Obituaries

The Rev. Lawrence M. Bouldin, of Lombard, died Saturday, Jan. 31, in Lombard.
Visitation will be today, Feb. 4, at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Feb. 5, at First United Methodist Church in Lombard, with the Rev. Lisa E. Telemon officiating.
A time to visit with the family will follow the interment service at Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery in Aurora.
Rev. Bouldin is survived by his wife of 38 years, Janet; sons, John Michael (Diane Johnson), Peter (Sally) and U.S. Navy Submarine Service Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua (Erin); three grandchildren; sisters, Marie (Jack) Wohlfeil, Nancy Chapman and Carolyn (Paul) Reed; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Rev. Bouldin was born in Mendota and graduated from high school in Aurora. He attended Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., where he graduated with honors in philosophy and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. His master’s in theology (M.Div.) was awarded by Evangelical Theological Seminary (now Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University).
Rev. Bouldin served as pastor of United Methodist churches in Batavia, Lindenhurst, Glenview, Hyde Park in Chicago, Orland Park, Naperville and Lombard, the latter from which he retired in 1999 after 11 years as pastor.
He also was an administrator at Kendall College and North Central College, where he taught classes in religious studies, philosophy and ethics over a 30-year period. He also served as a college chaplain at North Central College and the University of Chicago.
Rev. Bouldin was active in the Lombard community, where he served on the Historical Commission, was a past president of the Lombard Rotary Club (1999-2000) and of the Lombard Community Leaders, was first chairman of the Lombard Character Counts Coalition and was named 1998 Man of the Year. He served from 1999-2002 at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital on the board of governors, the Institutional Review Board, the Ethics Committee and the Community Affairs Committee.
Rev. Bouldin liked, in good humor, to tell people that he was the only man they would ever meet who had “led an Easter sunrise service in the Himalayan mountains, officiated at a service of Holy Communion at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, participated in a midnight voodoo ceremony in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and had been swimming with cadavers in the Ganges River.”
He also traveled to such places as Mexico, Turkey, India, the Sea of Galilee and other cities where biblical events occurred.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Endowment Fund of the Lombard Rotary Club, the Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation or North Central College would be appreciated.

Betty Christiansen

Betty L. Christiansen, nee Sutton, 71, of Bloomingdale, died suddenly, Jan. 27, in Bloomingdale.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, Feb. 3, at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard. Interment was at Chapel Hill Gardens West Cemetery in Oakbrook Terrace.
Mrs. Christiansen is survived by her son, Bruce (Christy); two grandchildren; mother, Frieda Sutton; sister, Barbara Otto; one niece and two nephews; and companion, Les Bahnfleth of Lombard. She was preceded in death by her father, John; nephew, John; and longtime companion, Stanley Pinski.
Mrs. Christiansen grew up in Glen Ellyn and graduated from Glenbard West High School in 1955. She moved to Lombard, then Villa Park and back to Lombard, and resided in Bloomingdale for the last 18 years.
She retired from APL Co. in Oak Brook after working as an executive secretary, was a former member of First United Methodist Church in Lombard, and loved golf and doing needlepoint.

Patricia Crockett

Funeral services for Patricia A. Crockett, 60, formerly of Villa Park, will be held Thursday, Feb. 5, at St. Alexander Catholic Church Gathering Space in Villa Park. Interment is at Mt.  Carmel Cemetery in Hillside.
Mrs. Crockett is survived by her children, Jeffrey (Tracey) and Kevin (Stacey); five grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; siblings, William (Susan) Holler Jr. and Lynn (Dave) Weiser; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Sr. and Marjorie Holler; and brother, Bert Holler.
Arrangements were made by Steuerle Funeral Home, 350 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park.

Clara Cundiff

Clara J. Cundiff, nee Lemke, 88, of LaCrosse, Wis., formerly of Glen Ellyn and Lombard, died Friday, Jan. 30, at St. Joseph Hospital Community Care Center in Wheaton.
Visitation and funeral services will be held today, Feb. 4, at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard. Interment is at River Hills Cemetery in Batavia.
Mrs. Cundiff is survived by her son, Jerald Sr.; two grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Clifford C.; son, Thomas C.; and siblings, William Gustan and Robert Lemke, James Benet and Flora Fuller.
Mrs. Cundiff was born in Chicago and raised her family in the Lombard-Glen Ellyn area. The unexpected death of her son Thomas in his early 40s was one of the hardest times of her life. She was an avid sports fan and especially loved watching the Cubs play baseball. She took pride in hosting wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to the American Diabetes Association, 30 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 2015, Chicago, IL 60602, would be appreciated.

Mary Ann Doretti

Mary Ann Doretti, nee Pawelko, 73, of Lombard, formerly of Berwyn, died Saturday, Jan. 31, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.
Visitation will be today, Feb. 4, until the time of prayers from Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard, to Mass at Christ the King Church in Lombard. Interment is at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.
Mrs. Doretti is survived by her husband, Gene; daughter, Donna (Brian) Nosek of Lombard; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her siblings, Dolores (the late John) Imbordino and Don (the late Celia) Pawelko.
Mrs. Doretti was a resident of Lombard for 12 1/2 years. She was a pianist for many years at Lexington Square and other DuPage County-area retirement centers. She was a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago Choirs during the 1950s through the 1970s, and had been a piano and voice teacher for many years at religious and Catholic schools in Chicago and Berwyn.

William Hayes

William Foster “Bill” Hayes, of Addison, formerly of Villa Park and Lombard, died Tuesday, Jan. 27, in Elmhurst.
Funeral services were held Saturday, Jan. 31, at Steuerle Funeral Home, 350 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park. Interment was private.
Mr. Hayes is survived by his wife and best friend, Sonja “Sunny” Jean; children, Jennifer Lynn Mills, Jessica Lorel Dennison and Jacquelyn Lee (John) Kozuch; six grandchildren; and sister, Hazel (Karl) Leukaufe. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Duane and Mary Ellen Hayes; and brothers, Joseph Albert and Paul Duane (Marietta) Hayes.
Mr. Hayes was born in Chicago and moved to DuPage County in 1965 after serving in the U.S. Army as a Spec. 5. He earned a B.S. degree in marketing from Northern Illinois University in 1974, worked for Sears for 32 years, and then worked for the Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles until he retired in 1999. He enjoyed woodworking and traveling, and was proud of the fact that he had been to 49 states and 72 countries.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his name to the American Lung Association would be appreciated.

Richard Roubal

Richard F. Roubal, 79, of Lombard, died Tuesday, Jan. 27, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, Feb. 3, with prayers from Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard, to Mass at St. Pius X Church in Lombard. Interment was at Elm Lawn Cemetery in Elmhurst.
Mr. Roubal is survived by his wife, Mary; children, James, Martin (Karen), Charles (Pat), Donald (Roseanne), Robert (Jan Marie), Barbara (Mark) Decker of Villa Park, Margaret (Tom) Heminsley and Therese; 26 grandchildren (including Timothy and Eric Whelan, whom he raised); nine great-grandchildren; and sister, Eleanor (Leonard) Foy. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Catherine Whelan.
Mr. Roubal was a resident of Lombard since 1958. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served during the Korean War and also in the Illinois National Guard. He was a member of Lombard VFW Post #5815, the Father Boecker #6090 Knights of Columbus, 3rd Degree, and Lombard American Legion Post #391. He was also a member and served as treasurer of the Great Northern Sportsmen Club of Amboy, Ill.

Robert Sharer

Robert A. Sharer, 88, of Lombard, died Tuesday, Jan. 27, at Beacon Hill in Lombard.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, Feb. 7, at Calvary Episcopal Church in Lombard. Interment is private.
Mr. Sharer is survived by his daughters, Kristine (James) Newlin, Ellen (Walter) Koziol and Patricia (James) Baumann; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and siblings, David (Patty) Sharer and Elizabeth Cox. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane.
Mr. Sharer was a veteran of World War II, having served in the U.S. Navy. He was retired from DePaul University after working as a building manager.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to Calvary Episcopal Church, 105 W. Maple, Lombard, IL 60148, would be appreciated.
Arrangements were made by Steuerle Funeral Home, 350 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park.

Chester Smok

Chester John Smok, 77, of Lombard, died Monday, Jan. 26, at Meadowbrook Manor Nursing Home.
Funeral services were held Friday, Jan. 30, from Knollcrest Funeral Home, 1500 S. Meyers Road, Lombard, to Mass at Christ the King Church, with the Rev. John Guiney officiating. Entombment was at Assumption Cemetery.
Mr. Smok is survived by his wife, Jeanette; children, Sheilah Marie (Frank A.) Pearsall, Peter John (Tracey) and David Jeffrey; three grandchildren; and siblings, Florence Farber, Wanda Szak and Patricia Smok. He was preceded in death by his sister, Genevive Sikora.
Mr. Smok was born in Chicago and was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He had worked as an information systems superintendent at People’s Gas for 40 years.
Memorials to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718; or St. Thomas Hospice, 8230 S. Madison St., Burr Ridge, IL 60527, would be appreciated.

Peter Sobocha

Peter Maksymilian Sobocha, 65, of Arkdale, Wis., formerly of Chicago and Lombard, died Friday, Jan. 30, in Arkdale.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, Feb. 3, at Roseberry’s Funeral Home, in Friendship, Wis., with the Rev. James P. McNamee officiating. Interment was at St. Leo Catholic Cemetery in Friendship.
Mr. Sobocha is survived by his wife, Eva, whom he married in 1972; children, Gregory and Eva (Anthony) Duran; one grandson; and many brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and many lifelong friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Maksymilian and Marianna Sobocha.
Mr. Sobocha was born in Warsaw, Poland, where he grew up. He moved to Chicago in 1969 and worked as a machinist for Zenith Electronics for 26 years. In 1984 the family moved to Lombard and in 1999, following his retirement, the couple moved to Arkdale.
He enjoyed fishing, boating, being outdoors, spending time with his family and friends, watching his son play sports, dancing and joking with his wife, making traditional Polish dishes and sausage, working with his tools, lending a helping hand to anyone who needed it, and spending time with is grandson, Sam. He loved animals, especially dogs and horses, and had many German shepherds throughout his life; most recently, Dory and Rex.

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