Today's Obituaries and Guest Books

DeKALB – Nancy Rockstead, 81, of DeKalb, passed away on Friday, May 17, 2013 at Kishwaukee Hospital.

Born March 20, 1932 in DeKalb, the daughter of Leonard and Ethel (Lawrence) Bergeron. Nancy married Richard Rockstead on June 24, 1950 in Sycamore. They have celebrated 62 years of marriage together.

Nancy attended Sycamore and DeKalb schools and graduated from Sycamore High School in 1950. She was happy to be a homemaker and worked at Wal-Mart in the fabric department for 20 years. She loved to quilt and made many beautiful quilts for her family and friends.

Nancy is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, Richard Rockstead; six children, Michael Rockstead of DeKalb, Kimberlee (George) Griswold of DeKalb, Janice Saylor of Rochelle, Kelli (Roger) Kempson of Kings, Joseph Rockstead of Kings, and Scott (Rae) Rockstead of Rochelle; 12 grandchildren; Randi (Jeff) Neimeyer, Cole and Regan Griswold, Chase (Jill) and Ashley Rockstead, Michael Rockstead, Josh and William Rockstead, Andrea Pisapia, Landon Kempson, and Cody and Bobby Rockstead; three great grandchildren, Finlee and Foster Niemeyer, and Aubrey Gabbard. She is also survived by her siblings Bill (Mary Lou) Bergeron of Aurora, Marilyn Williams of DeKalb, and Lenny (Yvonne) Bergeron of South Carolina.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and two sons; Douglas and Stacey Rockstead.

A private family service will be held at a later date.

Arrangements by Olson Funeral & Cremation Services, Ltd. Quiram Sycamore Chapel, 1245 Somonauk Street, Sycamore, IL 60178. To share a memory or condolence visit www.olsonfh.com or call 815-895-6589

Melvin W. Shaw, 87, of Centralia, Mo., passed away Monday, May 20, 2013, at his home.
Funeral services will be at 8 p.m. Friday, May 24, at Oliver Funeral Home in Centralia, Mo. Visitation will be from 6 p.m. Friday until service time at the funeral home.
Condolences can be made to the family by emailing oliverfuneralhome@yahoo.com.

DeKALB – Shirley Mae (Louy) Thomas, 84, of DeKalb, Ill., died Wednesday, May 1, 2013, at Oakcrest DeKalb Area Retirement Center in DeKalb.
Born July 8, 1928, in Toledo, Ohio, the daughter of Lambert and Evelyn (Lynch), Shirley married Frank Thomas on Sept. 9, 1950, in Maywood. They later made their home in Elmhurst for 28 years before moving to DeKalb in 1994.
Shirley stayed home to raise children until 1963 and then returned to work as a secretary. She later earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and worked as a controller for several small businesses. She managed her own accounting services business for several years and she was still working part-time as an accountant for DeKalb County CASA at the time of her death. She enjoyed knitting, reading, crossword puzzles and volunteer work. She routinely knit baby sweaters for a church committee involved with DeKalb County welfare programs.
She is survived by her loving husband, Frank; son, Larry (Bev) Thomas of Crystal Lake; daughters, Eileen (Tom) Dettman of Cortland and Barbara (Jim) Fox of DeKalb; one sister, Sandra (Harold) Burroughs of Atlanta; grandchildren, Glen (Beth) Dettman, Richard (Kim) Dettman, Thomas Dettman Jr., Brandon (Cheryl) Thomas, Katelyn (Alan) Schwing and Karlene (Mike) Fox; and five great-grandchildren, Hannah, GlenTom, Caleb, Carter and Grayson.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Lambert and Evelyn (Lynch) Louy; and grandson, Brent Thomas.
A memorial service in celebration of Shirley's life will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 26, at First Congregational United Church of Christ of DeKalb, 615 N. First St., DeKalb. Private family burial will be at Oakwood Cemetery in DeKalb.
The family requests that memorials be made on Shirley's behalf to DeKalb County CASA, 407 W. State St. #6, Sycamore, IL 60178; visit www.casadekalb.org for more information.
Arrangements were entrusted to: Ronan-Moore-Finch Funeral Home, 310 Oak St., DeKalb, IL, 60115. To send an online condolence, visit www.ronanmoorefinch.com; 815-758-3841.

Harriet "Jeanne" (Wright) West, of Fayetteville, Ga., died on May 19, 2013, after a long battle with cancer.
Jeanne was born in 1922, a native of DeKalb. Jeanne lived with her family for many years in Northville, Mich., relocating to Georgia in 1991.
Jeanne attended college at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, and graduated from the University of Wyoming. Jeanne did much volunteer work over the years, enjoyed antiques and art, reading, travel and southwestern and Native American culture. Her generosity of spirit will be missed by all of her family and friends.
She is survived by her two sons, Paul West and wife Betty, of Fayetteville, and James West of Smyrna, Ga.; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and many dear friends.
She was predeceased by her brother, Paul (Johnny) Wright of Malta on April 4, 2013.
The funeral Mass will be held 11 a.m. Friday, May 24, at the Catholic Church of St. Gabriel in Fayetteville, with interment following at Camp Memorial Park, Fayetteville. A memorial reception for family and friends will follow interment.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks memorials in Jeanne's honor be made to the Salvation Army.

DeKALB – Dorothy E. Wise, 98, of DeKalb died Friday, May 17, 2013 at the DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center.

She was born April 14, 1915 in Milwaukee, Wis. The daughter of Bernard and Marie (Wells) Boettcher. She married Ralph Wise in 1938 in Iowa.

Dorothy worked at Alpine Valley and enjoyed meeting several celebrities over the years. She was fond of riding her bicycle and swimming up until 2006. Her family, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren were her pride and joy.

Her competitive nature made her a natural in playing Dominoes, Apples to Apples, Bingo and various cards games like Gin Rummy and Euchre.

Survivors include one son, Donald (Yong) Wise of Collinsville; one daughter, Pamela (John) Stubinger of Sycamore; four grandchildren, Tracey Busby of DeKalb, Trisha (Steven) Knych of Elgin, Timothy Stubinger of DeKalb and Brian (Jill) Wise of O'Fallon, Mo.; and seven great grandchildren, Jake and Jennifer Busby of DeKalb, Zoey, Sam and Abby Knych of Elgin, and Alex and Nathan Wise of O'Fallon, Mo.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Ralph; one brother, Norman Boettcher and two sisters, Marion Svoboda and Elaine Boettcher.

Her visitation will be on Thursday, May 23 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Butala Funeral Home and Crematory, 1405 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, IL 60178. Burial will be at a later date in Florida.

For information or to sign the online guest book, go to www.ButalaFuneralHomes.com or call 815-895-2833.

PAW PAW – Joe Yenerich, 53, of Paw Paw, Ill., passed away peacefully at home, Sunday, May 19, 2013, surrounded by loved ones after a courageous battle against a long illness.
Joe was born October 3, 1959, and spent most of his life doing what he loved – farming.
He is survived by his devoted wife and best friend, Pat; two cherished stepdaughters, April Gracz and Kristen (Jerry) Mielnikiewicz; loving sisters, Susan (Denny) Prentice, Rita (Dave) Beam, Mary (Reid) Rissman and Judy (Chuck) Bergsmith; and many nieces, nephews and great-nieces and -nephews. He also will be missed by his mother-in-law, Marianne Boncela, sister-in-law, Cheryl (Chris) Sonne, brothers-in-law, Jeff (Lori) Strunka and Mike (Gerry) Strunka, and their children. He also will always be remembered by all those friends he made along his journey and held in his heart.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Ruth Yenerich; and brother, Mike. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, at Torman Funeral Home in Paw Paw. A funeral service will be held to celebrate Joe's life at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 23, at First Presbyterian Church of Paw Paw, with a one-hour visitation before the service. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Mendota.
For information, call Torman Funeral Home at 815-627-3811. Online condolences can be expressed at www.TormanFuneralHome.com.