Alice Bartell

Alice Jean Bartell, age 98, of Freeport, Illinois died Friday, August 22, 2014 at the Good Samaritan Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Mt. Carroll, Illinois. Cremation Rites will be accorded and a family service will be held at a later date. A memorial fund has been established for a charity, memorials may be sent ? Mary Shear, PO Box 242, Sabula, Iowa 52070.

Alice was born December 26, 1915 in Derinda Center, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, the daughter of Eugene M. and Margaret Marie (Johnson) Backus. She is a graduate of the Stockton High School with the Class of 1933. Alice married Richard W. Bartell in 1934 at Freeport, Illinois. Richard passed away in 1969.

Alice was a loving Great-Grandmother, Grandmother and Mother. She was known as a fabulous pie baker, even baking a cherry pie from scratch while recuperating at the rehabilitation center. Alice worked with the Inspection Department at Microswitch in Freeport for over thirty years, retiring in 1983.

She will be dearly missed by two daughters, Mary Helen Shear of Sabula, Iowa and Janet Elaine (Kirby) Koeller of Boulder, Colorado; her son, Thomas Eugene (Betty) Bartell of Winter Park, Florida; eight grandchildren, Julie Vaterlaus, Jill Doden, Jennifer Berquist, Tracy Harper, Amy Bartell, Rich Bartell, Kathi Helgren and Rick Koeller; fourteen great-grandchildren, Lily, Jesse, Riley, Drew, Sam, Jordan, Tanner, Connor, Reese, Brodi, Rowen, Ian, Rachel and Katie. Alice is preceded in death by both parents; two brothers, Maynard in infancy and Donald Backus; four sisters, Rose in infancy, Dorothy Backus, Eleanor Finley and Margarite Carroll.