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L. Paul Masse
A funeral Mass for L. Paul Masse, 91, of Kankakee, was celebrated Feb. 26 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Kankakee. Rev. Richard Pighini officiated.
Mr. Masse died Feb. 24, 2003.
Burial was in Mt. Calvary cemetery. Pallbearers were Robert, Thomas, James and Ted Masse and Suzi and Carl McQueen.
Thomas Rapp
business owner
MILFORD -- Visitation for Thomas "Tom" Edmund Rapp, 50, of Urbana, formerly of Milford, will be from 6-8 p.m. today at the Knapp Funeral Home in Milford, where services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday. Rev. Don R. Stuckwisch will officiate.
Burial will be held at a later date in Maple Grove cemetery in Milford.
Memorials may be made toward the education of his daughter, Abbigail.
He died Tuesday (Feb. 25, 2003) at Bromenn Regional Medical Center in Bloomington.
Mr. Rapp had worked at Sea Sprite in Crescent City; owned and operated Farmer's Restaurant and Tom Electronics in Milford, and Manny and Martins in Champaign. He recently owned and operated Rappco in Urbana.
He was born April 16, 1952, in Watseka, the son of Edmund F. and Lorna M. Moritz Rapp. His parents are deceased.
He married
the former Carol Ann Becher Nov. 19, 1988 in Mahomet.
Surviving are one daughter, Abbigail Rapp of Mt. Carmel; one brother, Steve Rapp of Milford; one sister, Rev. Barbara J. Rapp of Freeport; "adopted" sister, Carol Reeves of Decatur; one sister-in-law, Renee Rapp of Milford; one niece and one nephew; and former wife, Carol Rapp of Mt. Carmel.
One brother, Phillip; and one sister, Maylene are deceased.
He was a 1970 graduate of Milford High School.
Ervin Dietrich
Korean War vet
GODLEY -- Ervin Dietrich Jr., 72, of Godley, died Tuesday (Feb. 25, 2003) at Embassy Care Center in Wilmington.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. Friday until the 1 p.m. services at the Freitag Funeral Home in Wilmington. Rev. Harold Carroll will officiate.
Burial, with military honor guard by the U.S. Marines, will be in the Abraham Lincoln National cemetery in Elwood.
He was born April 27, 1930, in Beaver Dam, Wis., the son of Ervin and Etta Bowden Dietrich.
Surviving are his wife, the former Janie Sue Hindmon, whom he married
June 21, 1958, in Corinth, Miss.; two daughters, Melinda West and Janet Dietrich; one son, Daniel Dietrich; 10 grandchildren and one great-grandson; two sisters, Lucille Fisher and Marlene Drake; four brothers, Orville, Ronald, Arnold and Kenneth Dietrich; and several nieces and nephews.
Mr. Dietrich was a U.S. Marines Corps veteran serving during the Korean War.
Charles Erickson
LOCKPORT -- Charles E. Erickson, 74, of Lockport, and the relative of area residents, died Monday (Feb. 17, 2003) at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago.
Services were held Feb. 21 at the Carlson-Holmquist-Sayles Funeral Home in Joliet. Rev. David Wilder officiated.
Burial was in the Elmhurst cemetery in Joliet.
Mr. Erickson was retired from Joliet Equipment/Keck Electric.
He was born in Joliet, the son of Peter and Alice Erickson.
Surviving are his wife, the former Patricia Resler, of Lockport; two sons and daughters-in-law, Gary and Debbie Erickson of Monee, Greg and Lisa Erickson of Tinley Park; two daughters and sons-in-law, Denise and Chuck Kelly of Portland, Mich., Lori and Gavin Redmon of Yorkville; 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; one brother and sister-in-law, Ronald and Patricia Erickson of Plainfield; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Arlene and Robert Youngren of Goose Lake, Margaret and Arthur Aceto of Joliet; and several nieces and nephews.
One brother, Earl Erickson, is deceased.
He was a U.S. Army veteran and a member of the John Olson Post 18 American Legion and the Lockport Post 5819 VFW.
Mr. Erickson was also a member of the Lockport Moose 1557 and the Aurora Sportsmen's Club.
He enjoyed the outdoors.
Elden Harvey
farmer
HERSCHER -- Elden C. "Mose" Harvey, 84, of Herscher, died Monday (Feb. 24, 2003) at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. Friday, with a 10:30 a.m. Masonic service until the 11 a.m. services at the Herscher United Methodist Church, where he was a member. Pastor Jerry Watkins will officiate. Military rites will follow by the Herscher American Legion Post 795.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Elden C. Harvey Family Scholarship Fund for the Ag Department of Herscher High School or to the donor's choice.
Hertz-Thoma Funeral Chapel, Kankakee, is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Harvey had been a foreman with ASCS Agricultural Service; worked in the maintenance department for UniRoyal and retired from farming after 35 years.
He was born March 9, 1918, in Newton, the son of Mose and Dollie Shamhart Harvey.
Surviving are his wife, the former Hazel Widger, whom he married
July 4, 1941, in St. Charles, Mo., of Herscher; one son and daughter-in-law, David M. and Judy Harvey of Kankakee; grandchildren, Stacey and James Atkinson of Kankakee, Wade and Carrie Harvey of Harvard, Neil and Jayme Harvey of Port Orange, Fla.; five great-grandchildren; two sisters-in-law, Anna Harvey of California, Juanita Harvey of Decatur; and many nieces and nephews.
Two sons, Daniel M. and Bruce E. Harvey; five brothers, John, Dale, Loren, Delbert and Willoughby Harvey; and one sister, Madge Mitchell, are deceased.
He served with the U.S. Army during World War II in the 19th General Hospital. He was a member of the Herscher American Legion Post 795, where he served as past commander.
Mr. Harvey was a member of the Kankakee Masons, the Moose and past master of the Cabery Masonic Lodge.
His hobbies included golf, gardening and playing cards.
Bernardine
Kopcha, retired nurse
HOBART, Ind. -- Bernardine E. "Bernie" Kopcha, 88, of Hobart, Ind., formerly of Kankakee, died Tuesday (Feb. 25, 2003).
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Bridget Catholic Church, Hobart, Ind., where she was a member. Rev. Dominic V. Bertino will officiate.
Cremation rites will be accorded by the Burns Funeral Home Crematory.
Burial of the cremains will be in Ridgelawn cemetery in Gary, Ind.
Memorials may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
Mrs. Kopcha was a retired surgical nurse at Mercy Hospital in Gary.
She was born Nov. 28, 1914, in Kankakee, the daughter of Stephen and Mary Jane Joint Lawlor.
Her husband, Dr. Joseph Kopcha, died in 1986.
Surviving are two daughters and one son-in-law, Maryel and Steve Bailey of Schererville, Ind., Michelle Kopcha of East Lansing, Mich.; and two sons and daughters-in-law, Joseph A. and Barbara Kopcha and Edward and Kim Kopcha, all of Hobart, Ind.
One brother, Steve Lawlor, is deceased.
She was a 1937 graduate of Gary Mercy Nursing School and a member of Mercy Hospital Catholic Nurses Alumni, a charter member of St. Mary Medical Center Auxiliary and the Lake County Medical Auxiliary.
Mrs. Kopcha was a former member of Holy Angels Cathedral in Gary.
She was a volunteer at the Diocesan Center in Crown Point, Ind. for several years.
Jesse Murphy
32-year sanitary disposal employee
Visitation for Jesse J. Murphy, 58, of Kankakee, will be from 10 a.m. Saturday until the 11 a.m. services at Second Baptist Church. Rev. Rodney Lake will officiate.
Burial will be in Kankakee Memorial Gardens cemetery.
Arrangements are by Lax Mortuary in Kankakee.
He died Friday (Feb. 21, 2003) at St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights.
Mr. Murphy retired in 1996 from Kankakee Sanitary Disposal as a driver, after 32 years of service.
He was born Oct. 29, 1944, in Sommerville, Tenn., the son of Wilson Murphy and Clara Williams Brooks. His mother is deceased.
Surviving are his wife, the former Iziola Gilchrist, whom he married
Jan. 22, 1962; two sons and one daughter-in-law, Leonard Bonner of Kankakee, Eric and Tanya Murphy of Memphis, Tenn.; three daughters and sons-in-law, Patricia and Robert Burtis, Dorothy and Mitchell Morris, Twana and Timothy Burtis, all of Kankakee; his father, Wilson (Odella) Murphy of Sommerville, Tenn.; 12 sisters, Della Carpenter, Doretha Harris and Linda Norment, all of Memphis, Tenn., Maxine (Michael) Freeman of Arlington, Tenn., Onarine (Cleveland) Hill of Sayden, Miss., Earthy Minor and Trina Brooks, both of Kankakee, Bobbie Simon (Terry Malone) and Anita Banks, all of Bloomington, Stacy (Tommy) Hess of San Diego, Calif., Delsiree (Morris) Taylor of Green Bay, Wis., Felicia Bryant of Mississippi; eight brothers, Earlybe (Eloise) Murphy of Covington, Tenn., Hurburt (Jane) Bryant of Arlington, Tenn., Rev. Cloyd Sr. (Juanita) Bryant of Kankakee, Ricky Bryant of Champaign, Davis (Cheryl) Brooks of Memphis, Tenn., Alvin, Albert and Leon Bryant, all of Mississippi; four aunts, four uncles; 16 grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Two brothers, Willie Murphy and Leonard Bryant Jr., are deceased.
He attended Community Church of Holiness.
He also enjoyed fishing, gardening and walking.
Margaret Shoufler
MILFORD -- Visitation for Margaret L. Shoufler, 97, of Milford, will be from 5-8 p.m. Friday at the Knapp Funeral Home, Milford, where services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday. Rev. Neil Larimore will officiate.
Burial will be in Maple Grove cemetery, Milford.
Memorials may be made to the Milford Ambulance Fund.
She died Monday (Feb. 24, 2003) at Iroquois Memorial Hospital in Watseka.
Mrs. Shoufler had worked as a clerk at the Grab It Here Grocery Store in Milford and at the canning factory.
She was born Sept. 9, 1905, in Milford, the daughter of Harvey and Mary Lane Haxton.
Her husband, Billie William Shoufler, whom she married
Nov. 27, 1920, in Watseka, died March 15, 1974.
Surviving are two daughters, Bette Lee Maloni of Palatka, Fla., Patricia Stanley of Okeechobee, Fla.; one son and daughter-in-law, Arthur Leon and Elsie Shoufler of Milford; eight grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
One daughter, Mary L. Hubert; and two half-brothers are deceased.
Mrs. Shoufler was a member of the Milford Christian Church, Royal Neighbors, Rebecca Lodge, Milford Woman's Club, Milford Household Science, Grandmother's Club and the American Legion Auxiliary.
She enjoyed ceramics, crocheting and knitting.
