Lawrence Rossdeutcher

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

Born June 22, 1931 to Edward and Margaret (Wagner) Rossdeutcher in Volo, Illinois, 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, Illinois, 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.