Charlene Kavanaugh

Kavanaugh, Charlene Kay 63, of Apple River, IL, passed away at home on August 21, 2011, in the company of loved ones. A visitation will be held Friday, August 26, 2011, from 4 - 8 pm at Furlong Funeral Chapel, 100 Carol-don Ct., Galena, IL 61036. A funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, August 27, 2011, at Holy Trinity, 302 Franklin St., Scales Mound, IL 61075 and where friends may call after 10 AM at the church. A memorial gathering will be held Monday, August 29, 2011, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at Fulton's on the River, 315 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60654. Interment will be held at a later date. She was born to Ralph and Josephine Neva, October 25, 1947, in Jamestown, ND. With an intermediate stop in California, Char's family moved from North Dakota to Chicago, Illinois where Char later met and married Kevin Joseph Kavanaugh in 1971. They raised a family together in Chicago before relocating to Apple River in 2001. Char was blessed with a green thumb and enjoyed spending time transforming the landscape of her Apple Canyon Lake home into something beautiful. She was equally accomplished in the kitchen, experimenting with and perfecting one delicious recipe after another. And, she shared a passion for good books and even better wine. But above all of that, Char was generous with those she loved, a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She is survived by her mother Josephine; her husband, Kevin, her daughter Heather, her son Brian (Julie); her grandchildren Jasmine, Jackson and Ellery; her sister Diane (Richard) Hoger; her brother Dennis (Laurie) Neva; and numerous brother and sister in laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the National Brain Tumor Society (braintumor.org) or The Cure Starts Now Foundation (thecurestartsnow.org). Online condolences maybe left at www.furlongfuneralchapel.com