Irene E. Wenthe (93) of Effingham

Irene E. Wenthe, 93, of Effingham, IL, passed away on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, April 3 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Effingham. Burial will be in Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery on Dutch Lane in rural Effingham. Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday at the church and also one hour prior to the service on Monday at the church. Services are in the care of Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham. Memorials may be made in loving memory of Irene to St. John’s Food Pantry in Effingham.

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Irene was born on October 3, 1923, in Watson Township, IL, the daughter of Henry and Lillie (Marten) Genaust. She was baptized by the Rev. C. Eberhardt on October 14, 1923 and confirmed on June 13, 1937 in Immanuel Lutheran Church, on Dutch Lane south of Effingham. On May 5, 1946, she married Victor Wenthe in Immanuel Lutheran Church. He preceded her in death on August 4, 2006. In 1948, Irene joined Effingham St. John’s Lutheran Church. She was a Sunday School teacher and a member of the Lydia Guild, Ladies Aid, Fellowship Group, Braille Workers, and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. Irene was an employee of a bank in Decatur, IL for three years, was a homemaker, and performed recordkeeping for the family farm.

Irene is survived by her sons, Gary (Kathy) Wenthe of Louisville and Lindell (Sandra) Wenthe of Wheeler; grandchildren, Lisa (Todd) Sigg of Effingham, Matthew L. Wenthe of Newton, and Kati (Dan) Larson of East Peoria; great-grandchildren, Jacob Sigg, Anna Sigg, Jay Wenthe, and Cole Larson; and sister-in-law, Velma Wagner of Effingham.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Victor; sister, Mildred Osteen; and grandson, Justin Wenthe.