
Obituaries January 26, 2022
THOMAS A. BEEMSTERBOER Thomas A. Beemsterboer, age 71, passed away January 1. Beloved husband of Judith A. Beemsterboer (nee Kuklovsky); loving father of Timothy J. (Erwan LeMoing), Michael D. and Stephen M; devoted brother of Mary Adduci, the late Paul (Alice) Beemsterboer and the late Agnes (the late Thomas) Cooke. Uncle to many nieces and…

Obituaries January 19, 2022
RICHARD B. BARAJAZ Richard B. Barajaz, age 75, of La Grange Park, passed away January 2. Army Veteran. Beloved husband of Lorelei Barajaz (nee Renn), for more than 53 years; loving father of Rick (Dina) Barajaz and Andrea (Brian) Gorski; grandfather of John, Brian, Zoe, and Alexandra; son of Gabino and the late Theresa Barajaz;…

Obituaries January 12, 2022
RICHARD BENEDICT BLAKE Richard Benedict Blake, age 75, of North Riverside formerly of Brookfield, passed away December 20. Navy Veteran. Beloved son of the late Richard Francis Blake and Helen Rose Blake (nee Bombeck); loving brother of Terence (Christine) Blake; uncle of William (Emily) Blake, Jacqueline Blake and Rebecca Blake. Visitation was held January 5…

Obituaries January 5, 2022
DOROTHY BUCHER Dorothy Bucher 101, of Palos Hills, passed away on December 27. She was the devoted daughter of the late Frank and Louise nee Koch Bucher; loving sister Loretta (the late Ernest) Gregory, and the late Lawrence (the late Lottie) Bucher and Louise Bucher; cherished aunt of six; great-aunt of four. Family and friends…

Obituaries December 29, 2022
FREDERICK PRICE BOULAIS Frederick Price Boulais, 97, formerly of Orland Park, passed away December 7. He was the husband of the late Phyllis M. Boulais and Leokadya Connelly Boulais; father of Frederick J. “Rick” (Carole) Boulais, Gail (Ray) Ekberg, and the late Kevin (Virginia) Boulais; grandfather of Paige (Adam) Jedrzejak, Brooke Boulais, Alannah Eckberg, Neve Eckberg, Phillip (Shannon) Boulais, Barbara…

Obituaries December 22, 2022
FRANK BRZECZEK Frank Brzeczek, 97, has passed away. He was the beloved husband of the late Cornelia nee Onderwater; loving father of Cornelia (the late Thomas J.) Dobbin, late Judith (Robert) Gale, Jacqueline (Kurt) Peterson, the late Frank Jr. (Mary), Thomas (Tina), Timothy (Rebecca), and Ronald (Janeen) Brzeczek; Grandfather of 19; Great Grandfather of 16;…

Obituaries December 15, 2022
DOROTHY BALCITIS Dorothy Balcitis (nee Krug), age 94, passed away October 26. Adored wife of the late Raymond L. Balcitis (Ret. Captain CPD); loving devoted mother to Rae (Richard) Lapinski (both Ret. CPD), the late Charles (Ret. CPD) (Sandra Bond), Sharon (Ret. CPD) and the late Jeffrey (Patricia) (both Ret. CPD); cherished grandmother to Bryan…

‘A good soul, a man for others’
From staff reports The Rev. Robert J. Roll, who once served as pastor at Sts. Peter & Paul Parish, as well as St. Maurice Parish, both in McKinley Park, died on Nov. 21. He was 71 years old. Father Roll was born on Jan. 14, 1951, in Chicago. He attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College…

Obituaries December 8, 2022
MAGDALENA ARTEAGA Magdalena Arteaga (nee Valerio), 64, of Chicago, passed away November 23. Beloved wife of Gerardo “Jerry” Arteaga; loving mother of Jacqueline (Juan) Guerrero, Jesus (Karen) Arteaga and Magaly Arteaga; dearest grandmother of Vincent Arteaga, Victoria G. Guerrero, Maritza N. and Gracie M. Arteaga; devoted daughter of Magdalena (nee Hernandez) and the late Salvador Valerio; dear…

Obituaries December 1, 2022
CAROL ANN ANDERSON Carol Ann Anderson (nee Janota), age 76, passed away October 15. Beloved wife of the late John Anderson; cherished daughter of the late Frances (nee Blitek) and the late Julian Janota; loving sister of Julian (Sandi) Janota, Francine (the late Sam, Sr) Covey, Maureen (Tom) Stewart and the late Frank Janota; dear…

Obituaries November 24, 2022
JOANN M. BACHELDER Joann M. Bachelder (nee Bandiga), 88, of Palos Hills, passed away peacefully on November 16 surrounded by her loving family by her side. She was the beloved wife of the late George James Bachelder III; loving mother of Mary Kay (David) Loyd, Carol (Patrick) Carmody, George James Bachelder IV., Joseph James Bachelder,…

Richard H. Lentfer, founder of Rich Real Estate dies
RICHARD H. LENTFER Richard H. Lentfer, 86, of Orland Park, passed away November 7. He was the beloved husband of Georjean (nee VanderWagen) for 41 years. Loving father of Sheryl (Tom) Rotunno, Susan (Craig) Sipich, Elizabeth (Nick) Osborne, and treasured step-father of Melissa (Robert) Taussig. Cherished grandpa of Nick (Evan) Rotunno, Jacqueline (Nick) Storm, Erica…

Obituaries November 17, 2022
ANNE BORIK Anne Borik (nee Labno), 94, of Plainfield, formerly of Bridgeview Gardens, passed away peacefully November 4. She was the beloved wife of the late Edward Borik; loving mother of Cynthia (Michael) Rago; dear grandmother of Jennifer (Robert) Mase, Michelle (Dominic) Gallaga and Anthony Rago; proud great grandmother of Vincent Mase, Nicholas Mase and…

Obituaries November 10, 2022
GUADALUPE AVILA Guadalupe Avila, age 90, passed away October 7. Beloved husband of the late Alicia (nee Vasquez) Avila; loving father of Dolores Yracheta; dear grandfather of Timothy Yracheta III and Nicholas (Alexis) Yracheta; dearest great-grandfather of Calix, Jaxon, Nixon and Zayn; fond uncle to many nieces and nephews. Also survived by relatives and friends.…

‘Consistent, unwavering dedication to the community’
GRCL President Richard Techman’s life to be celebrated From staff reports Richard J. Techman was a lifelong Garfield Ridge resident and longtime president of the Garfield Ridge Civic League. He died suddenly and unexpectedly at home on Saturday, Oct. 15. He was 65 years old. “As a news reporter, I had contact with Rick going…

Obituaries November 3, 2022
TERESA R AGUILAR Teresa R Aguilar, age 76, passed away October 10. Will be forever missed by her loving family and friends. Visitation was held at Szykowny Funeral Home, 4901 S Archer Ave, Chicago. Jonathan F Siedlecki, Owner/Director. Funeral Mass was held at St Clare Montefalco Parish, Chicago. Final resting place is St Casimir Cemetery, Chicago. To…

Obituaries October 27, 2022
GEORGE CAUDILLO George Caudillo passed away unexpectedly at home October 11. He was the loving father of Nina Olivia Gary; cherished son of Gloria and Jesus Caudillo; much loved companion of Liisa Gary; dear brother of Raul E. Caudillo, Jesus C. Caudillo Jr. and the late Alonzo G. Caudillo. George will be missed by his…

Viking girls are golden
The St. Laurence High School cheerleaders (aka the Golden Girls) won first place in their division at the Spartan Showdown at Marian Catholic High School late last month. Clearing and Garfield Ridge girls played a key role in the team’s success. Those girls (and their grade schools) are: Lauren Weyer (St. Jane de Chantal), Asia…

She kept her promise
. . By Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • [email protected] . Never underestimate a woman’s love for her man. Gary and Kimberly Hughes met in 1996. They fell in love and were wed in 1998. They bought a home near 61st and Natchez and were on their way to raising…

District 128 schools are going to the dogs and the kids love it
By Kelly White Pet therapy has also been shown to improve energy levels, self-esteem, social skills, verbal communication and mood, as well as decrease depression. Palos Heights School District 128 made the decision to bring pet therapy into the classroom to help both its students and staff reap these benefits while enjoying the company of…

Orland Park cops honored and defended
By Jeff Vorva The Village of Orland Park hosted its police awards ceremony last week and, as usual, Mayor Keith Pekau expressed his gratitude for the job the police force does. He also was irked by some comments he has seen online with negative comments on a post. On Jan. 7, Orland police responded to…

Casten scolds sheriff on new gun control law
Says he can’t pick which laws to enforce By Tim Hadac U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-6th) and several other Democratic members of the state’s Congressional delegation recently sent a letter to DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, expressing concern over his Jan. 13 statement that he will not enforce the Protect Illinois Communities Act (H.B. 5471).…

2023 Illinois tax filing season now open
From staff reports The Illinois Department of Revenue began accepting 2022 state individual income tax returns on Monday, the same date that the Internal Revenue Service began accepting federal individual income tax returns. “Taxpayers are encouraged to file electronically as early as possible in the tax season and choose direct deposit in order to ensure…

Palos Park tries to stay ahead of the curve on sextortion scams
By Jeff Vorva The Palos Park Police Department is trying to stay ahead of a disturbing trend that has not been talked about publicly very much. When it comes to the topic of sextortion scams, the Palos Park police are monitoring things very closely and Detective Ross Chibe was called on to provide some wisdom…

Former hospital employee charged in Palos Heights identity theft
From staff reports A Hazel Crest man was charged last week with aggravated identity theft stemming from an incident that happened on December 27. Palos Heights police took a report on December 27 from a patient at Northwestern Palos Hospital who reported their wallet was missing and then observed two unauthorized charges on her debit…

Despite serious health woes, Reed ready to keep serving for Palos Park
By Jeff Vorva G. Darryl Reed knows his time on Earth could be short. He gets it. He doesn’t like it. But he gets it. The Palos Park commissioner has been dealing with intestinal failure for the past two years and his doctors have not been sugarcoating it. Reed, a former Marine and lawyer, is…