|
|
Facts and Events
| Name |
Carlton Edward Bode |
| Gender |
Male |
| Birth? |
1 Nov 1915 |
Hannibal, Marion, Missouri, United States |
| Baptism[6] |
2 Jan 1916 |
Hannibal, Marion, Missouri, United StatesMap: Latitude: N39.7083300 Longitude: W91.3583300 St. John Lutheran Church |
| Residence[1][2] |
1930 |
Chicago (Districts 1501-1750), Cook, Illinois, United States |
| Confirmation[7] |
13 Apr 1930 |
Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United StatesMap: Latitude: N41.8500000 Longitude: W87.6500000 Mt. Olive Lutheran Church |
| Graduation? |
Abt 1933 |
Des Plaines, Cook, Illinois, United StatesSecondary date: 1 JUL 1933 Map: Latitude: N42.0333300 Longitude: W87.8833300 Maine West High School |
| Marriage |
Dec 1938 |
Des Plaines, Cook, Illinois, United StatesSecondary date: 15 DEC 1938
to Eleanor Marie Kile |
| Residence? |
1940 |
Maine Township, Cook, Illinois, United StatesWard 1, Des Plaines |
| Marriage |
22 Apr 1950 |
Crescent City, Iroquois, Illinois, United StatesSt. Peter Lutheran Church History of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Crescent City, Illinois by Shanda Jaremus [This writing/"talk" was put together by Shanda G. Jaremus for the Wessels family reunion on August 6, 2005, and was relayed as we toured the church] The growth of Crescent City with its businesses, etc. and the purchasing of area farmland etc. allowed many families from the Schwer area to relocate to Crescent City and surrounding area. Consequently Pastor Philip Ackermann of St. John's Lutheran church at Schwer ministered the first group of Lutheran who eventually came to be the founding fathers for St. Peters Then, in August 1887, pastor F. H. Stachling of Ash Grove officially organized the St. Peter's congregation and officers for the church were elected. Those officers were Friedrich Wessels, Elder; Claus claussen, Deacon; Alexander ulitsch and Gerd wilms, Trustees. For the first few years the worship services were held in Crescent City schools and in the congregational church (which I don't know where/what that is/was) -- I could only find a reference that it was a 28 x 38 foot building that was built in 1870. It was on a lot that was referenced as now being where the home of Mrs. Henry Willms was residing in 1976. From approximately 1887 to 1889 another pastor from Ash Grove, pastor William Engelbrecht served the congregation. In February 1889, at the yearly congregational meeting a resolution was made to build a church. Lots were purchased from a Mr. Harwood and a frame church was built -- size 28 by 40 ft. That first church was built across the street from where we are now. It looked a bit different from the present church in that everything was ground level. (Whereas this current church building is raised/build higher off the ground). The front entrance of the first church was built out from the main building and rose straight up, continuing above the top of the church roof and then going into the steeple. On one side of the church in the front was a white picket fence and in a picture that I saw you could see the roping out front which I believe was for the tying up of the horses/carriages. In that same year the congregation called its first "resident" pastor -- william. Weltner. A year later pastor C. Helmreich came from Nebraska and served the congregation for 47 years! The church grew steadily and in 1912 the congregation decided to build a new church. It was also a frame building, 40' by 70'. It was built across the street from the old original church and was dedicated on June 1, 1913. (Where we are now) It had a Hinners pipe organ, which the Luther League raised the funds for. In 1954 the congregation was able to build for the pastor and his family the home, which is located just to the north of the church. With continued growth in membership the congregation, in 1956, was able to begin plans for another expansion/building project which would allow for increased seating capacity in the church with additional space for Sunday School rooms and meeting rooms and a church office. The groundbreaking was held October 12, 1958. When this was completed a dedication service was held October 18, 1959. Within the church there were a number of organizations/groups. One of the original organizations for the women in the church was the -- American Lutheran Church Women. That organization was broken down into four circles/groups -- the Dorcas, the Martha, Mary and the Ruth circles. (It actually was originally was called 'The Ladies Aid Group') Each group had it's own area of activity that they would be responsible for. These groups usually dealt with 'mission' work. The men had 'the brotherhood' and they focused on financial support for any children in the congregation who would attend Bible camp, sponsoring father-son outings and took care of ground cover costs for the church (i.e. schrubbery) There also was a sewing circle, Luther League, Junior Lutheran Group, 2 choirs, along with a full Sunday School staff and cemetery staff. This church is a classic old German Lutheran style church -- with the gothic arched windows. The original structure is a rectangle with classic white clapboard wood-siding with a tall steeple. Interior is also classic with tall arched ceilings in gothic style, beautiful stained glass windows -- with aisle running down the middle and choir loft in the back balcony of the church. The altar, pulpit, etc are beautiful carved solid wood. It has a full serviceable basement with other meeting rooms with full kitchen and bathrooms. The cemetery for the church is just south of here on Route 49 on the east side of the road -- which the congregation also beautifully maintains. The original parsonage is still across the street -- slightly to the north. It is a two-story frame house that at the date is owned and lived in by Wayne Bruniga. St. Peter's has been beautifully maintained throughout the years -- the congregation has appreciated it's beauty and kept it pretty much "true to form and style" with tasteful improvements that do not detract from it's original design. Friedrich Wessels, who was a founding father of St. Peter's and all of his sons and their families and the subsequent following generations have worshipped in this church. They have had communion here. Have celebrated with weddings, baptisms, and have shed tears with the loss of loved ones at funerals, not only of their own families but also of those with their congregational friends.
to Geneva Elizabeth Wessels |
| Death[4] |
27 Dec 2001 |
Pekin, Tazewell, Illinois, United States |
| Burial[5] |
31 Dec 2001 |
Cary, McHenry, Illinois, United StatesMap: Latitude: N42.2119400 Longitude: W88.2380600 Windridge Memorial Park Windridge Memorial Park and Nature Sanctuary 7014 South Rawson Bridge Rd. Cary, Illinois 60013 (847) 639-3883 |
December 18, 1987 -- He had his prostate reamed out at McHenry Hospital.
Name: 1930 United States Federal Census
URL: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1930usfedcen&h=84475428&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1788
_WEBTAG:
Name: 1940 United States Federal Census
URL: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1940usfedcen&h=143561498&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=6224
References
- ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https:/familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M8C7-F8.
- ↑ "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https:/familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XSPB-2R.
- .
[Obituary from the Pekin paper]
Carlton Edward Bode, 86, of 601 Prince St., died at 8:19 am. Thursday Dec. 27, 2001 at his residence. he was formerly of 919 Ski Hill Road in Fox River Grove.
Funeral services will be held at 11 am Monday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Cary. The Rev. Robert M. Hess will officiate. Burial will be in Windridge Memorial Park in Cary. Friends may call from 9:30 am until time of services at the church. Preston-Hanley Funeral Home, Pekin Chapel, is handling arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. John's Lutheran Church in Pekin, or to the Methodist Medical Center of Illinois Hospice Services in Peoria.
He was born Nov. 1, 1915 in Hannibal, MO., to Harry E. and Lillian C. Scherz Bode. He married Eleanor M. Kile in Dec. of 1938 in Des Plaines. She preceded him in death on Nov. 8, 1948, in Chicago.
He married Geneva Wessels on April 22, 1950, in Crescent City.
Surviving are his wife of Pekin; four sons, Judge C. Brett (Carolyn) Bode of Pekin, the Rev. Kim E. (Anne) Bode of Hop Bottom, Pa., Kirk W. (Barb) Bode of Morton and the Rev. Craig H. (Mary) Bode of Euclid, Ohio; one daughter, Cathleen E. (Pat) Mangan of Sister Bay Wisconsin.; 19 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; one niece, and two nephews.
He was preceded in death by one sister.
Bode worked for the E. I. DuPont Paint Co. in Chicago for 47 years, retiring in 1979 as a shift supervisor. He also taught 55 Alive Senior driving classes for many years and was involved in politics, both in Fox River Grove.
He was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Pekin and a former member of its Evangelism committee.
He was a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Cary for 47 years prior to moving to Pekin, where he had served as an Elder and Sunday school teacher. He also had served on numerous committees and was co-founder of the church's investment club.
He was a former member of Kiwanis.
He enjoyed playing golf, traveling and reading.
- ↑ He died under Hospice Care at their residence at Place on Prince.
Funeral service was held at 11 am on Monday December 31, 2001 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Cary, Illinois. Rev. Robert M. Hess officated.
- ↑ Eulogy for Carlton E. Bode
by Craig H. Bode (Son)
[Eulogy delivered by Craig Bode at funeral of Carl Bode, December 2001 at Dad's funeral.]
On behalf of the family I would like to express our sincere thanks to Holy Cross congregation and Pastors Hess and Frick, for welcoming us back into this house of worship that has played such an important role in the life of the Bode family and for leading us in worship and in proclamation of the certain hope that is ours in Christ. We would also like to thank them for their faithful ministry over the years to and with our family.
Our thanks also to all of you for joining us for this time of remembrance and celebration of the life and faith of Carl Bode and for our worship of his great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Every life can be defined and described in a multitude of ways. Dad's life could perhaps best be viewed through the relationships that he made, nurtured and treasured throughout his life.
First was his relationship with God. He believed in Jesus Christ and found in him an abundant life that will never end. He faithfully served God and he called his family to follow him in that same path of faith and service ... and his family followed.
His relationship with Christ called Dad to treasure the other relationships in his life. His wife, parents, sister, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, other family and friends, even complete strangers and casual acquaintances ... they were all people given to him by God to be challenged and learned from and loved.
My wife, Mary, said she could make my job easy this morning and summarize Dad's life as she knew it in one word: FUN!
Life with him ... whether it was a camping vacation ... or a trip into Chicago with the grandkids ... a bumper bowling outing ... or a family wedding ... it was always an adventure and mixed in with it there was plenty of fun.
Dad took life by the throat and poured himself into others. He had a heart for people ... all people. How many of us have have had a friend named "Killer."
His love for people easily developed into a passion to win souls to Christ for eternity and a life-long involvement in evangelism.
Needless to say, he enjoyed challenges ... challenging himself ... being challenged and challenging others. He would not easily back down or be intimidated and he appreciated it when those enticed into a debate with him returned the same. He expected people to have a plan ... to think for themselves ... to know where they were going and how they were going to get there.
He would push people to push themselves and would never shy away from controversy or conflict.
Sometimes he stretched the rules because people were more important than rules. He found little known or used exceptions to the rules when it came to doing what needed doing for the people in his life.
He wasn't one to sit and observe life, with others playing the game and doing all the scoring. He got involved, generally convinced there was a better way to do just about everything.
Dad refused to be a servant to things ... they served him whether it was the car he drove until it died .... or his house and its furnishing that were always there and open for his family to come and have a good time and even break if necessary.
In the game of life Dad wasn't afraid to get dirty, even if he was in his Sunday suit and the car needed to be worked on.
And he wasn't afraid to fail ... or get lost ... or break something.
- If you failed you could learn something.
- If you got lost you would eventually find where you were and where you wanted to be.
- If you broke something, you could fix it, or, God forbid, you could buy a new one.
He never bought into the excuse that there was nothing that could be done. "Do what it takes ..." was his only approach. "Just do it!" was Carl Bode's motto long before NIKE thought of it.
He did what needed doing ... whether it was arranging for new members to have sponsors, leading a small group Bible study, door-to-door canvassing of new housing developments or babysitting for the young mothers in Mom's early morning Bible class. I picture him in heaven organizing their first Fish Boil or Pig Roast fully convinced that it would help get more people there.
He never saw life as that difficult. He couldn't understand parents stressing out about raising kids ... Parenting certainly didn't stress him out ... he just did it.
He saw Life not Limits ... what could be done, not what couldn't be done.
And he never took the easy road.
- Why would you want to pay for cable TV to get a better picture when you could climb up on your roof (or get one of your sons to do it) and adjust the antenna to get better reception.
- Why would you want to stay at motels on vacation when you could camp your way across the country.
- Why would you want to pay to have someone fix your dishwasher or washer or dryer when you could fix it yourself.
Dad always got where he wanted to go, generally choosing his own path, never minding that that path was only intended for golf carts.
While others followed the carefully laid out and neatly paved roads Dad would make his own way ... even if it took him and his grandkids through a cornfield ... or westbound on the eastbound lanes of I-74.
But he always got himself and those he loved where they needed to go.
To Dad there was no such thing as limitations or disabilities. Out of the hospital this afternoon ... out to dinner tonight. Heart disease certainly was not going to define him or keep him from doing what he wanted to do.
- He would easily get sun poisoning, but it never kept him indoors.
- Everywhere he traveled he got sick, but he was always planning his next trip.
There was no barrier that couldn't be overcome and woe to the person, whatever his rank or position, who attempted to tell Dad what he couldn't do. He never told you what to do, but whatever you did, you didn't tell him what to do. Discuss the situation, yes ... banter, disagree, argue if need be ... but always respect each others' decisions and choices.
And Dad was decisive ... he never had much of a problem making decisions. He was always ready to chart a course ... to lead the way ... never at a loss for what to do ... never stagnant or standing still.
Dad was Dad. There was not a hypocritical bone in his body. He was who he was ... a real person who encouraged all of us to be genuine. You never had to be anything but yourself around him. You never humored Dad and he never humored you. He didn't waste time worrying about ruffling a few feathers.
But one of the things he did best was listen to people. He was always learning about people and from people ... always expanding his horizons ... always learning, reading, listening.
He never did finish college but he never stopped learning and developing an already keen mind. He loved knowledge ... craved it ... and zealously sought it.
All of the education and advanced degrees of us, his family, were not an accident but very much the result of the example of learning he set for us.
Dad sought to understand ... everything from people to paint to pills to computers to theology to economics. He was convinced that the key to life was understanding it ... all of it.
Despite what could be quickly perceived as a gruff exterior. He had a tender side that would come out when it was needed and was especially evident in the loving devotion and care he gave Mom. He may have almost electrocuted her with the contraption that was supposed to stimulate her muscles after her stroke but his files were testament to his devotion, filled with articles and other leads that expressed his dedication to finding new and better ways for stroke patients to rehabilitate.
What would he say to us this morning?
I honesty don't know, because Dad was always full of surprises ... always unpredictable.
But from his life and the legacy he has left us I hear him clearly saying:
Look closely at the people in your life. Listen to them. Learn from them. Enjoy them. Treasure them. Love them and lead them to Christ.
Look closely at your God who created you just the way you are. See Him as your greatest ally and be who you are ... the masterpiece God created you to be. And don't be afraid ... to be different ... to ruffle a few feathers ... to stir things up a little. The only one you have to please is God.
Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do. Don't be afraid to love ... and to do what love requires you to do to make the people you love a little better ... a little more like Jesus Christ.
If you ever doubt how much of life is attitude ... remember Carl Bode
He epitomized the famous Serenity Prayer:
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change ...
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference."
God gave Carl Bode the courage to see that there were far more things that could be changed than most of us would ever dream could be changed.
But the wisdom God gave him also gave him the serenity to accept things that weren't going to change ... especially in recent days.
Dad was teaching us more than we ever realized at the time. We will quickly forget the sinful shortcomings that irritated us at times, but we will long remember and treasure who he was to us ... what he gave to us ... and all that he leaves us with ... each of us better ... closer to God and each other, because of Him.
Dad just seemed to keep going and I guess a naive part of us thought he always would. Nothing it would seem would stop him or dare to get in his way.
His heart may have finally given out Thursday morning but even death hasn't stopped him. He lives on with Christ in heaven ... serving and praising Him forever ... and from there he calls us to join him one day ... follow him in faith ... a tried and true faith in Jesus Christ.
We have all heard it said at one time or another: "Go and make a difference."
Carl Bode made a difference. He made a difference by being different.
Death hasn't taken Carl Bode away from us. We will always carry more than a little bit of him with us, for he has become a part of each one of us ... God's determined and decisive tool for good.
- ↑ Sponsors: C. P. Lohenz and Mary Bode
- ↑ Rev. Bernard H. Hemmiter (sp.)
Memorial Verse: Romans 1:16
|
|
