Anneliese W. Adams

Anneliese Adams (nee Weigelt), age 103, of Onarga, Illinois, passed away Monday, December 8, 2025, at La Bella nursing home in Clifton, Illinois.
She was born May 28, 1922, in Breslau, Germany. Her parents were Robert and Selma Weigelt.
As WWII progressed, she was gradually separated from her family and eventually drafted into the German Luftwaffe. At the end of the war, she met her future husband, Leslie E. Adams, who was a Colonel in the Third Army. They were married in Munich, Germany in 1945. Colonel Adams had to return to the United States, and she eventually joined him in May 1949.
Anneliese spent time in Deland, Illinois; San Francisco, California; and Champaign, Illinois, before settling in Onarga in 1952, when her husband accepted the position of superintendent of the Onarga Military School.
In addition to raising three boys, Anneliese volunteered her time with the local Cub Scouts, and she was active in the Onarga Women's Club. She worked as the tailor at the Onarga Military School until it closed in 1971. After working at T & D Metals in Watseka, Illinois, for a short time, she also worked for the Luis Melind Co. in Onarga until her retirement in 1992.
She is survived by three sons, Michael (partner Jan), Kerry (Pam), and John (Kim); grandchildren Jacob, Justin, Ryan, and Scott; and great grandchildren Ellie, Logan, Henry, Athena, William, and Michael.
In addition to her beloved husband and her parents, she was preceded in death by one sister who died in childhood, two brothers, Gunther and Helmut, and her only granddaughter, Katie Adams.
She was a member of the Onarga Methodist Church and enjoyed gardening, creating greeting cards, and going places with her good friend, Jo-Ann Simon-Moser.
In celebration of her life, a visitation will be held at Knapp Funeral Home, 115 W. Seminary in Onarga on Monday, December 15, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. with a funeral service following. A brief graveside service will be held at the Onarga Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the Nexus-Onarga Family Healing Mission.
Please share a memory of Anneliese at www.knappfuneralhomes.com. To send flowers to the family of Anneliese, please visit our floral store.