Obits: Haab, Sliwiak
Normal – James “Jim” L. Haab, 79, of Normal, passed away at 8:55am, December 31, 2018, at Advocate Bromenn Regional Medical Center, Normal.
His funeral will be held at 10:00am, Saturday, January 5, 2019, at Grace Church, Normal. Pastor Len Thebarge will be officiating. Burial will be in West Twin Grove Cemetery, Bloomington. Visitation will be held from 4-7:00pm, Friday, January 4, 2019, also at Grace Church, Normal.
Duffy-Pils Memorial Home, Colfax is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Grace Church, Normal or Children’s Hospital of Illinois, Peoria.
Jim was born July 27, 1939, in Fairbury the son of Lewis and Alice Moore Haab.
He married Karen Benway on April 26, 1964, in Forrest. She survives.
Also surviving are two sons, Jeff Haab of Normal and Todd (Dana) Haab of Bloomington; grandchildren, Kaley Haab of Bloomington and Mason Shepherd of Jacksonville, NC; and brother, Dick (Vicki) Haab of Forrest.
He was preceded in death by his parents and infant sister, Barbara June Haab.
Jim retired from Growmark in 2002 after 42 yrs. He farmed in the Strawn and Forrest area and was a part time driver for Dennison Corp. in Bloomington and Mangold Ford in Eureka.
Jim was a member of Grace Church in Normal where he was an usher. He was also a member of Livingston County Farm Bureau. He volunteered with Special Olympics, Ag in the Classroom and Safety Safari for Kids. Jim served on the board of directors and was past president for McLean County Center for Human Services.
Sabrina April Sliwiak, 48, passed away on December 31, 2018. She was born April 27, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Philip and Ellen Sliwiak.
She is survived by her mother of Richmond, father of Phoenix, AZ, sister, Petra Sliwiak of Wheaton, and many friends who loved her.
She graduated from Johnsburg High School and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sabrina was a master of many languages, and had a perpetual yearning to learn and explore every day. Her blue eyes sparkled and her smile lit up a room. She had the unique ability to make everyone she met feel like they were the most important person in the world. She loved to travel and immerse herself in other cultures and languages. Her travels took her to Brazil, Germany, Italy and France, among others.
While she left us too soon, she was able to fit more living in to her 48 years than most people pack in to a lifetime. Her zest for life, her kindness to all, and her laugh will never be forgotten by those who adored her.
A Celebration of Sabrina’s life will be held on her birthday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St Jude Children’s Hospital or Ovarian Cancer Research.
