Mark W. Chambers

Mark W. Chambers, 26, of Normal, died at 8:50 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, 2012 in Bloomington.

His memorial service will be at 2 pm, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012 at Vale Community Church, Bloomington with Rev. Ken Graham officiating. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service, Saturday at the church. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. You can donate online at www.appalachiantrail.org. Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home, Bloomington is in charge of arrangements.

Mark was born June 4, 1986 in Bloomington, the son of David L. and Mary C. Hudspath Chambers.
He is survived by his mother, Mary (Neal) Edwards, Normal; his father, David L. Chambers, Hemet, CA; two brothers, Stuart (Erica) Chambers, Carlock and Adam Chambers, Chicago; maternal grandmother, Helen Hudspath, Paxton; three nieces and nephews, Gabriel, Delaney and Marley Chambers, Carlock; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Mark was an avid backpacker and enthusiast of the Appalachian Trail.
 
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Wolff Dietrich Von Pressentin Starke, Sr.

Wolff Dietrich Von Pressentin Starke, Sr., 92 of Normal, completed his earthly journey Sept. 13, 2012, at Bloomington Rehabilitation & Health Care Center.

His memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 24 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Bloomington. Reverends Thomas Wirsing and Allen Steinbeck will officiate. The family will receive friends for 30 minutes before the service. Private family Interment will be at Eastlawn Memorial Gardens. Cremation rites will be accorded. Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home, Bloomington is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church or the Community Cancer Center.

Wolff was born in Leipzig, Germany April 18, 1920, to Max Johannes and Olga Elisabeth Marie von Pressentin Starke. His mother was a cousin to WWI German Field Marshall and 2nd President of Germany, Paul von Hindenburg. He was proud to have been baptized at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig, where Johann Bach is buried. At the age of four, Wolff emigrated to South America with his parents. They lived in Argentina and Brazil until 1928 when they sailed for New York on the Southern Cross. In 1938, Wolff graduated from Lane Technical High School in Chicago, IL. He married Jane Ellyn Crooks April 29, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois. Jane passed away on July 11, 1982. He married Marla Gaines Calhoon June 21, 1992. She survives.

Also surviving are four daughters: Karyn (Joseph) Jarosz, West Dundee, Barbara (David) Churchill, Normal, Pamela (Charles) Johnson, Gurnee, and Paula (Mark) Giese, Lake Zurich, and one son, Wolff Dietrich (Elizabeth) Starke, Jr., Franklin, TN. Eleven grandchildren: Traci and Molli Churchill, Meri Mays-Wilson, Benjamin, Blake and Chance Johnson, Marc, Kaylahn and Preston Starke, John and Jane Giese. Five great-grandchildren: Evan Dehart, Piper and Raleigh Churchill, Madison Johnson and Corabelle Starke. Three Stepsons: Gary J. (Debi), Bloomington, David R. (Janis) and Paul J. (Jennie) Calhoon, both of Normal. Four step-grandchildren: Nicholas, McKenna, Jessica, and Quentin Calhoon. Two sister-in-laws: Catherine Birchall, Fulton, Missouri and Patricia Conway, Medfield, Massachusetts.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane and three half-sisters: Hedwig Mildebrath, Dorothea Werner & Ulla Wartmann, Germany.

Wolff learned from books how to build a home, bought a lot in Palatine, Illinois in 1949; and he and Jane worked side-by-side to complete their house, while raising their children. He became a Master Gardener and horticulturist, was fluent in German, and his hobbies included collecting stamps, coins, home projects and collecting/restoring German cars.

He worked for Country Life Insurance Company of IAA for 46 years, retiring in 1985 as Computer Security Manager. Upon retirement, he was fond of saying, “I am so busy now that I’m retired, I don’t know how I used to fit in 8 hours a day for a job.”

Wolff was a member of the German-American Congress, German-American Central Society in Peoria, Toastmasters, Junior Achievement, bowled and played softball for IAA Leagues and was a diehard Chicago Cubs and Green Bay Packers Fan. He founded the Illini BMW Chapter of Central Illinois and served as President, Editor/Publisher and Correspondence Secretary for three years.

The family wishes to thank the staff at both Heartland Manor Care and Bloomington Rehabilitation and Health Care Center for their concern and excellent care for the last six years.

Rest in peace, Wolff; you were a dedicated family man, a good friend, lover of all things German, especially cars, and a man of great integrity. You left the world a better place and you will be missed.
 
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