Elena Wacker

ELENA RIEGER WACKER, 89 ROCKFORD - A Love Letter to Elena: Elena Rieger Wacker, 89, of Rockford, died on Monday, September 29, 2014. Born November 11, 1924, in Naples, Italy, to Hermann Rieger and Immacolata (Tina Maria) Camporeale. By age seven, Elena had lost her only sibling, her younger brother Walter, and her mother-two defining events that shaped her future and further defined her strong character. She moved to Germany at age 11 and learned a second language while living on her grandparents' farm in Altdorf b/ Nürnberg. At age 16, she moved to Nürnberg to begin working. While there, she met and befriended three Jewish siblings, Paula, Johanna, and Franz Nemeskei, who became lifelong friends along with Italian prisoner of war Enrico Lupi. Elena had the courage and loyalty to live with the Jewish family during WWII in the heavily bombed city, at great risk to her own personal safety. When food was scarce, she would walk 15 miles each way to her grandparents' farm to get potatoes to feed her and her roommates, and the friends shared both extremely trying and joyous times together. They all survived the war, and in 1947, Elena married John Robert Wacker, Jr. of Lincoln, Nebraska, who had been serving in Altdorf, and together shared 68 years of marriage. They settled in Rockford in the early 50s. During her life, Elena raised four children, worked as a draftswoman, retail clerk, grocery store cashier, and finally, as a local realtor into her eighties. She was a strong-willed, deep-spirited, and loyal person, who fiercely provided for her children and instilled in them a love for art and architecture, music and reading. Elena was preceded in death by her husband, John. She is survived by three sons (and 'daughters-in-love'): Herman (Ruth), Norman (Zorica), and Phillip (Eugenia); daughter (and favorite 'son-in-love'), Juanita (Stan); grandchildren, Rachel (Jason), Reed (Val), Alison (David), Simone (Antonio), and Coleman; and great-grandchild, Stephen. In recent years, Elena was fortunate to have many caring neighbors and friends who watched out for her. The entire Wacker family expresses the deepest gratitude for the outstanding level of compassion and care given by Serenity Hospice and Home, who held Elena (and family) by the hand during her final journey. Private family services. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Serenity Hospice and Home. Honquest Family Funeral Home with Crematory, Rockford Chapel, was honored to have assisted the family. To express condolences, visit honquestfh.com. Call your mom, eat your vegetables, take a walk and breathe in the fresh air.