Dolores Ham

TOULON - Dolores (Durbin) Ham, age 78, of Northbrook, Ill., formerly of Toulon, passed away Friday, Dec. 10, 2010, at the Glenbrook North Shore University Hospital, from complications due to emphysema, which she steadfastly battled for the final 10 years of her life.

A long-time Toulon resident known locally as "Tibby," Dolores was born in Toulon on Aug. 8, 1932, graduated from Toulon High School in 1950 and married John Eldon Ham in June 1950.

She is survived by their son, Eldon L. Ham, and daughter-in-law, Nan Weiss-Ham, of Glencoe, Ill.; and two grandchildren, Brandon Ham and Carla Ham, both of Chicago, Ill. She is also survived by one sister, Pauline Janey Wilson of Washington, Utah; sister-in-law, Elinor (Ham) Porter of Wilmette, Ill., and her husband, Lee Porter, both originally from Toulon; as well as many nephews and nieces, including Beverly, Linda, Bill, Betty, Joyce, Phyllis and Maureen, all on the Durbin side, and Bill Porter and Becky Porter on the Ham side; and legions of offspring from many.

Dolores was the youngest of seven children born to Edith (Gill) Durbin and Walter "Dick" Durbin, who was a carpenter. She was preceded in death by both parents; husband J. Eldon Ham (who passed in 1999); and five brothers and sisters, John B. "Johnny" Durbin, James E. "Jimmy" Durbin, Clifford Durbin, Betty Thieben and Maxine "Dubs" Murphy.

Tibby was also preceded in death by nephew Ronnie Durbin, who was nearly her contemporary and was almost like a younger brother to her.

Spouses to two of her brothers also survive her, Fran (Johnny) and Velma (Jimmy), both established members of the Toulon community.

She acquired her trademark nickname Tibby from brother Jimmy, but the exact history and meaning remains a Durbin family mystery.

Tibby worked locally in many part-time capacities as a receptionist for Pertolwitz Television in Toulon in the 1950s, a frequent election judge and census worker through the 1960s and 1970s, and even as an occasional model for various Kewanee department and clothing stores.

She was a 20-year fixture at Les Cafe in Toulon, where the locals debated politics, farming and each other almost every weekday afternoon.

Tibby lived in Toulon from birth to 1985, when she and husband J. Eldon moved to Chicago. Tibby became a bank teller for a loop bank near the Sears Tower, where J. Eldon found employment in the library of a prominent Chicago law firm. They held those jobs for 11 years until they both retired in 1996.

Tibby and Eldon were inseparable from the time of their first date, a THS winter formal during one fateful Dec. 7, a milestone day in infamy that she playfully called infamous for more than one reason.

In recent years, Dolores discovered that she and the local Toulon Durbins are distantly related to Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, whose Durbin family stalks came from the same roots in Maryland over 200 years ago. Tibby's part of the family migrated to Jacksonville, Ill., then her father came to Toulon, while the senator's immediate family landed farther south near St. Louis. The possible connection, later confirmed, was first made by the senator and his brother when one day they saw an article about Eldon L. Ham in the Stark County News.

Funeral services will be held at 12 noon Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, at Toulon Funeral Home. The Rev. Wayne McLeod will officiate. Visitation will be held from 11:30 a.m. until the start of the service. Burial will be in Toulon Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages a donation to either the Toulon Public Library District or the First Congregational Church in Toulon.

Private condolences may be sent to the family via www.toulonfh.com.