Henry Theis

Henry J. Theis, age 81, of Maple Park, passed away December 28, 2018, surrounded by the love and prayers of his family.
Henry was born on May 23, 1937, in Batavia, IL, to proud parents Henry and Mayme (nee White) Theis.
Henry was raised on the family farm in Batavia. In later years, the property was then owned by Fermilab; a fact that Henry was very proud of.
After his second year of high school, Henry moved from his parents farm to start a new job with trucking. Shortly after that move, he enlisted in the National Guard in June of 1960, to serve at Fort Dixon.
Upon his departure from the National Guard, Henry went back into his trucking business. On a fateful evening off, Henry met the love of his life, Carolyn “Joan” Reiser. They met at the Blue Moon in Elgin, a popular dance spot, and it was love at first sight. Both Henry and Joan were smitten and following a whirlwind courtship, on November 11, 1961, they united in marriage.
After a few years of trucking, Henry realized he missed his true roots of farming and in 1978 he purchased a farm near Maple Park to start his produce business, Theis Farm Market. Farming has been in his blood for generations and with no knowledge of running a farm on his own, he succeeded.
In the early 1980’s, Henry retired from trucking and handed the business to his sons, so he could focus on his produce. He was so determined to make use of his farming skills that one spring when the plants he wanted were not available Henry took it upon himself to grow his own. He built a greenhouse, one of the first in the area, and grew his own plants from seed.
He took pride in the high quality of his sweetcorn and tomatoes which still stands true to this day, even after Henry’s retirement in 2007. He said he was retired, but he was more of a “silent” partner to his daughter, Barb and continued to do things around the farm most days, especially on his favorite international cub tractor.
Henry was a member of the Lion’s Club in Maple Park, the Kane County Farm Bureau, the Illinois Specialty Growers Association, the Vegetable Growers Association, and Midwest Trucking.
During the winter, for the past 14 years, Henry and Joan traveled to Mesa, AZ. This is where they spent half the year enjoying the heat and the sun; Henry was not one for cold weather.
When he was back home in Illinois, Henry enjoyed going to the casino, where he played his luck at the river boat. Everyone who met Henry, knew he had a great deal of luck, some say it was his intuition. Henry had an uncanny sense of what was happening; he could tell you things that would happen before they occurred. Weather was also one of his fortes; he had the “farmer’s sense” of when it would be best to plant and when the next flood was coming. You always got the truth from Henry whether it was what you wanted to hear or not.
Family was very important to Henry. Every Sunday afternoon he had his family over to play cards with as many people as the table would hold. When his great-grandchildren were brought into this world, they stole Henry’s heart. That heart and his determination will be missed and never forgotten.
Henry is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Joan Theis; his five children: Kimberly (Donald) Stiles, Henry “Hank” Theis, Richard “Scott” (Deborah) Theis, Barbara (Robert) Pondelick, Donald (Holly) Theis; 13 grandchildren: Brianna, D.J. and Danielle Stiles; Arin and Arielle Theis; Zach and Hannah Theis; Robert (Stevi), Bret and Mackenzie Pondelick; Erin (Matt) Welch; Tyler and Trever Theis; five great-grandchildren: Elizabeth “Libby” and Henry Pondelick; Joseph Pondelick, Jackson and Addisyn Welch; his sister, Shirley Snyder; many nieces and nephews and a countryside of friends.
He is preceded in death by his twin granddaughters: Rebecca and Brenda Pondelick; five siblings: Jim, Bill, and Ray Theis, Marie Wiltse, and Betty Wesemann.
Visitation will be from 3:30-7:30 p.m., Friday, January 4, 2019, at St. Mary Catholic of the Assumption Church, in the Novak Center, at 123 S County Line Rd., Maple Park, IL. A Mass will be held at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church on Saturday, January 5, at 10 a.m. Fr. Ariel Valencia, pastor of the church, will officiate with interment to follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Maple Park.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in Henry’s name. Checks may be made to the “Henry Theis Memorial” and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, 60119. Tributes may also be forwarded to the same address, the Conley Funeral Home Facebook Page, or at www.conleycare.com

A Mass will be held at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church on Saturday, January 5, at 10 a.m.

Visitation will be from 3:30-7:30 p.m., Friday, January 4, 2019, at St. Mary Catholic of the Assumption Church, in the Novak Center, at 123 S County Line Rd., Maple Park, IL.

Burial will follow Mass at St. Mary's Cemetery, Maple Park, IL.