- Date Of Birth: May 18, 1926
- Date Of Death: January 11, 2018
- State: Illinois
Mary “Rita” (Ehrnthaller) Kunkel, 91, of Lostant, Illinois, died peacefully at home surrounded by family on January 11, 2018 at 1:11 am. She was born May 18, 1926, to the late Frank and Mary Ehrnthaller of Toluca.
She attended St. Ann’s grade school and Toluca Community High School, receiving the Citizenship Award at graduation.Rita married Aloysius John Kunkel of Granville on April 22, 1950 in Toluca, Illinois. She was a loving and devoted mother to John (Linda), George (Rochelle), Thomas (Laurel), Andrew (Debbie), Rosemary (James) Wall, Virginia (Steve) Jesiolowski, Stephen (Mary), Charles (Laurie), Paul (Debbie), Christina (Timothy) Corcoran, Daniel (Maria), William, Elizabeth (Herman) Emmerling and Dennis (Amy).
She worked as a homemaker her entire life, using skills she learned from 4-H and jobs during and after high school, to sew her own wedding dress (as well as the dresses for the entire wedding party), process meat and vegetables, mend clothing and manage a large farm family. When her children got married, she made each one a patchwork quilt, which represented her labor of love.
Rita served many years as President of the Altar and Rosary Society and as Sacristan at the Immaculate Conception Church in Mt. Palatine and was a member of Legion Auxiliary. In 1987, as Dennis, her youngest and last family member received his high school diploma from St. Bede Academy; she also received an honorary diploma so every member of the family, including her husband, now has a St. Bede diploma. In 1993, Pope John Paul II granted her the August Cross medal “for distinguished works and conspicuous devotion” to the Pontiff and Church.She loved to use her iPad to “Facetime” family members, was very passionate about preserving the family’s ancestry records, and made a trip to Germany to reconnect with family there.
She is survived by 12 children, 33 grandchildren (15 of which are married), 24 great-grandchildren, 6 step-grandchildren (four of which are married) and 18 step great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by brothers, Raymond and Joseph; sisters, Cecelia and Kathleen; children, William and Paul and great-grandchild, Max Imilian Bowser.
