George Lilja, 92, of Woodstock, Ill., passed away at Journey Care in Barrington, Ill., on March 18, 2021. He was born Jan. 18, 1929, to Oscar and Alice (Marvin) Lilja in Woodstock. On Oct. 17, 1953, he married Marilyn Nelson at the First United Methodist Church in Woodstock. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; his son, Scott (Doreen) Lilja; two granddaughters, Rhiannon Lilja and Tyler (Jamie) Cassidy; one grandson, Christopher (Rebecca) Lilja; one stepgrandson, Dustin Church; five great-grandchildren, Savannah and Sienna Lilja, Noah and Hadleigh Cassidy, and Leah Church; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Steven Lilja; two brothers, Lester and LaVern; and a sister, Dolores Lilja. George was a

Kirk B. Halma, age 64, of Woodstock, Ill., passed away peacefully at home on March 16, 2021, with his loving, fun wife, Kate, at his side, his beloved dogs at his feet, and some of his favorite ’70s rock songs shared by his best friend Bruce McConnell playing.  After graduating from Woodstock High School (Class of ’75) and Marquette University, Kirk worked his way through careers in insurance; he partnered with his father to operate a hardware store; he ventured into computer-aided design; and spent many successful years at Centerville Properties. At the age of 52, he dedicated his life’s work to training dogs and became known for his success in rectifying some of the most challenging dogs. During his

Katherine C. Schultz, age 79, of Woodstock, passed away Friday March 12, 2021, at JourneyCare Hospice Inpatient Unit in Barrington. She was born in Woodstock on Oct. 5, 1941, to Emery and Glenna (Fransisco) Cross. She married Donald Schultz on June 18, 1960; he passed away on May 2, 2011. She then married Paul Laudick on Nov. 8, 2013. She began her career at the McHenry County Courthouse on Oct. 16, 1959, at the County Clerk’s Office. She was first elected as county clerk on Nov. 1, 1990, and continued serving until her retirement on Nov. 29, 2014. She was the only county employee to serve for over 50 years and was recognized for her achievement by the Illinois General

Sharon Browne, age 85, of Woodstock, Ill., passed away on Tuesday March 16, 2021, She was born Jan. 4, 1936, to Rudolph and Esther Kren. She was married to Chuck Browne on Nov. 20, 1971. Sharon graduated from the University of Wisconsin­-Milwaukee, with a degree in education. She taught at Fisher Elementary School in Wauwatosa, Wis. Over the years, she and her family lived in Arlington Heights, Ill., Evansville, Ind., Franklin, Wis., Brentwood, Tenn., Peachtree City, Ga., and Woodstock.  She enjoyed having fun with her three grandsons, and her winter vacations with her husband in the desert of southern California. She loved playing golf and hit three holes-in-one at Rancho Casa Blanca Golf Course in Indio, Calif. She was a

Donald R. Johnson, 95, of Woodstock, passed away March 6, 2021, due to complications of COVID-19. He was born on Dec. 22, 1925, in Rockford, Ill., to Clyde and Amanda (née Christopherson) Johnson. Don was a veteran of World War II. He served in the Army Air Corps and was also in the Navy V6 program. On his birthday in 1950, he married Joanne Peterson. They were married 67 years before her passing in December of 2017. He will be greatly missed by his children, Dianne Wagner and Ellen (Chris) Dahm; grandchildren, Matt Gummerson, Paul Vivirito, Jen (Kyle) Oliver, Phil (Kristen) Dahm, and Bryan (Cindy) Dahm; great-grandchildren, Lily Oliver, Regan Oliver, Gavin Dahm, Madeline Dahm and Jack Dahm.  Don was

The life of Vernon S. Stenoien ended peacefully at home in the early morning of March 4, 2021 Vern was born in Cooperstown, N.D. on March 13, 1931, to Pastor Gilbert and his wife, Emma. He was a child who loved to learn and grew up with nine siblings; only two remain: Daniel M. Stenoien and Borghild Gisselquist (101 years old). When he was 3, he lost his father, and his mother died when he was 13. He had many early learning opportunities, from being “obsessed with plowing a straight furrow at the age of 12” to doing “all the required maintenance” on his treasured bike because it was “important to me both from the standpoint of pleasure and need

Ann S. Hughes, 77, passed away March 3, 2021, at home in Woodstock, Ill.  She was born in Ogdensburg, N.Y., the daughter of Robert N. Simonsen and Marian Rownd Simonsen. She was a graduate of Orange High School at Pepper Pike, Ohio, and received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wells College in Aurora, N.Y., in 1965. After graduating, she taught at Hood College in Frederick, Md., for a year. She married Earl Hughes Jr on Feb. 18, 1967, and lived in Colorado Springs, Colo., until his release from the Army November 1967, when they moved to Woodstock. Ann fully participated in life and was never afraid of a challenge. She was secretary-treasurer of Hughes Seed Farms and secretary-treasurer of

Dr. Roy J. Habeck, born Oct. 11, 1933, to Otto and Ida Habeck of the town of Richmond, Shawano County, Wisconsin, passed away on March 1, 2021. Born the youngest of six surviving children in his generation, he was the only one who attended high school, and eventually earned a doctorate degree in educational administration. After graduating from Shawano High School in 1951, Roy attended what is now UW-Stevens Point, graduating with a two-year degree in rural education. While there, he met Phyllis Hazelwood, also earning a rural education degree. The couple married on Aug. 29, 1953, shortly before they began teaching at Hancock, Wis., grade school. Roy also coached basketball, leading the boys’ team to a 7-3 record. While