Melvin Kamholz

Melvin Ernest Kamholz passed away Monday January 23rd at the Lexington Health Care Center of Lake Zurich. He was 96.

He leaves his wife of 66 years, Mildred (Fiepke) Kamholz; his eldest daughter, Karen Kamholz; his son, Kurt Kamholz and his wife, Debra Kamholz; his youngest daughter, Kim (Kamholz) Archie, and her husband Christopher; four grandchildren, Josh (Carly) Kamholz, Jenna (Wesley) Janson, Jack Archie, and Kathryn Dziewior; four great-grandchildren, Everett Kamholz, Brittany Fatzinger, James and Jonathan Janson; one great-great grandson, Mason Fatzinger; and many close friends. He was preceded in death by his parents Ernest and Ida (Albrecht) Kamholz; and siblings, Howard Kamholz and Phyllis (Kamholz) Kunde.

Melvin was born in Rockford and raised in Marengo, Illinois. He attended Marengo High School and excelled at track and basketball. Not long after graduating in 1938, he was drafted into the Army and served four years in the Pacific theater, becoming proficient with the Browning Automatic Rifle and rising to the rank of Sergeant. Slated to be part of the first wave of the invasion of Japan at war’s end, he and thousands of his fellow soldiers were spared almost certain death by the dropping of the atomic bombs and surrender of Japan in 1945.

After the war, he returned to Marengo and began working as a meter reader at Northern Illinois Gas Company in Crystal Lake. He met his wife, Mildred Fiepke when he first spotted her singing in the church choir and then started buying his cigarettes from the grocery store where she worked as a checker. They were married in 1950 at Zion Lutheran Church in Marengo. He and Mildred started their family soon after and in 1955 moved to their newly-purchased home in Crystal Lake to be closer to his job. He continued at the gas company until he retired at age 62, having worked his way up from meter reader to service rep.

After retirement, Mel volunteered at the Crystal Lake Food Pantry and helped with Pads and other church-related charity work. He kept himself busy working part time at Bethesda Thrift Shop and was an invaluable driver and delivery man for many years at his daughter-in-law’s coffee shop, Two-a-T.

Melvin was always competitive. He excelled at basketball as a young man, and his skills on the court saved him from more than one battle in the Philippines as his commanding officers recruited him to play in tournaments against Navy and Air Force teams. After the war his skill at softball lead him to be a popular player whose greatest claim to fame was hitting a home run off the nationally famous “King” who pitched for the semi-professional King and his Court. His love and knowledge of baseball led to years of coaching Little League in Crystal Lake. In his later years he was an avid fisherman, golfer, and bowler, and he remained actively pursuing these passions late into life.

Mel enjoyed Westerns, reading, playing cards, and loved watching the Cubs and college basketball. He was an unrepentant jokester and loved embarrassing his family at restaurants every chance he could. He enjoyed the occasional Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet when he wasn’t enjoying a beer, and his massive collection of beer cans and bottles covered two walls of his basement man-cave.

A visitation will be held Saturday, February 4th at Immanuel Lutheran Church (Historic Campus), 178 McHenry Ave., Crystal Lake starting at 10:00, followed by a funeral service at 11:00.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Immanuel Lutheran Church, 300 S Pathway Ct, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 or to JourneyCare Foundation, 2050 Claire Ct, Glenview, IL 60025.