Ralph E. Westman, age 77, of Woodstock, passed away Dec. 31, 2019, at his home in Woodstock surrounded by his family. He was born on Oct. 18, 1942, in Woodstock to Alvin and Zelda (Sanders) Westman. Ralph grew up in Woodstock and graduated from Woodstock High School in 1960. After he graduated he served in the United States Army from April 1960 until April 1963 and spent and additional three years in the Army Reserve. When he returned home he opened Ralphs Automotive in 1965. In 1998 he opened Woodstock Whizzer Works. He was the Hoosier tire man for Lake Geneva Raceway. He enjoyed building race cars and hanging out at the track. He loved working on cars, going to

A celebration of life for former Woodstock Community School District 200 board member Robert William “Bob” Birchfield will be held on Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Schneider, Leucht, Merwin, & Cooney funeral home, 1211 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098. The visitation will continue Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, from 9:30 a.m. until the funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church, 312 Lincoln Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098. Burial will be in Calvary Catholic Cemetery. He passed away at his Woodstock home on Sunday, Dec. 29. Bob was born Oct. 25, 1925, to Paul Birchfield and Clois Speer Birchfield Sutton in Detroit, Mich. After graduating from Maine Township High School in 1943, he

Born: March 14, 1921, in Alsace-Lorraine, France Died: Dec. 27, 2019, in Woodstock, Ill. Mariette Ann Wilson was born March 14, 1921, in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France to Eugene Griesmar and Marie Emma Lantsoght. In hopes of finding a better life for his family, her father brought her to the United States in 1922 where they entered the country through Ellis Island in New York City. Due to quotas being imposed on immigrants at the time, her mother was not allowed into the country until a month later. The family first worked on a farm near Sandwich, Ill., that Mariette’s uncle owned until 1932, when they moved to DeKalb, Ill., and settled in a house her father built with

Keith Charles Emricson, 76, of Wimauma, Fla., passed away Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019 surrounded by family. He was born Aug. 3, 1943, in Woodstock, Ill., to Thore and Hulda (Shultz) Emricson. He married Judy A. Belcher on Oct. 21, 1982, in Gibsonton, Fla. He served in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany. He worked several years offshore, then found his calling in fencing and started his own company, D&E fencing, with David Dillard. He then began working for Merchants Metals as assistant manager in 1998 and retired in 2008. He loved to fish. It was his passion. He always looked forward to his annual fishing trips with his brothers in past years. He enjoyed the countless fishing trips with Billy

Born: Aug. 10, 1926 Died: Dec. 11, 2019 William J. “Bill” Luallen, age 93, passed away after a brief illness at Hearthstone with JourneyCare Hospice. He was born the e11th of 12 children to Artie and Alice (Burress) Luallen in Oden, Ind., on Aug. 10, 1926. At age 18 he was inducted in the Army on Nov. 17, 1944, serving in Europe near the end of WWII. After the war, Bill and his brother, Logan, drove for and partially owned a trucking company in Woodhull, Ill. Sept. 10, 1948, Bill married Beverly Anderson in New Windsor, Ill. With their two children, Steven K. and Kristine R., they moved to Woodstock, where Bill completed his 30-year employment with the Michigan Wisconsin

Melissa J. Rhino (née Thome), age 54, of Woodstock, passed away at home on Nov. 27, 2019, after she bravely fought a long battle with anorexia nervosa. Melissa Joelene Thome was born Jan. 1, 1965, to Jack and Charlene Thome in Des Plaines, Ill. After Melissa finished grade school, the family moved to Woodstock, where she later became a graduate of Woodstock High School. She has resided in Woodstock for the last 42 years with her husband, Albert (Al) Rhino, and their three children. While her children were young and in school, Melissa was a stay-at-home mom, with the exception of working as a cleaning lady for a few families over the years. Cleaning, organizing, and straightening were things Melissa

March 13, 1941 – Nov. 20, 2019 Judith Jean Harding passed away in Woodstock, Ill., on Nov. 20, 2019, surrounded by her family following a short illness. Judy lived most of her life in Woodstock with her loving husband of 54 years, John E. Harding. Over the past few years they called Sanibel, Fla., their permanent home. Judy and John shared a wonderful life that began as 14 years-old’s attending St. Mary Catholic High School. A graduate of Loretto Heights College in Denver, Judy always remembered her years there as well as the friendships that endured her entire life. She loved meeting people and developing friendships by having the unique ability to strike up conversations with people no matter where

John A. Kruse, 70, of Woodstock, Ill., passed away peacefully at his home Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, after a five-year battle with prostate cancer. John was born Nov. 10, 1949, to the late Paul and Carol Kruse in Addison, Ill. The family moved to rural Woodstock in 1957. He was a U.S. Navy veteran serving on a mine sweeper in the Mediterranean during the late 1960s at the height of the Cold War. He had a 48-year career as the “Cable Guy,” starting out digging ditches in the initial cable install days in Coventry, Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, and Carpentersville, and retired as a highly regarded field engineer upgrading and installing cable systems all over North America. John was