Obituaries

Lanark

Connie M. Brandt, 71

Connie M. Brandt, age 71, of Lanark, IL passed away Saturday, September 26, 2020 at Allure Nursing Home in Mt. Carroll, IL. A graveside memorial service was held Saturday, October 3, 2020, at Oak Hill Cemetery, in Mt. Carroll. Following the funeral, the family invited attendees to Manny's in Savanna, IL to celebrate her life. Family and friends are invited to share in Connie’s life at lawjonesfuneralhome.com.

Connie was born October 17, 1948, in Sterling, IL, the daughter of Gerald and Evelyn (Jacobs) Siperly. Growing up, she attended Milledgeville schools. On March 20, 1970, Connie married Allen Brandt, Sr., in Camanche, IA. Allen and Connie celebrated 25 years of marriage before his death in 1995. In her younger days, Connie operated a daycare out of her home. She did this for 17 years, as her daughter was growing up, allowing her to spend as much time with her as possible. After her daughter had graduated high school, Connie went to work for Tri-County Opportunity Council, assisting senior citizens with daily living, and household endeavors until her retirement. Connie was a natural caregiver, making a career out of helping people.

In her free time, Connie loved spending time with her family and friends. She always had the coffee pot on and a search a word puzzle. She had an affinity for TV game shows and The Bachelor. In her later years, she found no greater happiness than seeing her (neighboring) great granddaughter, wave in elation to her great-grandma, every morning as she left her house for the day. Connie made sure she was always awake to see her off. She loved being surprised with drawings from her twin grandchildren and proudly displayed every one of them throughout her home. She was always an avid listener for her older grandchildren as well.

Connie will be dearly missed by her two daughters, Kim (Scott) Cook, of Lanark, IL and Dianne (Scott Johnson) Gill, of Wauwatosa, WI; seven grandchildren, Adam (Laci Gruendler) Gill, Abby (Sean) Jergens, Ella Gill, Trevor Cook, Danyel Cook, Jaxon Cook, and Madisyn Cook; two great-granddaughters, Callie and Ava; three sisters, Linda (Alan) Brandt, of Woodlawn, TN, Sandy Balk, of Lanark, IL, and Vicki (Terry) Bocker, of Lanark, IL; a brother, Larry (Mandy) Siperly, of Milledgeville, IL; a special niece, Tera (Jerry) Holt, of Clarksville, TN; special nephews, Robyn (Elaine) Brandt, of Mt. Carroll, IL and Scott (Michelle) Brandt, of Woodlawn, TN; and many more nieces and nephews.

Connie is preceded in death by her husband, Allen; parents, Gerald and Evelyn; Victor Brandt; and brother, Jerry Siperly.

German Valley

Klaus H. Watter, 69

Klaus H. Watter, 69, of German Valley, IL passed away Wednesday September 23, 2020 in his home.

He was born November 17, 1950 in Gross-Umstadt (Groß-Umstadt), Germany to Gustav O. and Elly (Schaffer) Watter. Klaus came to America in 1959 and became a United States Citizen in 1969. He was extremely proud to be an American Citizen. On June 20, 1971 he married Beth Smith at Faith United Methodist Church in Freeport, IL. Klaus was a member of Faith United Methodist Church in Freeport. He was also a member of the Boy Scouts of America. Klaus served in the United States national Guard from 1970-1976. He worked at Titan Tires for 46 years until retiring two years ago.

His hobbies included taking care of his diverse aquarium of fish, parrots and his green house of cactus and orchids. Klaus enjoyed everything that was alive and unusual. The challenge of taking care of the unusual really interested Klaus. Klaus was very well known amongst his family and friends for having a dry sense of humor and it was greatly appreciated.

He is survived by his wife Beth of German Valley, IL; three sons David Heinz (Melissa) Watter of German Valley, IL; Timothy Brandon (Jodi) Watter of Freeport, IL and Niklaus Robert Watter of German Valley, IL; two brothers Dieter (Carol) Watter of Florida and Eric (Kathy) Watter of Freeport, IL; one sister Ruth Hattula of Freeport, IL; eight grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews that loved him.

Klaus is preceded in death by his parents.

Funeral services were held at 3:00 P.M. Saturday September 26, 2020 at Faith United Methodist Church in Freeport with Rev. Melissa Meyers officiating. A visitation was held from 2:00 P.M. until the time of service at the church. Burial was in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. A memorial has been established in Klaus’ memory.

Lena

David Melvin Roling, 65

David Melvin Roling was born to eternal life Monday, September 28th, 2020, surrounded by his family.

He was born 12 Feb 1955, the 6th of 8 children born to Melvin and Maleta (Pfohl) Roling. While growing up, the family lived on farms in the Menominee, Zwingle and Belmont areas. He graduated from Belmont High School in 1973, married his high school sweetheart Vickie Greene and together had 3 children.

Dave wore many hats during his life, including farmer, auto body repair, security, law enforcement, carpenter and antique tractor restoration. He studied criminology at Platteville and while working security at Galena Territories, Sheriff Specht offered him a job with the JoDaviess Sheriff’s department. He completed training at the Illinois State Police Academy in Springfield. During his fifteen years with JoDaviess county he worked patrol, Detective, Corporal, Administrative Sergeant and Chief deputy. He also served on numerous county committees and task forces with other agencies. When entreated, Dave would regale family with stories and memories from his law enforcement days. In the 1990s he returned to farming, later taking a job with Terra Ag and subsequently F/S- Stephenson Service Co. While at F/S he did nearly every job in the company: Applications, Structures, LP, Fuel Oil, Lena Plant Manager and his final position was Compliance and Safety Officer until his health necessitated his retirement in 2015. He gracefully navigated seven years of colon cancer, abandoning unpleasant traditional treatments that could not offer a cure, enjoying his last five years on his own terms.

Dave was the strong, silent type, more of a do-er than a talker, who liked cooking and taking care of family, friends, and co-workers. He was a “fixer of things” and he loved being outdoors, antique vehicles, especially muscle cars, antique tractors, motorcycling, auctions and animals. He would be seen driving around the area in his pickup with his white German Shepherd, Andre in the back. He loved karaoke, saying it was the most fun you could have without taking your clothes off and karaoke is how he met Joyce, his beloved wife and love goddess. He especially loved his family and grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Joyce (Hobb/Wirtjes) of Lena. Three children, Richelle (Ron) DeCuir, Baton Rouge, LA. Seth (Allyson) Roling, Shannon, IL, Keshia (Shaun) Bennett, Stockton IL, and their mother Vickie (Greene) Nash. Three Step-children: Brandon (Marsha) Wirtjes, Rockford. MSG Ryan (Amanda) Wirtjes, Fayetteville NC, and Hannah (Rich) Hagedorn, Monroe WI; Eleven grandchildren: Abrielle and Zachary DeCuir, Layla, Zoey and Jackson Roling, Alexis and Blake Bennett, Eliza, Oliver, Kyler and Jaxsen Wirtjes. A brother, Richard Roling, Shullsburg WI, sisters Juanita Roling, Milwaukee WI, Pam (William) Shomler, Slinger WI and numerous nieces and nephews, several claiming to be “his favorite.”

He was predeceased by his parents, brother Donald, sisters Shirley (Anthony) Hughes, Pat Olson, and Donna (David) Seng, and nephews Mark Hughes and Karl Olson.

Visitation was held on Friday, October 2, 2020 from 4:00-7:00 PM, where the rosary started at 3:30 PM at Leamon funeral home in Lena, IL. Funeral services were held on Saturday October 3, 2020 at11:00 AM at Leamon Funeral Home in Lena, IL. Father Mike Morrissey officiated the services. Private family burial will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Galena, IL.

A special thanks to friends, neighbors, F/S and the F/S family, for their acts of kindness and generosity during his illness and Father Michael, and Monroe Clinic Hospice. There are no words to express our gratefulness to our family for their presence, devotion and unwavering support.

A memorial has been established in Dave’s memory. Condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.leamonfh.com.