Mona J. Barrette

Mona J. Barrette, age 85 of Savanna, Illinois, died on Saturday, October 13, 2012, at Big Meadows Nursing Home, Savanna. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, October 18, 2012 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Savanna. A graveside service will be held at 2:30 p.m. in St. Charles Catholic Cemetery in Cassville, Wisconsin. A visitation will be held from 4:00-7:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 17, 2012, at the Law-Jones Funeral Home, Savanna. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Paralyzed Veterans of America and Disabled American Veterans in Mona’s memory.
Mona was born on July 8, 1927, the daughter of Julius and Geneva (Bernhardt) Dietrich in Cassville, Wisconsin. She attended Cassville High School and graduated with the Class of 1946. Mona married Paul S. Barrette on August 13, 1947, in Cassville. They recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on August 13, 2012. After they were married, Mona and Paul started their lives together in Rockford, Illinois. They then moved to Cassville and farmed for a short time before Paul started college at Platteville State Teachers College. They subsequently moved to Savanna where her husband entered the Quality Assurance Specialist Ammunition Surveillance (QASAS) Program. The family moved to Hermiston and Umatilla, Oregon; Madison, Indiana; Geneseo, Illinois; and also lived in abroad in Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Mona was a homemaker, excellent cook, loved baking, and treasured taking care of her family. She enjoyed the outdoors, especially golfing, growing flowers and herbs, hunting for seashells and collecting driftwood. Mona always looked forward to heading south for the winter with her husband to their condo in San Antonio, Texas. Mona also enjoyed bowling, reading, creating crafts, completing puzzles, attending auctions and estate sales with her husband and collecting Hummel figurines, baskets and crocks. She was a member of the Savanna Ladies of the Moose and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, where she was active in the Catholic Daughters of America. Most of all, Mona cherished spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Mona will be dearly missed by her husband, Paul of Savanna; six children, Dennis (Helen) Barrette of Arizona City, Arizona; Thomas (Janice) Barrette, Barbara (Fred) High, and Debra K. Johnson of Savanna; Ronald (Teresa) Barrette of Benedict, North Dakota; and Cynthia (Steve) Jones of Franklin, Virginia; sixteen grandchildren, James (Christina) Barrette and Eugene Barrette of Tucson, Arizona; Jeffrey Barrette of Minot, North Dakota, Brent Barrette of East Troy, Wisconsin, Heath (Jennifer) Barrette of Woodstock, Illinois, Jennifer (Greg) Peters of Smithville, Missouri, Ryan (Amy) High of Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, Jeremiah (Pam) Johnson of Sparta, Wisconsin, Alisa Medley of Wichita, Kansas, Nicole (Nick) VanPelt and Christina (Chase) Latendresse of Minot, Jessica (Mathew Klug) Haas of Mitchel, South Dakota, Paul (AshLynn) Barrette of Bismarck, North Dakota, Derrick Jones and Brandon Jones of Franklin, Virginia, and Christine (Joseph) Doggett of Ridgway, Illinois and 21 great grandchildren.
Mona was preceded in death by her parents, one brother, Jim Dietrich and one great granddaughter, Emma.