Elizabeth M. Poprawski, age 84, a resident of Johnsburg, passed away Wednesday February 11, 2015, at JourneyCare Hospice of Woodstock.  She was born December 1, 1930 in Wilmington, Delaware.  Elizabeth was a homemaker and bookkeeper and was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Johnsburg.  She is survived by her children, Richard Jr., Dorothy, Mark, Anthony, Anna Marie, Bryan, Lucy, Lisa, Victoria, John, and Philip and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Sr., daughter, Kathryn Marie Dahlenburg, and son, Joseph William Poprawski.  A visitation is scheduled for Sunday, February 15, 2015 from 4:00pm until 8:00pm at Strang Funeral Chapel & Crematorium 410 E. Belvidere Rd. Grayslake, IL 60030.  The funeral mass  is scheduled for Monday, February 16, 2015 at 10:30am at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 2302 Church Street in Johnsburg, with  interment following at Ascension Cemetery in Libertyville. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to JourneyCare, 527 West South Street, Woodstock, IL 60098 or the ALS Association, 1275 K Street NW, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20005.  For more information please log onto www.strangfuneral.org or call (847)223-8122.

Barbara J. Forshee, 71, of Chicago, passed away at home on January 27, 2015. Barbara was born on October 31, 1943 to William and Lorraine LaBrec nee Odegard. Barbara loved to crochet, she liked art, and loved to draw, she was a Bears fan, loved to cook, and do roof top gardening. Barbara is survived by her children, Donna(Skip) of Lake Villa, Frankie(Judy) of Twin Lakes, Wi. Naomi of Texas. Her Grandchildren Justin, Donna lynn, Sharie, Ryan, Michael, Samantha, Joshua, Sabrina, James, Kristina, Billy, and Angela, and her 12 great grandchildren. Barbara is also survived by her brother William(Alice)LaBrec, sister Tammy LaBrec, 1 neice Kimberly LaBrec. Barbara was preceded in death by her aforementioned parents. A visitation for Barbara will be Tuesday, February 3, 2015 from 3P.M. till 6 P.M. with a funeral service starting 6 P.M. In lieu of flowers the family has asked for donations to American Cancer Society 100 Tri- State International suite #125, Lincolnshire, Il, 60069 . All funeral arrangements were entrusted to the Strang Funeral Chapel 410 E. Belvidere Rd, Grayslake, IL, 60030. for any information please call (847)223-8122

John T. Troemel, 74, a resident of Grayslake, passed away Wednesday January 28, 2015 at Northwestern Hospital surrounded by his family. He was born September 5, 1940 in Chicago to Clarence and Catherine Troemel. John spent his working career as a maintenance supervisor working for both Sara Lee and Underwriters Laboratory. John is survived by his wife of 52 years, Judi, his children John Thomas (Chris) Troemel, Jeff (Dana) Troemel, and Amy (Bryon) Johnson, his grandchildren Nicole and Tommy Troemel and Emily and Shelby Johnson, and his siblings Tom Troemel and Betty Oechsle. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Jimmy, and his baby girl Mary. Friends of the family may visit on Friday, February 6, 2015 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Strang Funeral Chapel & Crematorium, 410 East Belvidere Road, Grayslake, IL 60030. A funeral mass is scheduled for Saturday February 7, 2015 at 10:00am in the small chapel at St. Gilbert Catholic Church 301 E. Belvidere Rd. Grayslake, IL. Interment will be held privately. Memorial donations may be made to the American Lung Association. For information, please call 847-223-8122 or visit www.strangfuneral.org.

Bettie M. Svitanek, nee Andrade, passed away peacefully at home in Round Lake Beach, IL, on January 10, 2015. To those who knew Bettie, she was very social and friendly. She was the hostess of many special gatherings and dinners at her house as she was an excellent cook.
Along with her culinary skills, she enjoyed food such as welsh rarebit, mock chicken legs, and especially, lobster tail and prime rib. Bettie also loved people! She always talked fondly of her cherished longtime neighbors in the community where she lived for over 60 years, her fun loving friends from the bowling league at Lakes Bowl, and her cherished associates/friends from Ammco Tools.
She loved all kinds of animals, but she led a special crusade to feed and look after feral cats in the neighborhood. Buddy, a shiny black cat with yellow eyes, was a motivating force behind Bettie’s happiness and resilience. Bettie was known to be an advocate for Spay and Stay where she met friends Sandy and Linda as well as a contributor to Save a Pet, both animal rescue organizations located in Grayslake. At times, she was a volunteer for Save a Pet and contributed her craft work for their fundraising efforts.
She was a loving wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Bettie had 25 delightful years of marriage to an adoring husband who she shared trips, dinners, indoor cats, and fishing with, both on the Chain of Lakes and on Lake Michigan. Christmas was one of their favorite shared holidays. We, too, always enjoyed her Christmas dinners out to a special restaurant with money saved in a special fund throughout the year.
Family was so very important to her. Bettie was known to video record with narration her grandchildren’s birthday and holiday parties. She would be a number one fan at their soccer games and music concerts. Additionally, she crocheted many baby blankets and afghans for family members. She was always there for her children with encouragement, kindness, and love. She would exchange video recordings with Cheryl at holidays and exchange audio cassettes with Tom when he was stationed in Korea to let him know she was thinking of him. She was a painter, singer, guitarist, and keyboardist. She and her brother Edward shared their talents in keyboards. They had a gift of music. Often we would hear Bettie play songs like America’s “A Horse With No Name” and many others.
Bettie is survived by a daughter, Cheryl Contri of Brunswick, Ohio; a son Thomas (Kathleen) Contri of Spring Grove, Illinois; four grandchildren, Benjamin Contri of Waukegan, Illinois, Stephanie (Rob) Hagele of Brunswick, Ohio, Anthony Contri of Chicago, Illinois, and Carly Contri of Chicago, Illinois; two great-grandchildren, Giselle and Gabby; special niece Debbie Wells; great-nephew, Chris Johnson; and former daughter-in-law and friend, Sherry Walleck.
She was preceded in death by her husband, John, in 2002; her parents; brother, Edward and sister-in-law, Delores.
We would like to thank the Advocate Hospice team and caregivers from Home Instead of Grayslake for their special care and friendship shown to Bettie in her final months. As she would tell you today, “I had a good life.”
Interment will be private. A “Celebration of Life” gathering may be announced at a later date. Memorials may be made in her name to Save a Pet or Spay and Stay, Grayslake, Illinois. Strang Funeral Chapel, 410 East Belvidere Road, Grayslake, IL

Jane Peterka, 92, a resident of Grayslake, passed away Friday January 9, 2015, in Libertyville, IL. She was born October 28, 1922 in Chicago, IL. Jane is the cherished mother of James (Stephanie) Peterka, Don (Yvonne) Peterka , Glenn (Laura) Peterka, beloved Grandmother of James (Elizabeth) Peterka, Kelsey Peterka, Corey Peterka, loving Great Grandmother “GG” of Anne and Olivia Peterka. A visitation is scheduled for Sunday January 11, 2015 from 4:00pm until 7:00pm at Strang Funeral Chapel & Crematorium 410 E. Belvidere Rd. Grayslake, IL 60030. A funeral is scheduled for Monday January 12, 2015 at 10:30am at the funeral chapel. The interment will be held at Maryhill Cemetery in Niles, IL. For more information please log onto www.strangfuneral.org or call (847)223-8122.

Marvin L. Czuczor, 76, a resident of Round Lake Beach, passed away Monday January 5, 2015 in Buffalo Grove, IL. He was born August 23, 1938 in Chicago, IL to Alex and Alice Czuczor. Marvin was a veteran of the US Army having served in Korea during peacetime. He was a member of the Round Lake American Legion and had worked at Deublin Company in Waukegan for over 30 years. He enjoyed fishing, throwing darts, and gardening. Marvin is survived by his wife of 49 years, Barbara, his children Cynthia Alice Czuczor and Douglas (Robin) Czuczor, his grandchildren Candace Paulsen, Carissa Paulsen, Justin D. Myers, and Tyler L. Czuczor, and his great-grandchildren Julie Lindenmuth, Michael Lindenmuth, and Neveah Farah. He was preceded in death by his parents and his twin sister Marlene. A visitation is scheduled for Friday January 9, 2015 from 4:00pm until 8:00 p.m. with the funeral service commencing at 8:00pm at Strang Funeral Chapel, 410 E. Belvidere Rd., Grayslake, IL 60030. Interment will be held privately. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society. For more information please log onto www.strangfuneral.org or contact (847)223-8122.

James “Jim” R. Norkus, 53, of Round Lake, IL passed away on Tuesday January 6, 2015 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Originally from Mount Prospect, IL Jim attended St. Alphonsus grade school and John Hersey high school. Jim was a Regional Manager at Staples in the Chicago area where he worked for the past 11 years.
An avid music lover and diehard fan of all Chicago sports teams, Jim led an active life touching the lives of so many.

Survivors include his wife, Dawn; Children, Sarah and Michael; Step Children, Elizabeth and Matthew; Parents, Arlene and Ray; Brother, John and Sister, Gail.

A memorial service and celebration of Jim’s life will be held on January 11, 2015 from 1:00pm until 4:00pm with a memorial service commencing at 4:00pm at Strang Funeral Chapel & Crematorium 410 E Belvidere Rd, Grayslake, IL. For more information please call 847-223-8122 or visit strangfuneral.org where friends can leave an online condolence for his family.