Obituaries
 
March 30, 2011
 
Obituaries Archives
 
Home
 

Harold Carlson

Harold A. Carlson, 83, of Lombard, died Friday, March 25, in Lombard.
Visitation will be Thursday, March 31, at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard.
Funeral services will be held Friday, April 1, at Evangelical Covenant Church in Villa Park. Interment is at Chapel Hill Gardens West Cemetery in Oakbrook Terrace.
Mr. Carlson is survived by his siblings, Walter, Dorothy Meyers and Carol Carlson of Lombard; sister-in-law, Diane; 16 nieces and nephews; and many other great-nieces and great-nephews, cousins and relatives. He was preceded in death by his parents, Carl A. Sr. and Elizabeth; siblings, Irene Cruickshank, Florence Brownell, John L. and Carl A. Jr.; and nephew, Daniel Meyers.
Mr. Carlson was a lifelong resident of Lombard. He attended Glenbard (West) High School, graduating in 1946, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he was stationed in Japan with the Army of Occupation. In 1968 he founded Carlson Brothers Movers of Addison, which is still run by the family. He was a member of the Illinois Movers & Warehousemen’s Association.
Memorials to Evangelical Covenant Church, 17W630 Riordan Road, Villa Park, IL 60181; or the Alzheimer’s Association, 8430 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago, IL 60631, would be appreciated.
Call 630-629-0094 or visit www.brustfuneralhome.com for more information.

William Coons

William “Bill” Coons, 83, of Lombard, died Wednesday, March 23, at Lexington Square of Lombard.
Arrangements for a memorial service are pending.
Mr. Coons is survived by his wife, Pamela “Spider”; children, Bruce (Kim), Roger (Nancy), Mikky (Bobby) Scott and Cheryl (Mark) Grimm; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Mr. Coons was born in Churchtown, N.Y., in 1927 and became interested in flying at the age of 16 with the involvement in the Pre Flight Club, where he learned how to identify enemy aircraft, build scale aircraft models and use the Morse Code. In 1944, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Navy, where he learned communications protocol and weaponry. Missing out on his assignment to an aircraft carrier due to scarlet fever, he was reassigned to a radio controlled target aircraft squadron in Santa Ana, Calif.—an experience which he portrayed in his 2007 published work, “Shoot Only At The Red Airplane.”
After his enlistment was over in 1947, Mr. Coons began a foray into photojournalism, writing many articles for aviation-related magazines, eventually becoming the official photographer for the Model Airplane News magazine. His photographs were featured on 23 magazine covers. His enthusiasm for art and airplanes also translated into his pen and ink airplane drawings that are prized and sought after by many pilots and aviation enthusiasts.   
Mr. Coons started taking flying lessons at the age of 60 and the Ercoupe became his plane of choice—and soloed in 10 hours. He owned and flew the Erco model 415-D for 20 years, and was recognized by the Ercoupe Association for his tireless promotion and devotion to keeping Ercoupes flying.
In 1995, he received the Fred Weick Award for maintaining and updating the safety of the Ercoupe plane, an aircraft developed before World War II. An interest in GPS navigation was not far behind and he became an expert on the subject, and went on to present many safety seminars on GPS using his Ercoupe as a test bed.
Coons was recognized by the FAA with many awards, including the Great Lakes Region Safety Counselor of the Year. He was inducted into the FAA Premier Group, an honor shared by only 11 other aviation safety counselors in the country. His lifelong devotion to aviation and dedication as an aviation safety counselor, qualified him to join the ranks of notable inductees last May in the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame Class of 2010—the highest aviation honor in the state of Illinois.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Fred E. Weick Scholarship at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 South Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach,  FL 32114 (www.erau.edu), would be appreciated.

Beverly Ferris

Beverly M. Ferris, nee Bredesen, 71, of Villa Park, died Sunday, March 20, at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital in Elmhurst.
Funeral services were held Friday, March 25, at Brust Villa Park Funeral Home, 305 S. Princeton, Villa Park. Interment was at Irving Park Cemetery in Chicago.
Mrs. Ferris is survived by her husband, George H.; son, Michael P. (Anne Richter); and brother, Don Bredesen.
Mrs. Ferris was a lifelong resident of Villa Park.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to the American Cancer Society, 1801 S. Meyers Road, Suite 100, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181; or Billy Graham Ministries, One Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201-0001, would be appreciated.
Call 630-629-0094 or visit www.brustfuneralhome.com for more information.

Edythe Haaker

Funeral services for Edythe C. Haaker, nee Caldon, 94, of Lombard, are being held today, March 30, at Steuerle Funeral Home, 350 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park. Interment is at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Mrs. Haaker is survived by her children, William (Pamala) and Thomas (Beth); three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur.
Memorials to the American Cancer Society would be appreciated.
Call 630-832-4161 or visit www.steuerlefh.com for more information.

Florence Marinello

Florence Marinello, nee Dodick, 86, of Lombard, formerly of Chicago, died Sunday, March 27.
Visitation will be today, March 30, at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 31, with prayers from the funeral home to Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lombard. Interment is at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.
Mrs. Marinello is survived by her husband of 62 years, George; daughters, Marlane Marshall and Claudia (Mark) Shilakis; three grandchildren; and sister, Rose Suter. She was preceded in death by her son-in-law, William Marshall; and sister, Francis Dodick.
Mrs. Marinello was a resident of Lombard for 20 years.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly (www.littlebrotherschicago.org), 355 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60607-1019, would be appreciated.
Call 630-629-0094 or visit www.brustfuneralhome.com for more information.

Carol Retel

Carol V. Retel, nee Roepke, 72, of Wheaton, died Monday, March 28, at Rush Presbyterian University Medical Center in Chicago.
Visitation will be today, March 30, at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 31, at the funeral home. Interment is at Chapel Hill Gardens West Cemetery in Oakbrook Terrace.
Mrs. Retel is survived by her husband of 51 years, Robert E.; children, Eileen, Paul (Christine), Bruce and Mark (Polly); three grandchildren; and brother, Glenn (Wanda) Roepke. She was preceded in death by her son, Wayne Mark; and parents, Walter and Vera Roepke.
Mrs. Retel was a resident of Wheaton for 40 years. She grew up in Cicero and was a graduate of Morton High School She received her associate degree from Morton Community College and was a homemaker. Her hobbies included sewing, gardening and travel.
Memorials to Trinity Lutheran Church, York Center, Roosevelt and Meyers Roads, Lombard, IL 60148, would be appreciated.
For details, call 630-629-0094 or visit www.brustfuneralhome.com.