Walter J. Bala, 92, Longtime Riverside resident
Walter J. Bala, 92, a longtime resident of Riverside, died Nov. 1, 2009.
A veteran of World War II and an avid big band ballroom dancer, Mr. Bala was married to Frances Bala (nee Stankovich), who preceded her husband in death.
He is survived by his children, Walter A. (Susan R.), Margaret (the late Andy) and Virginia; three grandchildren; one great grandchild; and his siblings, Andrew, Bernice and Agnes. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Gertrude.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Odilo Church in Berwyn, followed by interment at Resurrection Mausoleum.
Linhart Funeral Home, Berwyn, handled arrangements.
Helen C. Chapman, 89, Secretary
Former Brookfield resident Helen C. Chapman (nee Ackerman), 89, died Nov. 3, 2009 at Central DuPage Health Systems.
A resident of Downers Grove at the time of her death, Ms. Chapman was born in Chenoa, Ill., on July 4, 1920 to William and Emma (nee Vercler) Ackerman. She married Vernon L. Chapman, who preceded his wife in death. Ms. Chapman worked as a secretary.
She is survived by her sons, Donald (Debra) Chapman and James Chapman; six grandchildren; one great grandchild; and her sister, Mary Miller. She was also preceded in death by her son, Gerald Chapman.
A funeral service was held Nov. 6 at Grace Lutheran Church of LaGrange, followed by interment at Chapel Hill Gardens West in Oakbrook Terrace.
Memorial contributions were appreciated to Grace Lutheran Church of LaGrange, 200 N. Catherine Ave., LaGrange, Ill. 60525.
Hitzeman Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements.
Linda M. Feeney, 50, Former Brookfield resident
Linda Marie Feeney (nee Kozelka), 50, a resident of Burr Ridge, died Nov. 3, 2009 at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital.
She was born in Chicago to Charles William and Rose Ann (nee Sabia) Kozelka on June 29, 1959. She married Kevin Robert Feeney, a former Brookfield resident, and raised two children.
She is survived by her husband; her mother; her children, Kaitlyn Marie Feeney and Dennis Feeney; and her siblings, Sharon Brescia, Charles Kozelka and Cindy Gaines. She was preceded in death by her father and by her sister, Louanne Kozelka.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Mary Church in Riverside on Nov. 7, followed by interment at Queen of Heaven cemetery in Hillside.
Hitzeman Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements.
Paul Martin, 87, Author, WWII Navy vet, professional wrestler
Paul W. Martin, 87, a longtime resident of Riverside, died on Oct. 25, 2009 at Bethlehem Woods Retirement Community in LaGrange Park after a long battle with lung cancer. Born Paul William Pannkoke in Milwaukee, he grew up in Oak Park.
He attended Emory University in Atlanta but enlisted in the Navy’s flight program before graduation. During World War II, he took off on reconnaissance missions by catapulting from battleships in observation planes. Before the war, he boxed under the name of Paul Martin, and after the war, he wrestled professionally, also under that moniker, which he later made permanent.
In the late 1940s and early ’50s, he worked in Greenland, Iceland and Alaska on the United States’ Anti-Soviet Distant Early Warning Line system of radar stations by performing construction work and managing an airport in Alaska.
Mr. Martin eventually became a freelance writer, largely self-taught. He traveled widely and enjoyed profiling some of his more unusual destinations in articles that appeared in the Chicago Tribune’s Sunday Magazine and Travel section. He wrote a 1978 profile of Marva Collins, whose work at Chicago’s Westside Prep High School eventually earned her national attention. In 1979, he wrote an article about scientists’ negative impact on the Galapagos Islands.
A longtime Lions Club member, in 1991, he wrote a book detailing the history of Lions Clubs International, We Serve: A History of the Lions Clubs. In recent years, Mr. Martin was commissioned to work with co-author Robert Kleinfelder on an update of the book, titled, Lions Clubs in the 21st Century. He also wrote for the Christian Century publication.
Paul W. Martin is survived by his brother, Ted Pannkoke, and by two nephews.
Services have been held.
Evelyn Wapiennik, 88, North Riverside homemaker
Evelyn Wapiennik (nee Rakowski), 88, a resident of North riverside, died Nov. 3, 2009.
Ms. Wapiennik was born on Dec. 27, 1920 in Chicago to Frank and Helen Rakowski. She married Anthony Wapiennik, who preceded his wife in death.
She is survived by her children, Elaine (Ted) Lemmy and Toni Garnhart; her grandchildren, Ted Lemmy, Jeff Lemmy, Steve Wirtel and Ken Wirtel; and seven great grandchildren.
A funeral service was held Nov. 5 at Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home in North riverside, followed by interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.
