Earlene T. Petit

CONLEY FUNERAL HOME OBITUARY E-MAIL / FAX FORM Day & Date of publication: MONDAY, June 11, 2007SELECTED MEDIA: yes -DeKalb Chronicleyes -Kane County ChronicleYes Both: Aurora Beacon and Elgin Courieryes Elburn Herald FAMILY APPROVAL SIGNATURE :=========================================================================Please adjust to conform to your format Side headers are provided for easier index editing. If questions arise, please feel free to call us at : (630) 365-6414. THANK YOU.=========================================================================Earlene T. Petit, age 78, of Virgil, IL, passed away peacefully at her home, early Sunday morning, June 10, 2007. Recently diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, Earlene fought with great courage. But when it became clear that a cure was not to be, Earlene chose to live her last days at home on the farm. With the help of her family and a loving care team from CNS hospice, Earlene was able to return home with Pete. There, surrounded by family and friends, and true to her faith, Earlene submitted to her calling with grace and peace, and offered it up. In those precious days, she poured out blessings with every breath and continued to pray for loved one’s and friends, near and far . Earlene and her twin brother, Earl, were born to Joseph and Jennie (Schiltz) Ambre on April 24, 1929 in Aurora, IL, the third set of twins, and the youngest of thirteen children. As Peter recalls, during Earlene’s upperclassman years at Madonna, she needed a date for a special dance. Pete, then attending Marmion Military Academy, and "coincidentally" boarding with Earlene’s cousin, was the logical escort. "An officer and a gentleman", Pete agreed to be Earlene’s date for the dance. As he would later recall, "I thought she was really cute and had a personality to match". Following graduation, the romance continued. Earlene went to work as a dental assistant and remained at home, helping raise her sister, Teresa, a special needs child, after their father passed away. Five years after that first date, Peter secretly asked Earlene’s mother if he could have Earlene’s hand in marriage. Receiving her blessing, Pete proposed to Earlene just before Christmas. They were married in the spring, on June 17, 1950 at St. Nicholas Church, Aurora, IL. Surely that day, angels sang on high, for their marriage was truly made in heaven. Earlene, the city girl, left town for life on the farm. Together Earlene and Pete raised six children on his family’s farm near Virgil and set before them a living example of sacrificial love, genuine joy and true faith. The story of Earlene’s life tells it all. While caring for her mother in Aurora, Earlene delivered farm fresh eggs there every week and came to be called the "Egg Lady". She always had a good sense of humor and more than lived up to her name. After Pete’s sister, Louise Zang, died in 1956, Pete and Earlene brought the Zang family into their home for several years. For this gift of love, Earlene’s Alma Mater named her "Mother of the Year". That award could have been the title of Earlene’s biography as her "mothering" continued among many other family members and friends. A woman well acquainted with grief, Earlene cared for many people who were dying, among them her own daughter, Donna, who passed away in 1960 at the age of eight. Faithful and loving to the last, Earlene cared for her mother Jennie Ambre, brother and sister-in-law, Carl and Jean Petit, and her older sister, Teresa, for whom she cared for twenty-six years.Before Teresa’s death on April 11, 2007, Earlene turned her home into a hospice and was Teresa’s constant caregiver for nine months. Just days after Teresa’s passing, Earlene began her own battle with cancer. Her home continued to be a hospice, something Earlene’s husband, Pete, tenderly referred to as "God’s waiting room". Despite everything, Earlene found time to be an active member of S.S. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, served as a CCD teacher, joined many committees at church, sang in the choir, was an active member of the Altar and Rosary Society, participated in the "Walk for Life" and her parish prayer group. Earlene was also a Eucharistic Minister and often took communion to the homebound. Attending daily mass, Earlene served as lector for as long as anyone can remember. She was a member of the Rockford Cursillo, the Ladies Home Extension and a local womens’ "Club" that met monthly for over fifty-five years. In more recent years, she also became part of the care-giving family at Conley Funeral Home. Earlene’s hands and heart were never idle. Her other interests included gardening, canning, sewing, cooking, knitting, corresponding, reading, taking pictures, craft work, religious study, and praying for those on her prayer list. She simply and truly loved people, always showing them hospitality and making them laugh. She is survived by her loving husband of fifty-seven years, Peter, of Virgil;Three sons: Peter "Bud", Jr. (Jeannine) of Pewaukee, WI, Terry (Sue) Petit of Virgil, Tim of Kenosha, WI;Two daughters: Karen (Rick) Kramer of Wheaton and Laurie (Rodger) Roberts of Bartlett, IL; Six grandsons: Jonathan (Heather), Adam and Zachary Petit, Patrick and Ryan Petit, and Matt Kramer; Three granddaughters: Clara Petit, Emily Johnson and Leigh Kramer; One great-granddaughter: Kelli Petit; Three sisters: Antoinette Sachen of Auburn, IN; Leanore Smith of Downey, CA and Eleanor Zander of Ojai, CA;One sister-in-law, Joan Ambre of Phoenix, AZ; Many nieces and nephews; Five God-children as well as countless friends, far and wide, all of whom Earlene always made feel like "family". She is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Jennie (Schiltz) Ambre;Her daughter, Donna Jean;Brothers: Larry, Ray and twin brother, Earl Ambre;Sisters: Jeanette Hankes, Colette Schuster Louise Burgholzer and Teresa Ambre;And one grandson, Scott Petit. Service arrangements:Visitation will be held at S.S. Peter & Paul Church Hall, Meredith Road, Virgil, IL , Thursday, June 14, 2007 from 2pm to 8pm. Wake services will conclude visitation at 8pm. A brief visitation will be held in the church sanctuary, Friday morning from 9:30 to 10:15am. Her funeral mass will be celebrated Friday, June 15, at 10:30am. (omit celebrant name at this time) at S.S. Peter & Paul Church. Interment will follow at S.S. Peter & Paul Cemetery. MEMORIALS:A memorial has been established in Earlene’s name to benefit CNS Hospice, masses at S.S. Peter & Paul Church and other favorite charities according to the wishes of the family. Memorial checks may be made to the Earlene Petit Memorial and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, IL 60119. Tributes and memories may also be forwarded to the family at the same address or through her obituary at www.conleycare.com. For information, or to order flowers, call 1-800-8-CONLEY.

Visitation will be held at S.S. Peter & Paul Church Hall, Meedith Rod, Virgil, Il, Thursday June 14, 2007 from 2PM to 8PM. A wake service will conclude visitation at 8PM. A brief visitation will be held in the church sanctuary, Friday morning from 9:30 to 10:15am.Her funeal mass will be celebrated Friday, Jun 15, at 10:30am.. at S.S. Peter & Paul Church, Meredith Rd., Virgil, Il.

Interment will follow at S.S. Peter & paul Cemetery., Virgil, Il.