Geneva Katherine Stelle, 93, of Bloomington, Illinois passed away Friday, May 20, 2016 at her home. Services at Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington. Entombment at Park Hill Mausoleum, Bloomington.

Katherine Stelle was born Dec. 9, 1922, in West Liberty, the daughter of Clarence Sprague and Laura (Brown) Sprague. Both parents preceded her in death when Katherine was but in her teens. She had two siblings, Charles E. Sprague and Donald Brown Sprague, both now deceased. Katherine married Victor Dean Stelle on Sept. 21, 1940, in St. Charles, Mo. Dean passed on July 31, 1976.

They had two sons, Lenville J. (Gina Walls) Stelle and Jeffery Dean Stelle. Jeff passed in September 2012.

Katherine is survived by her son, Lenville and several grand and great-grandchildren.

Katherine and Dean were living in Detroit, Mich., when World War II broke out. She was working in the Ford Willow Run Plant. Dean enlisted in the U.S. Army and in the following years, when he was stateside, she moved to be with him. They and their two sons relocated to Bloomington in 1952.

During the ensuing 64 years, Katherine was widely engaged in church, civic, fraternal and social organizations. She was a life-long member of the First Presbyterian Church of Normal, where she served in many capacities to include church elder. She and Dean served as co-presidents of the Parent Teacher associations of both Houghton and Brigham schools. She was a Cub Scout den mother for six years.

Katherine was a staunch member of the Republican Party. She was a life member of the BroMenn Auxiliary and served as a volunteer for Crossroads. Katherine was very active in Masonic organizations, notably the Order of the Eastern Star, where she was a past matron of Bloomington Chapter 50, a Grand Lecturer and Grand Representative to Pennsylvania. She served as president of the board of the Masonic retirement community of Macon Home.

Social participation included Bloomington-Normal Women's Club, Home Extension and the Red Hat Society. Katherine always enjoyed playing bridge with her girlfriends.

After the death of Dean, Katherine worked for the United Methodist Conference, but quickly moved to self-employment through the purchase and management of commercial real estate.

She traveled widely, visiting all 50 states and all continents except Antarctica. In December of 2011, Katherine moved to Westminster Village retirement community, where she enjoyed many contented years.

Pantagraph, The (Bloomington, IL) - Sunday, May 22, 2016