Obits: Pratt, Parrish, Klamka
Betty L. Pratt, 84, of Fairbury formerly of Cropsey, passed away at 7:40am, February 23, 2018, at Fairview Haven Retirement Community, Fairbury.
Funeral will be held at 10:00am, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, Duffy-Pils Memorial Home, Fairbury. Pastor Gifty Smith will be officiating.
Burial will be in Cropsey Township Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Monday, March 12, 2018, from 4-7:00pm, also at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Cropsey United Methodist Church or Fairview Haven Retirement Community, Fairbury.
Betty was born November 21, 1933, in Pontiac, the daughter of John D. and Rachel Bohm Schaefer. She married Owen Pratt on November 21, 1954, in Graymont. He passed away on February 21, 2008.
Surviving are her children, Norman (Jeannine) Pratt of Howell, MI, David (Teresa) Pratt of Colfax, and Sandra L. Stiles of Rochelle; grandchildren, Derek and Jarod Swackhamer, Cameron (Fiancée Bria Rivet) Pratt, Daniel (Emily) Pratt, Jacob (Kate) Pratt, and Josiah Stiles; brother, John W. (Rita) Schaefer of Graymont; sister, Wanda (Delbert) Piller of Pontiac; sister-in-laws, Dorothy Myers of Lexington and Margery Pratt of Pontiac; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; granddaughter, Lauren Stiles; and sister, Mary Huffman. Betty graduated from Pontiac High School and Mennonite Hospital School of Nursing. She then worked as an RN for Mennonite Hospital, Bloomington and Fairbury Hospital. She also farmed with her husband Owen.
Betty was a member of Cropsey United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women, and Cropsey Women’s Club. She was also a member of Livingston County Farm Bureau and Women’s Committee, Livingston County 4H Leader with the Fayette Fantastics Club for 15 years, Livingston County Country Couples, and Livingston County Home and Community Education Association, and Forrest American Legion Auxiliary.
John Parrish
John Michael 'Mike' Parrish, 59, of Colorado, formerly of Pontiac, passed away of natural causes in his sleep on February 13, 2018 in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Visitation, funeral and burial services will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 119 E. Howard Street, Pontiac, IL 61764. Relatives and friends are welcome at 10:00 a.m. CST for visitation with a mass to follow at 11:00. Refreshments will be served directly after the burial.
Mike was born on June 13, 1958 in Pontiac, Illinois, the son of Mary Ellen (Smith) Parrish and John Brett Parrish. He lived in Highlands Ranch, Colorado for the last ten years, and had lived in Camillus, New York prior to that. Mike gave 38 years of service to Lockheed Martin and led the F&BO team for Commercial Civil Space since 2012. Prior to his time at Space, he spent 19 years in the Electronic Systems business at Rotary and Mission Systems, leading F&BO teams on several large contracts and program portfolios including Combat Systems for Surface Ships and Submarines, Minehunting and Towed Array Development & Production.
He also had extensive experience in commercial and government, restructuring projects, and international and acquisition projects. He spent his early career in Corporate Finance, Auditing and Manufacturing Finance. Mike was a member of Board of Directors at Seeds of Hope, dedicated to making a transformative Catholic education financially accessible for families in the Archdiocese of Denver and Northern Colorado. Mike also was a proud alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, class of 1980. Mike was also an Eagle Scout.
Mike is survived by his father, John Brett Parrish of Edmonds, Washington; brother, Doug Parrish of Bainbridge Island, Washington; sister, Lynn Connelly of Stamford, Connecticut; brother-in-law, Hugh Connelly of Stamford, Connecticut; his nephew, Hugh Joseph Connelly of Stamford, Connecticut; his nephew, Sean Michael Connelly of Stamford, Connecticut; his recently married nephew Jason (Karrisa) Parrish, of Vancouver, Washington; his niece, Beth Parrish of Pullman, Washington; and many cousins and friends who loved him dearly.
Mike was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Ellen Parrish; and his brother, Scott David Parrish. Memorial contributions may be made in honor of Mike Parrish to Seeds of Hope of Northern Colorado, Inc., 1300 Steele Street, Denver, CO 80201. www.seedsofhopedenver.org
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Gladys Klamka
Gladys Puffer Klamka passed away on February 23, 2018. A celebration of her life will be at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at Duffy-Baier-Snedecor Funeral Home in Pontiac, Illinois.
Gladys was born Gladys Marie Puffer on November 19, 1925 to Everett and Tini Puffer in Streator, Illinois. At age 7, her mother died and she was raised by her father and four brothers in the Odell, Illinois area. She met the love of her life, Stanley Klamka, while working as a secretary at Western Electric in the Chicago area. As told by our Mom, she met our Dad while taking dance lessons. She insisted finding romance was the farthest thing from her mind. She became annoyed he kept picking her as a dance partner and also showing up everywhere. She couldn't understand why he was taking dance lessons because he was a great dancer. 38 years of marriage and four children later, we all know why.
Gladys raised four children while being a domestic CEO. She was active in school activities including PTA Secretary and PTA President. She loved to write cards and letters to friends and family her whole life, often including an original poem. Gladys loved to play the harmonica and sang often in church and in the group Sweet Adelines. After her children were grown, she returned to work as an Executive Secretary at Procter & Gamble until retirement.
Gladys is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Stanley; four brothers, George, Earl, Clarence, Lavern; her mother-in-law and father-in-law; daughter, Amy; and daughter-in-law, Sharon.
Gladys is survived by her children, Doug (Nancy) Klamka, Bradford (Pamela) Klamka, and Jason Klamka; and her grandchildren, Kristopher Klamka, Ari Klamka, and Kasey (Allison) Klamka.
