Baedke Family Blessings: August 2012

This weekend we celebrated my Papa's life and it was so nice to be around family this whole weekend. We told stories, cried, laughed, but most importantly we celebrated a man's life. The service was beautiful, there were many tears and even more when Addison went up with us for communion and went and grabbed the picture of Papa and hugged him. It broke many of our hearts. The tears began flowing even more then. There are many things I will remember about Papa, here are a few:

-The way he could tell you a story and make it the most interesting story you have ever heard
-The look on his face every time we saw him. He was always so happy to see us.
-Every time I sing the song to my kids or hear the "Down in the Meadow song" I will think of Papa
-He used to always ask me whenever I saw him "Are you engaged yet?" The answer was always no, but when Jay finally did propose, he was one of the first people I called. He was so excited!
-His love of music and the theater, he was one of the reasons that I fell in love with theater when I was little and then went on to do musicals when I was in highschool. I love him for passing that on to me and now to Addy.
-His love for my Nana, he never ever fell out of love with her. He would tell funny things all the time about her and she would just say "Larry cut it out" or "Larry what did you just say" He would then just look at us and smile. :) Love that smile
-He never liked anyone to be sad or to cry. I remember when my Boppa passed away and till this day I remember when Nana and Papa walked into the wake and saw me and my siblings. He just focused on us and moved every chair in the room out of his way just so he could get to us and tell us a joke to make us smile. I loved him for that. I can still see his expression on his face.
-The way he loved to spend all his free time with the Addy and Austen. He lived for making them smile and whenever I was over with the kids, his focus was on them. He would always play whatever Addy wanted to play, whether it was having a tea party, playing Candyland or chasing her around the house. He lived for that and they loved every minute they spent with him.
-Loved his laugh, it was contagious

I could go on and on and on...and I might as well rename my blog Life with Papa. :) I have copied his obituary that my Uncle wrote because it is so beautifully written it makes me cry every time I read it.

Lawrence (Larry) J. Rossdeutcher, 81, of Huntley, Ill., formerly of Sycamore, Ill., passed away at his home on Saturday, August 18, 2012.

Born June 22, 1931, to Edward and Margaret (Wagner) Rossdeutcher in Volo, Ill., he married Maria (Yori) in 1953, in London, England.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Larry served during the Korean War and participated in several peacetime missions through Europe where he ultimately met his wife of 59 years.

In addition to being a member of the first board of trustees for the village of Streamwood, Ill., Larry’s civilian career centered on the trucking industry. He held traffic management positions at Lifschultz Fast Freight, Elgin Storage & Transfer, Liberty Trucking Co. and Richardson Electronics, Ltd.

His interests throughout life included golf, scotch with cherries, his tropical fish tanks, freshwater fishing, the Chicago Bears and the desire to make people laugh. Larry despised sadness and even in his final days he would wag a finger at those who approached his hospital bed unable to fight back the tears.

Larry’s true passion and that which stood above anything else in his life was his family. He and his wife Maria raised five children whose bond to each other and to their parents is simply the result of the unsurpassed love and devotion their parents have provided during their childhoods and adult lives. Larry was at his happiest surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In his presence, he made you feel as if nothing else mattered than you and that moment. Perhaps that is why each member of his family feels such a sense of their own personal loss.

Larry is survived by his wife, Maria; two sisters, Peg (Jim) Sobeski of Arlington Heights and Ginger Rossdeutcher of Brookfield; four daughters, Christina (Mike) Greenaway of Crystal Lake, Theresa (Jim McConkey) Faivre of DeKalb, Karen (Charlie) Sharp of Sycamore, Donna (Stan) Allen of Batavia; one son, David (Katie) Rossdeutcher of DeKalb; 16 grandchildren, Jennifer (Jay) Baedke of Lake-in-the-Hills, Katie Greenaway of Florence, Italy, Emily Greenaway and Bryan Greenaway of Chicago; Nicholas (Jessica) Faivre of Rochelle, Jamie (Margaret) Faivre of DeKalb, Adam Faivre and Haley Faivre of DeKalb; Stacy (Kris) McCall of Elburn, Dan Sharp of DeKalb, Jessica Sharp of Palatine; Alina Allen of New York and Alex (Alison) Allen of Seattle; Joshua Rossdeutcher, Tara Rossdeutcher and Jordan Rossdeutcher of DeKalb; eight great-grandchildren, Addison and Austen Baedke; Olivia, Natalie and Nathan Faivre; Laila Faivre; Spencer and Preston McCall; and his dog, Butkus.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Bob.

Larry often joked that he would one day be written up in the New England Journal of Medicine. As a means of honoring their father, his children are donating his body to a Chicago area medical center for research. The family is also planning a private memorial service and celebration of Larry’s life at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate any donations to Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois (http://www.hospiceanswers.org/) in recognition of the support of this organization and care provided by “angels” Fumi and Stella.