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Obituaries

Marjorie (Marge) L. Birk, 101

Marjorie (Marge) L. Birk of Woodstock passed peacefully into eternal life on Dec. 22, 2021, at St. Joseph Hospital, Elgin. She was born on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1920, in Big Foot, Ill., to Charles and Ida (Miller) Brunner. She married Vernon E. Birk on June 27, 1938, and moved to Woodstock in 1942. They were married six weeks short of their 60th anniversary. She worked for 13 years at the Woodstock Hospital on South Street, where she was the first housekeeper supervisor. She also worked for Allied Printing, The Woodstock Sentinel, and was a member of Grace Lutheran Church of Woodstock for 78 years. She was a great volunteer at the church, working on funeral lunches, sewing circle for

Nancy J. Moore, 90

Nancy Joy (née Lyon) Moore, 90, of Woodstock, died peacefully at home with family by her side on Monday, Dec.27, 2021. Nancy was born on Dec. 15, 1931, to Charles and Mildred (Haffron) Lyon in Geneva, Ill. She had a rough start in life, as she lost both of her parents before she was 5 years old. But she was lovingly raised by her maternal grandparents, William and Hildegard Haffron, with lots of help from her aunts and uncles, Forrest and Evelyn Lyon and Ray and Leah MacDonald. Nancy enjoyed an idyllic childhood growing up West Chicago, Ill., and spending summers at her grandparents’ cottage on Silver Lake in Wautoma, Wis., swimming, canoeing, and working as a lifeguard. She graduated

Linda Schiller Puckett, 61

Linda Schiller Puckett, 61, died peacefully Friday, Nov. 5, 2021, surrounded by her husband, Jeff Puckett, Columbus, Ohio, who spoke words of love, and sons, Jonathan (Amber) Puckett, Newnan, Ga., Christopher (Molly) Puckett , New York, N.Y.); daughter, Melanie (Brian) Casparro, Maple Valley, Wash.; and grandchildren, Elaina and Matthew. Linda and her twin sister, Lora Schiller Green (Tom Hogan), Crystal Lake, were born to Vernon and Jean Schiller, McHenry, Nov. 21, 1959, in Woodstock, followed by sisters, Tamara Beck (Rick), Kirkland, Wash., and Susan Sokolowski (Tom), Boulder, Colo., and many nieces and nephews, who will miss her dearly. Linda grew up on a cattle farm in McHenry. She loved her horses and horseback riding and spending her days outside.In 1982,

Vytautas S. ‘Vito’ Lukas, 83

Vytautas S. “Vito” Lukas, 83, passed away peacefully in his home on Dec. 24, 2021. He was born on July 30, 1938, in Klaipeda, Lithuania, the second child and only son of Stasys and Ona (Gedvilas) Lukasevicius. He spent his early childhood in Karmelava, a rural village outside of Kaunas. When the Soviet army invaded Lithuania during World War II, his family fled westward, stopping in Germany, where they survived Allied bombings and found a temporary home in a displaced persons camp. Vito and his family immigrated to the U.S. in 1951 and settled in Chicago. He attended Sacred Heart elementary school and Harrison Tech High School, where he was a member of the track team. He enjoyed singing in

Douglas ‘Doug’ Martin, 66

Douglas “Doug” Martin passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Dec. 19, 2021. He was born in Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 29, 1955, and was the only child to Robert and Dorothy (Weinhold) Martin. After graduating from Lawrence Technological University, he married Suzanne “Sue” Hurley of Dearborn, Mich., on Christmas Eve 1981. He worked as an engineer for nearly 40 years and retired in 2017. After the passing of his beloved wife, Sue, Doug married Dawn (Bishop) Martin on May 13, 2017. Doug and Dawn cared for many horses, dogs, and cats on their farm in Edwardsburg, Mich. Doug was compelled to help those in need – whether it was lending a hand, providing support or guidance. His

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

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