Shirley Rechel

Urbana, Illinois formerly of Barrington, Illinois,Shirley (Lee) Jane Rechel of Savoy IL, formerly Barrington, IL, passed away peacefully on February 18, 2011, at MeadowBrook Care Center in Urbana, IL. Mrs. Rechel was born on September 28 1927, in Brooklyn, NY, to the late James George and Melissa Eve (Monroe) Colwell. After graduating from Oak Park High School in Illinois, she completed her nurses training at Presbyterian Hospital in Chicago as a member of the last class of cadet nurses funded by the federal government during WWII. Later in life, she practiced as a registered nurse at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL, Northwest Community Hospital and a private OB/Gyn office, both in Arlington Heights, IL. An avid doll collector, Lee was a member of the Barrington Doll Club and handmade over 50 dolls, many of which she lovingly gave to family and friends. She also enjoyed reading and spending time on the Florida coast. In 1948, Lee married the late Robert Clarke Jenkinson with whom she had four children: Laura Lee (Allen) Binder of Ridgefeld, CT, Kathy Jane (Michael) Smeltzer of Champaign, IL, Michael Robert (Karen) Rechel of Eugene, OR and Lisa Ann Regan (Schnell) of McHenry, IL. Lee married the late Edward Daniel Rechel on July 6 1963, with whom she had a son, Theodore James (Gigi) Rechel. In 2006, after living in Barrington for 42 years, Mr. and Mrs. Rechel moved to The Windsor of Savoy (a retirement community) to be closer to their daughter, Kathy in Champaign, IL. Lee is survived by the above mentioned children as well as grandchildren Maxton (Luli) Koc, Alexander, Christopher and Brett Binder; Amanda (Andrew) Palla, Sarah Smeltzer; Erik, Karl and Ryan Schnell; Colette Rechel; great-grandchildren Jeremiah Engel (Koc); Emily Palla; Hailey and Parker Schnell; and sister-in-law, Lorraine Colwell. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother James Monroe Colwell. Visitation will be on April 2, 2011, from 10-Noon at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 West Main Street Barrington, IL. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The American Stroke Association (www.strokeassociation.org).

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