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Obituaries

David A. Sova, 79

David A. Sova of Poplar Grove passed away peacefully at Mercy Health Riverside campus on May 14, 2020.He was born May 5, 1941, in Oswego, N.Y., to Lawrence and Betty (Pryor) Sova. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1958 to 1962.He married Carole Schwake on Oct. 27, 1962, in San Jose, Calif., who survives. He is also survived by a daughter, Debbie (James) Boettcher, and four sons, Robert (Belinda) Sova, Kevin (Connie) Sova, Keith (Barbara) Sova, and Larry (Patsy) Sova.He is also survived by his sisters, Josephine (Richard) Roach, Karen Sova, and Sheila (George) Todd; brothers, Daniel (Teresa) Sova and Wayne (Doreen) Sova; 16 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.He was preceded in death by his

James A. Zoia, 89

James A. Zoia, 89, of Woodstock, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 9, 2020, at his home, surrounded by his family.He was born March 24, 1931, in Chicago to Eugene P. and Marie E. (Callahan) Zoia. He married Shirley Dacy on Sept. 13, 1958. She passed away on Dec.24, 1967. Jim then married Shirley E. Bell on June 7, 1969. She passed away on April 27, 2015.Jim was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Woodstock. He was a veteran, serving in the U.S. Army as an MP stationed in Verdun, France, during the Korean War. When he returned home after the war, he immediately went to work with his father in the family business, Zoia Monument Co. in

Irene T. (Kaminski) Range

Born: April 5, 1930Died: May 9, 2020 Irene was born in Chicago, Ill., on April 5, 1930, to Alex and Anna Kaminski. In the early 1930s, the Depression led them to a farm outside Marengo, Ill., where Irene attended a one-room school house along with her two older brothers and other local farm children. She graduated from Marengo High School with the class of 1947.Irene met Don Range at a roller rink in 1948. She and Don married on a beautiful warm, sunny April 22 in 1950 and never looked back.Irene was a true superwoman of the ’60s and ’70s, able to mow the lawn, get the laundry done, make an awesome pot roast dinner, and manage her children and

Dolores (Conway) Sporleder, 92

Dolores (Conway) Sporleder, age 92, died peacefully of natural causes on April 4, 2020, at home in Bonita Springs, Fla., with her husband, Kenny, at her side.Dolores was born on Aug. 10, 1927, in Marengo, Ill., to the late Frank and Ella (Metlicka) Holy. She was raised on a small farm and attended Kanaly school, a one-room schoolhouse that served Seneca and Marengo townships. Her family then moved to Woodstock, where she was enrolled at Woodstock High School and graduated in 1945. After that, she worked in the office of Autolite.Dolores and her first husband, William “Bill” Conway, had seven children: Kathleen, Timothy, Denise, Michael, Diane, Mary, and Daniel. When their marriage ended, Dolores raised their children on her own

Bobbi Lile Davis, 65

It is with sadness that the family of Bobbi Lile Davis announces her unexpected passing on May 3, 2020, after suffering medical complications from an illness.Bobbi was born in Woodstock on Nov. 3, 1954, the first child of Arthur and Donna (BeGole) Lile. In 1983, she married Charles A. Davis of Greenwood.She was a 1972 graduate of Woodstock Community High School. She went on to complete her bachelor’s degree at Northern Illinois University and a MSW at George Williams College. She had retired as a social worker for the Special Education District of McHenry County after many years.Bobbi lived in Woodstock nearly all her life and resided in several homes within blocks of each other. She was “the face” of

Edward Marion Nickels, 89

Edward Marion Nickels, 89, a former Chicago police officer, died on May 2, 2020. Edward retired as the commander of the Bomb and Arson Division of the Chicago Police Department, after 31 years of dedicated police service. While rising in the ranks of the department and raising a family with four daughters, he took courses at night to earn a degree of Bachelor of Arts from DePaul University. He later attended DePaul University School of Law and earned his Juris Doctorate degree. After retiring from the department, Edward was appointed as the director of Arson Investigations for the office of the State Fire Marshal.He is survived by his beloved wife of 70 years, Stephany Nickels (née Madrzyk). He was the

Gerald E. Rockers, 71

Gerald E. Rockers, 71, a long-time resident of Woodstock, Ill., passed away peacefully on April 27, 2020 in Durham, N.C., surrounded by family. Gerry was born and raised on a farm in Austin, Minn., and is a proud graduate of Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.Gerry was a dedicated IT professional, serving clients over many years throughout the Chicagoland area. He was a devout Catholic, and many of his clients were local Catholic schools in McHenry County. He was an avid Chicago sports fan, and loved nothing more than watching or talking sports with his siblings, kids, grandkids, and many friends.He was the son of Harold and Dolores Rockers of Austin, Minn., and he was one of nine kids in

Gene W. Zimmerman, 73

Gene W. Zimmerman of Woodstock passed away on Monday, April 27, 2020, at the Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital.He was born in Florence, Ala., on Sept. 12, 1946, to Donald and Mona Jeanne (Dittman) Zimmerman. He married Nancy Schiller on May 6, 1972, in Woodstock.Gene went to Woodstock Community High School, a graduate from the class of 1964. He went on to serve his country after graduation. With his father and a brother, he owned and operated Zimmerman Construction for many years.His hobbies included fishing, biking and hiking. He made beautiful bird houses using natural materials, giving them to many friends and relatives. He took great pride in his yard at home planting many flowers that were enjoyed by all his

Steven Fish, 60

It is with profound sadness that the family of Steven Fish announces his passing on April 26, 2020. Steven did not go gentle into the good night, but waged a hard-fought battle against cancer; he was courageous throughout it all.Steven was born Dec. 24, 1959, the son of John and Barbara Fish. He attended Woodstock public schools and was a graduate of the University of Illinois. His initial career was in advertising, and he was a partner in the Chicago firm of Grey Directory Marketing. Steven’s interest in horses and the horse world was long standing. Upon his marriage to Heidi Austin, a professional and nationally known equestrian and trainer of the hunter/jumper class, the horse world became his world

Dennis Wolf, 74

Dennis Wolf, 74, of Fowler, Ill., formerly of Wood Dale, Ill., passed away at 10:21 a.m. Tuesday, April 21, 2020, at his home.There are no services planned at this time. A Life Celebration for Dennis will be held at a later date.Arrangements for cremation are under the direction of the O’Donnell-Cookson Life Celebration Home in Quincy, Ill.Dennis was born June 10, 1945, in Cook County, Ill., to Harry and Gertrude Graham Wolf.Dennis is survived by two children, Dennis Wolf Jr. (Frances) of Fowler, Ill., and Natalie Casson of Woodstock, Ill.; nine grandchildren, Brittany Wolf, Cory Wolf, Shannon Wolf, Garret Smid, Ryan Smid, Kyle Casson, Caleb Casson, Chris Richardson, and Mary Richardson; three great-grandchildren, Gabriel Seagle, Emily Martinez, and Paisley Wolf;

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