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Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Wapella.com Mourns the Passing of Darlene Harpenau

Darlene Morris Schachtele Harpenau has died at age 82 in Clinton, Illinois. Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton, with James McMillion officiating. Burial will be in Sugar Grove Cemetery, Wapella. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Darlene was the daughter of Albert and Agnes Bray Morris, with brothers Wayne and Loren Morris and a sister, Coryla Riddle now of Normal. Darlene was married to WWII hero John Schachtele in 1944, till his passing in 1988. John and Darlene have one daughter, Carolyn Williams of Wapella, and three granchildren: Bill, Rhonda, and Raquel, all of whom are Wildcats five great-grandchildren. Darlene was great friends with her sister-in-law Donna Morris, wife of the late Loren Morris.

In 1990 Darlene married Henry T. "Hank" Harpenau (a Clinton addressed member of St. Patrick's, Wapella), holding one of the finest celebrations in the history of Waynesville, Illinois after the ceremony. Darlene is also survived by her stepchildren with Henry Harpenau, Tom Harpenau, San Francisco, Calif; Pamela Fortune, Bloomington; Julie Burger, Chicago; Mary Habarth, Deland, Fla; and Michelle Byars, Worthington, Ohio, and five stepgrandchildren.

Darlene was a pleasant and witty lady, greatly contributing with her husband John to the charm and benevolence of Wapella during her 64 year tenure in the village. She will be greatly missed by her family, neighbors and friends.

Darlene was a member of The Wapella Christian Church. Memorials may be made to the Wapella Christian Church or DeWitt County Cancer Fund.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

RIP, Darlene, who was a classmate of my father's at WHS, and one of my favorite Pantagraph paper route customers in the 1970s. She and John were always warm and kind to me.

HG

Anonymous said...

She always gave me the same advice.

"Be Good."


Great advice really.

Unknown said...

Darlene was a wonderful woman, who helped convince my mom to let me stay home from kindergarten to play with Suzanna and Raquel.

Anonymous said...

She was a quite a lady. You always had a good time when Darlene was around. Rest your soul darlin - you made a lot of people feel very special.

Anonymous said...

Darlene was always laughing, always smiling, always fun to be around.

A great Wildcat, she will be missed.

Anonymous said...

Darlene was a classic, always with a good word for everyone, a great smile and a one of a kind laugh. She was a good citizen, a fabulous bus driver and a great cousin. John was a fine man who once told me that the only thing he was afraid of was a tornado.

May eternal rest be granted to her.

BEP

Anonymous said...

Darlene was one of a kind, always with a smile and always happy. She will be missed by all.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about this - I had a nice fast dance with Darlene at her wedding celebration at the Legion Hall - can't remember the song but she could get it going as you would expect.

Great lady & quite a great character. bbd

Anonymous said...

This sentiment seems to be universal: she was kind, she always had a smile, and made those around her feel special. These words are a kind tribute to a person who would also ask us all if we might try to live the same way.
Truly a sad day for all who knew and loved Darlene.
Kansas Cat

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