Richard Dempsey

Richard J. Dempsey, 58, of Lombard, died Saturday, Oct. 15, in Lombard.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, Oct. 18, with prayers from Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard, to Mass at Christ the King Church. Interment was at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.
Mr. Dempsey is survived by his wife, Un Hui; siblings, Diane (Ellis) Peterson, Edmund E. and Lorraine (Tom) Papadakos; sister-in-law, Mary; 20 nieces and nephews; and many other relatives. He was preceded in death by his brother, Joseph; and sister, Margaret.
Mr. Dempsey was a resident of Lombard for 32 years. He was a graduate of Austin High School in Chicago, attended St. Leo College and graduated from William and Mary College in Virginia in 1976. He served in the U.S. Army in Korea as an investigator in the judge advocate’s office, and was senior vice president of UNIRISC Insurance in Lombard for 29 years until he was disabled in 2010.
Mr. Dempsey loved to travel and enjoyed sports, especially hockey and basketball.
Memorials to Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, 1140 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60607; or the Lombard Fire Department would be appreciated.
Call 630-629-0094 or visit www.brustfuneralhome.com for more information.

Jean Di Silvestro

Jean Di Silvestro died peacefully on Aug. 11, 2011, at the age of 84.
The family celebrated Jean’s life with a Memorial service at Asbury United Methodist Church on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 10 a.m. Jean’s ashes will be interred next to her sister, at her summer home, the family cabins in the Upper Peninsula of Northern Michigan. It was her heavenly place in life, and will be a peaceful final resting place.
Jean was preceded in death by her parents; her two husbands, John Miller and Tony Di Silvestro; her brother Victor Carlson; her sister Rae May; and her son-in-law Ken Briggs. Jean’s indomitable spirit will live on in her three sons, Jack Miller; Mike Di Silvestro, and Charlie Di Silvestro; and in her daughter, Ruth (Di Silvestro) Briggs. Grandy will be loved and remembered forever by her five grandchildren: Raymond Miller, Maggie Di Silvestro, Lizzie Di Silvestro, Tony Di Silvestro, and Anna Di Silvestro.
Mary Jean Carlson, was born to Dr. Albert and Ruth Carlson, in Lombard, Ill. Jean was a Lombard resident her entire life, until 2000, when she moved to Kansas City, to be near her children and grandchildren. Jean actively supported her children’s lives and schools, and many of their friends remember her as “The Picture Lady.” Many of her children’s friends called her “Mom,” and she was a guiding force to many Lombard teens.
Jean served as a member of the Lombard League of Women Voters, served the Art Institute of Chicago, and was a lifelong member of the Lombard United Methodist Church, and the United Methodist Women. Jean was also part of the “Lilacs,” a group of Glenbard High School chums, who keep up with each other even to this day. One of Jean’s proudest accomplishments was being named the Methodist Church’s “Valiant Woman” in 2000, in recognition of her many years of service to the Methodist Church.
Jean moved to Kansas City in 2000, and became a Prairie Village resident. She immediately became a member of the Asbury United Methodist Church, and became an active Member of the “Ruth Circle,” serving at church dinners, soup suppers, and the Asbury Child Care Center annual fundraiser. She also enjoyed sharing good books with the “Book Babes,” her women’s book club, made up of women of many ages and backgrounds.
In 2008 Jean moved to Des Moines, Iowa, and spent her last years there with her son Charlie and granddaughter Anna, while residing at Wesley Acres Retirement Center.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made, in her name, to the Wesley Acres Good Samaritan Fund, 3520 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312.

John Heinrich

John F. Heinrich, 84, died Saturday, Oct. 15.
A memorial visitation will be held Friday, Oct. 21, at Steuerle Funeral Home, 350 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park. Interment is at Mt. Emblem Cemetery.
Mr. Heinrich is survived by his children, Theresa (Barry Ackerson) Miller, Cathy (John) Basic, Joannn (Jon) Halverson and Steve (Sherry); eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and siblings, Eleanor Bucyna and Chester Heinrich. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joan Ann; and parents, John F. and Rose Heinrich.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to Woodstock Hospice Center for Care would be appreciated.
Call 630-832-4161 or visit www.steuerlefh.com for information.

Anne Jones

Anne K. Jones, 72, of Lombard, died Tuesday, Oct. 11, after a six-month battle with the recurrence of cancer.
There will be a memorial service at the Downers Grove Friends Meeting, on Saturday, Oct. 29. The family will hold an open house and music jam in the Jones family home in Lombard on Sunday, Oct. 30. For more details, visit www.jonesfamilymusic.com or call 630-889-9121.
Mrs. Jones is survived by her husband, Tom; children, Cathy, Tom (Laura); Bill (Caroline) and Nate (Pamela); six grandchildren; sisters, Eloise and Margaret; and brother- and sister-in-law, Dick and Margaret. She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Eloise Kay; parents-in-law, Louis and Mary Ruth Jones; and granddaughter, Abigail.
Mrs. Jones was born in Roma, Ga., where she grew up. She attended the University of Chicago and lived in Glen Ellyn. She moved to Lombard in 1989. In the late 1960s she began teaching guitar to children in the neighborhood and sharing her love of folk music. She soon started Tom and Anne Jones Folk Guitar and Banjo Shop, which later moved from Glen Ellyn to Wheaton and became the Jones Family Music School. She taught for more than 40 years.
Mrs. Jones volunteered to provide music for school programs and taught guitar at many local park districts and adult education programs. She was an avid quilter and loved to sew, and met weekly with a sewing group at her church and enjoyed teaching others about quilting while she learned from others about crocheting and knitting. She would collect scraps to make quilts to give to friends and family.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Music for Life Alliance, Anne Jones Memorial Fund, 1124 University Drive, Suite 9, Edwardsville, IL 60205 (www.musicforlifealliance.com) would be appreciated.
Arrangements were made by Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard. Call 630-629-0094 or visit www.brustfuneralhome.com for more information.

Esther Rakebrand

Esther T. Rakebrand, nee David, 73, of Lombard, died Saturday, Oct. 15, in Lombard.
Funeral services are being held today, Oct. 19, with prayers from Knollcrest Funeral Home, 1500 S. Meyers Road, Lombard, to Mass at St. Pius X Catholic Church, with the Rev. Tom Corbino officiating. Entombment is at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.
Mrs. Rakebrand is survived by her husband, Alfred “Bud”; children, Mary Lynn (Dale) Sedivec, Loretta (Mike) Coltrane, Patty (Rich) Shlaver, Celeste (Doug) Moore, Debbie (Gary) Jordan, Diane (John) Lucas and Anne Winters; 12 grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her previous husband, Don Scheer; and brother, Andy David.
Mrs. Rakebrand had been a grammar school teacher at Schafer Elementary School, and was a member of the St. Vincent dePaul Society.
Memorials to St. Vincent dePaul Society, c/o St. Pius X Catholic Church, 1025 E. Madison St., Lombard, IL 60148, would be appreciated.
For more information, call 630-932-1500 or visit www.knollcrest.net.

Kacey Smith

Kacey Smith, 33, of Palatine, formerly of Villa Park, died suddenly Friday, Oct. 14.
Visitation and funeral services will be Thursday, Oct. 20, at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard, with a further gathering following the service. Interment is private at Forest Hill Cemetery in Glen Ellyn.
Ms. Smith is survived by her mother, Susan Diane Smith; sister, Erin Kathleen (Dereck) Phegley; dear love, John Alonso; grandfather, Ronald Smith Sr.; seven aunts and uncles; and many cousins and other relatives from Canada. She was preceded in death by her father, Ronald Herbert Smith Jr.
Ms. Smith was born in Indiana and grew up in Villa Park. She graduated from St. Pius X Grade School and Willowbrook High School, from Augustana College in 2000 and from Keller in 2008 with an MBA. She moved to Palatine in 2006 and worked as a certified home stager. She designed and made jewelry, and enjoyed knitting, crocheting and country music. She was employed by HoMedics in Oak Brook.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to the West Suburban Humane Society, 1901 Ogden Ave., Downers Grove, IL 60515, would be appreciated.
Call 630-629-0094 or visit www.brustfuneralhome.com for more information.

Gary Viskant

Gary Richard Viskant, died Friday, Sept. 16, in South Bend, Ind.
A memorial of his life will be held Monday, Oct. 24, at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard. A private family interment will be held at Acacia Park Cemetery in Chicago.
Mr. Viskant is survived by his mother and stepfather, Donna and Art Bohnenberger; father, Al Viskant; siblings, Joan and Gregory; one nephew; aunts, Marilyn Dreier and Kathy Viskant; and uncle, Robert Kennedy.
Mr. Viskant was born in Chicago but spent many years in Lombard, where he attended Lincoln School and Glenbard East High School. After attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Illinois Wesleyan, he worked at the Lombard Post Office for 20 years. At 6 feet, 7 inches tall, he became known as the “Gentle Giant” as he often checked in on vulnerable people along his mail route to make sure they were OK.
Upon leaving the post office, Mr. Viskant decided to continue his education and got his degree from the University of Purdue. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church in South Bend. He was a talented musician and played clarinet, saxophone and guitar. Although his beautiful bass voice was well-suited to opera, he chose singing first with the non-profit organization Up With People and then eventually in rock groups.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to First Presbyterian Church, 333 W. Colfax, South Bend, IN 46601, would be appreciated.
Call 630-629-0094 or visit www.brustfuneralhome.com for more information.