David Lemke

David Eugene Lemke, 79 ROCKFORD-David Eugene Lemke, 79, of Rockford passed away peacefully Wednesday, June 22, 2011, after spending the evening with family and friends. Born Aug. 7, 1931 in Rockford; son of Lawrence C. and Mary B. Lemke. With the exception of his two years of service in the Army and his four years at Beloit College, he lived his entire life in Rockford. Upon completing his degree at Beloit, where he majored in English and ran track, he began his working life at Sundstrand Aerospace, later working as a steel salesman for Universal Cyclops. During this time, he also served as the chairman of the Rockford chapter of the American Society of Metals. He eventually found his true calling as the proprietor of Canterbury Books in 1974. As the big bookstore chains started moving in, he expanded into the tour business, renaming the store Canterbury Books and Tours. Over the past 30 years David conducted over 2,000 trips to Chicago, sharing the sites of the big city as his Aunt Alice had once done for him. Destinations were as varied as the Lyric Opera, Cubs games and Ravinia, with Broadway musicals being among the most popular. Eventually he expanded his trip offerings to include tours of Door County, Mackinac Island, and Niagara Falls. David is survived by his former wife, Carole of West Bend, Wis.; sister, Janice (Andy) York of Indianapolis; son, Derek (Sara) of San Francisco and their children, Todd and Hallie; son, Todd of West Bend, Wis. and his sons, Sam, Derek and Karl; daughter, Karen (Stephen) Gallagher of Milwaukee, and their children, Jack, Anna, Hugh, Grace; and Noel (Melody) of Bellingham, Wash. and their children, Max and Sydney. He is further survived by numerous nieces and nephews as well as special friend and colleague, Janet McGregor. David was a loyal blood donor. In lieu of flowers he would want to remind all to please give blood. Per David's request his body was donated to Northern Illinois University. Please call Canterbury Books, 815-398-1454, to receive information about the memorial service to be held later this summer. Arrangements by Olson Funeral & Cremation Services, Ltd., 1001 Second Ave., Rockford To share a memory or condolence, visit olsonfh.com.