L. Yurs Obituary

L. Helene Yurs of Plato Twp., formerly of St. Charles died peacefully Thursday, July 16, 2009 at her home. She was born on her family farm in Oswego, Illinois December 30, 1923. At the age of 5 she moved to Aurora. When Helene was 12 years old her family moved to a farm on Crane Road in St. Charles. She graduated from St. Charles High School in 1941. After graduation Helene worked for Rehm Electric Shop. In 1943 Helene married her high school sweetheart Warren L. Rehm in St. Charles. Then in 1948, her husband died from a rare illness contracted during World War II. On April 8, 1950 she was married to Donald E. Yurs. In August of 1950 Helene and Don opened the Yurs Funeral Home in St. Charles. The couple purchased the Skoglund Funeral Home of Geneva in 1958 which later became the Yurs Wittenberg Funeral Home. In 1965 they expanded to Batavia and opened the Yurs Peterson Funeral Home. Helene's family operated the funeral homes for over 50 years. Helene was well known for her large collection of teddy bears. In 1982 she began volunteering at Lincoln Elementary School in St. Charles reading to children in kindergarten through the 2nd grade. Each week she would share her books and teddy bears with the class. "Grandma Yurs" as she became known to many, began reading to school children when her Granddaughter was a 1st grader at Lincoln Elementary School. She continued this tradition for as long as she was able. Twenty years later she read to her last large group in a classroom where her Granddaughter now teaches. Helene will always be remembered as the "Quiet Volunteer". Helene was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church for over 66 years. She was a former member of Zonta International, Order of the Easter Star and the Delnor Hospital Women's Auxiliary. Helene is survived by her husband, Donald; 2 sons, David (Lise Lambert) Rehm of Waquoit, MA., Richard (Sally) Yurs of Geneva; 6 Grandchildren, Kevin (Laura) Yurs of Indianapolis, IN., Kristi (Chris) Johnson of Geneva, Dylan Rehm of Chicago, Jameson (Jennifer) Rehm of Columbus, OH., Seth Catallozzi of Arlington, VA., and Andrew Catallozzi of Las Vegas, NV.; 3 Great Grandchildren, Michael and Celia Yurs of Indianapolis, Maddy Johnson of Geneva, several nieces and nephews and her loving caregiver Sheryl Erickson. She was preceded in death by her first husband Warren L. Rehm; her parents, Charles and Laura Ricketts; 1 brother, Kenneth Ricketts; 2 sisters, Greta Tripp and Dorothy Neis and her daughter in law Kathleen Rehm. Funeral services were held at 11:00 A.M. Monday, July 20th at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1145 N. 5th Avenue, St. Charles. Rev. Mark Larsen officiated. Burial was at Union Cemetery, St. Charles. Visitation was Sunday, July 19th, 3 to 8 P.M. at Yurs Funeral Home, 405 E. Main St., St. Charles. Contributions may be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 3850, St. Charles, IL 60174 or a charity of your choice. For information please call 630-584-0060 or www.yursfuneralhomes.com