a member of Monroe United Methodist Church and was Clarno Township supervisor for over 30 years. David was happiest when spending time with his family and always enjoyed it when the grandchildren

Loretta Spingola, 96

Born: May 25, 1925, in Chicago Died: Dec. 2, 2021, in Elmhurst, Ill. Loretta Spingola, 96, of Elmhurst, Ill., died peacefully at home under hospice care on Dec. 2, 2021. She was born May 25, 1925, in Chicago to parents Jacob and Anna (Celar) Korenchan, who each had immigrated to Chicago from Yugoslavia in the early 1900s. She is the mother of Woodstock resident Janet Dovidio. Loretta married Joseph Spingola of Chicago in 1948. They lived in Elmhurst, where they raised five children. The family now includes 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. During her years as a homemaker, Loretta was a frequent volunteer for many groups, especially at her church, Visitation Catholic Church in Elmhurst. She played bridge several times

Gene A. Boelter, 77

Gene A. Boelter, age 77, of Woodstock, passed away Dec. 1, 2021, in Barrington with his loving family by his side. He was born in New London, Wis., on April 2, 1944, the son of Ruben and Inez (Verhagen) Boelter. He married Sandra Olcott on March 15, 1969, at Zion Lutheran Church in McHenry. Gene graduated from McHenry High School and a year later served in the Army from 1965 until 1967. He worked for Dean’s Foods for over 25 years as an over-the-road semi driver. After retiring from Dean’s, he was a school bus driver for District 200 for 25 years. Gene was a long-time member, elder, and altar guild of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Woodstock. He was

Sally G. Heydon, 88

Born: Aug. 26, 1933, in Coronado, Calif. Died: Nov. 14, 2021, in Woodstock Sally Heydon, 88, of Woodstock, passed peacefully at Valley Hi Nursing and Rehab after enduring more than 15 years with dementia. She was born Aug. 26, 1933, in Coronado, Calif., to Julian D. Greer and Eleanor Jones Greer.  Sally’s father was a naval aviator who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He earned the rank of captain before being killed in a plane crash. Due to his nomadic military career, Sally had a charmed and well-traveled childhood, including living on Ipanema Beach, Rio, Brazil, where she attended three years of high school. Her family also lived in Hawaii, Rhode Island, Atlanta, and California several times.  Sally attended Miami of

Anna Bitschura, 89

Born: April 26, 1932, in Germany Died: Nov. 19, 2021, in Barrington, Ill. Anna Bitschura, 89, of Woodstock, died peacefully, in her sleep, on Nov. 19, 2021, at JourneyCare in Barrington, Ill. She was born April 26, 1932, in Germany to Joseph and Amalie (Beck) Mader. Anna graduated from professional school, as a seamstress, in 1952. Sewing was only one of a long list of skills that she maintained of efficiency and proficiency. She never backed down from a challenge and was always busy. She was an excellent cook, baker, loved to knit, crochet, garden, and make holiday snow angels. In her earlier years, she loved to go dancing with friends on Saturday nights. In the later years, she liked

George T. Kruse, 81

George T. Kruse, 81, of Lansing, Ill., formerly of Woodstock passed away on Sunday Nov. 21, 2021. George was born in Woodstock on July 15, 1940, to Victor and Josephine (Taylor) Kruse. He married Mary Genovese on May 4, 1968. He served in the U.S. Army. He worked as a certified public accountant for all his life. He loved staying involved with his family, his children, and grandchildren. He loved to golf and be involved in his grandchildren’s sports. He was loved and will be missed. He is survived by two sons, George David (Faith) Kruse and Brian Kruse; five grandchildren, Maddie, Christian, Taylor, Kevin, and Hannah; two sisters, Victoria (Paul) Thuma and Anna (Tim) Zahn; and many nieces and

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