Obituary

Death Notice: George O. Koch, 93, of Elmhurst

Visitation will be Monday, memorial service on Tuesday at Yorkfield Presbyterian Church.

George O. Koch, 93, of Elmhurst, has died. He was an Army veteran of World War II, having served in the 129 AAA Gun Battalion in the European Theater and Invasion of Normandy. He also was a member of West Towns Barbershop Chorus, Yorkfield Presbyterian Church Choir and a longtime volunteer at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 22, at Yorkfield Presbyterian Church, 1099 S. York, Elmhurst. Memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 23, at the church. Read Mr. Koch's full obituary on the Chicago Tribune website.

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Former Des Plaines Mayor Remembered by Friends

Those who worked with former mayor of Des Plaines Ted Sherwood remembered him standing up for what he believed in, and his dedication to the beautification of the city.

Edward “Ted” Sherwood, mayor of Des Plaines from 1993 to 1997, passed away on March 11. Here’s a collection of memories from those who knew him, worked with him and remembered him fondly. Share your memory of Ted Sherwood in the comments section below. Click here for information about visitation and funeral services for Ted Sherwood. Patricia Beauvais, First Ward Alderman from 1993 to 2009 Beauvais recalled getting her start in public office at the same time Sherwood became mayor in 1993. At the time, she said, there was a lot of discussion about what to do about the old barrel parking deck alongside the railroad tracks, Beauvais said, which required extensive repairs at an approximate cost of $2 million. During one of those discussions, …

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Former Mayor Ted Sherwood Dies

Sherwood was 91 years old.

  Former Des Plaines Mayor Edward “Ted” Sherwood passed away on Monday at the age of 91, the Daily Herald reports. Sherwood served as mayor of the city from 1993 to 1997. He was active in several groups and organizations in the city including White Collar Services, St. Stephen Protomartyr Catholic Church and the Des Plaines Economic Development Commission. Visitation for Sherwood will take place Monday, March 18 from 3 to 9 p..m. at G.L. Hills Funeral Home. The funeral service will be held at the funeral home Tuesday, March 19 at 10:30 a.m, the newspaper reports. 

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Obituary: Harriet Lewis, Order of the Eastern Star Chapter Member

Visitation and a memorial service will be held Friday and Saturday to honor the life of Harriet Felicia Lewis of Des Plaines, formerly of Palatine and Wauconda.

Harriet Felicia Lewis, 97, was born October 23, 1915 in Evanston and she passed away March 9, 2013 in Des Plaines. She was a Des Plaines resident, and formerly lived in Palatine and Wauconda.  Survivors include her sons, Michael R. Lewis and Glenn H. Lewis; grandchildren, Felicia Lewis-Grant, Maxwell Lewis and Daniel Lewis; and sister Adele Luchs. Harriet was preceded in death by her husband, Ray Maxwell Lewis; parents, Hulda (nee Kreise) and August Thiele; and sisters, Margaret Quarnstrom and Beulah Hardy. Harriet was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star Chapter #555, Wauconda. The visitation for Harriet will be held Friday, March 15th, from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home, 201 N. Northwest Highway, Palatine, …

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Obituary: Barbara Gardner Cook, Algonquin School Special Education Teacher

Cook , 90, was a Wilmette resident for 52 years.

The following obituary is from Donnellan Funeral Home: Barbara Gardner Cook died at home in Wilmette on Feb. 18, 2013. Mrs. Cook was born Feb. 26, 1922 in Providence, Rhode Island. Beloved wife of the late Robert; loving mother of Barry (Sharon), Bruce (Joyce), Brian (Maggie) and David (Bigegul); devoted grandmother of Megan (Erik), Kelly, Toni, Lizzie, Oliver, Bob, John, Ian and Ameena; loving great grandmother of Effie; fond sister of William (the late Barbara) Gardner. Barbara lived in Rhode Island until the 1950's when the family moved to the Chicagoland area and lived in Wilmette for the past 52 years. She was an inspired and devoted special eductaion teacher at Algonquin Junior High in Des Plaines, and always a strong advocate for …

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Internet Activist Aaron Swartz's Teachers Remember 'Brilliant' Student

The Internet pioneer passed away this weekend in an apparent suicide. He was a student at North Shore Country Day School and grew up in Highland Park. His funeral is Tuesday morning.

Teachers and administrators at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka remember former student Aaron Swartz as extremely intelligent and curious. Swartz, an Internet activist, co-creator of social news website Reddit and founder of Demand Progress, was found dead in an apparent suicide on Friday in his apartment in Brooklyn. He was 26. Swartz grew up in Highland Park and attended North Shore Country Day School through 9th grade. “He was a very creative boy and a very clever and bright child,” said Pam Whalley, head of lower school. “He was always engaged in school work. He loved … the creative opportunities he had here.” Whalley also noted that Swartz demonstrated the ability to tackle complex problems at a young age.  “He was always …

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Internet Pioneer Aaron Swartz, 26, Commits Suicide

The Highland Park native helped create the RSS feed when he was 14. He was facing federal charges at the time of his death. His funeral is Tuesday at Central Avenue Synagogue.

Aaron Swartz, a Highland Park native and activist for free content on the Internet, was found dead Friday in his Brooklyn apartment in an apparent suicide, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He was 26. Swartz helped create the RSS feed, which allows people to subscribe to information online, when he was just 14, according to an article in the New York Times. He also helped found Reddit, a social news website. He went on to become an activist for free online content, which landed him in trouble with the federal government in 2011 when he was indicted for gaining illegal access to a subscription-based service that distributes literary and scientific journals and then downloading nearly its entire library CNN quoted a statement from Swartz's…

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Lost a Loved One? Getting Through Christmas

Whether your loved one died this year or long ago, holidays without them can be painful. Here's how to plan, what to do, to get through and even hold out a sense of hope. A counselor gives tips.

  While much of the world is excited about the holidays, those who have lost a loved one may dread it, said Barbe Creagh, Ph.D, a counselor who specializes in bereavement. The Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations carry memories of the loved one, and painfully highlight the fact their place at the festive table is empty. But thinking and planning ahead, and acknowledging the loved one, can make the time more bearable, Creagh told about 30 people in a talk called "Grief and the Holidays" at the Park Ridge Senior Center recently. Creagh, who is bereavement counseling manager at Rainbow Hospice, started the talk with a candle-lighting ceremony in honor of the lost loved one, included at the end of this article. It's appropriate during a holiday…

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Obituary: Katherine Gladys Nickel

A visitation and funeral service will be held for Katherine Gladys Nickel, formerly of Des Plaines and Mt. Prospect on Tuesday, December 18.

Katherine Gladys Nickel (nee Franzen), 69, formerly of Des Plaines and Mt. Prospect passed away December 14.   Katherine was born March 4, 1943 in Evanston, IL and died in Belvidere Illinois surrounded by her loved ones.   Kathy is survived by her husband of 50 years, David Alden Nickel, her four children David (Kim), John, Jeff (Venessa) and Amy (Michael).  She was blessed with 13 grandchildren whom she cherished deeply:  Taylor, Kelly, Abigail, Lily, Emma, Jack, Charlie, Samantha, Amelia, Vinny, Jamie, Lauren, and Allie. She is also survived by her brother David (June) Franzen, sister, Mary (Robert) DelVecchio, and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Mary Franzen (nee Schneck). Kathy …

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Zivadin Milutinovic, 54

Services have been scheduled for Des Plaines resident Zivadin Milutinovic, 54.