CORWITH HAMILL
8FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS Percy Raymond Chesley: The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, July 19, at Malone Funeral Home, 324 E. State St. (Route 38), Geneva, with the Rev. Rob Hamilton officiating. David Chesley, Adam Chesley, Benjamin Chesley, Mark Chesley, Douglas Williams, Andrew Wise, Thomas Wise and Alberto Principe will serve as pallbearers. Burial will follow in River Hills Cemetery in Batavia. The visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 18, at Malone Funeral Home in Geneva.
Obituary deadline The deadline for obituary notices is 4 p.m. for the next day’s edition. Obituaries can be emailed to obits@ kcchronicle.com. For more information, contact news editor Al Lagattolla at alagattolla@shawmedia.com. Audrey (Kupkowski) Latham (nee Siska): The visitation will be from
3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 18, at Steuerle Funeral Home, 350 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park, where prayers will be said at 9:15 a.m. Friday, July 19, followed by a 10 a.m. Mass at St. John the Apostle Church, 330 N. Westmore Ave., Villa Park. Interment will be in Queen of Heaven Cemetery. Neil Kenneth Olson: Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 18, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles. Burial will be in Union Cemetery in St. Charles.
of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Sylvia Corwith Winter (Aaron Leigh Baggish, MD) of Cambridge, Mass., Eliza Lowry White (Nathan Johannan) Kerr of El Portal, Calif., and Corwith Cauthorn White of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; and by his 13 great-grandchildren, Emily Corwith Hamill, Lachlan Hamill Simmers, Corwith Clayton Simmers, Parker Corwith Dietz, Brock Campbell Byron Dietz, Rider Joseph Conrad Dietz, Owen Woods Winter, Savannah Hollins Winter, Kendall Corwith Winter, Izzabella Corwin Baggish, Emmitt Oakleigh Baggish, Calliope Sapphire Kerr and Scarlett Corwith Kerr. Corky was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Ernest Albert Hamill II (Pat); his sister, Clarice Hamill Barnes (Tesa); his wives; and his grandson, David Hibbeler Hamill. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Aug. 5 at The Little Home Church by the Wayside, Wayne. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Chicago Zoological Society, 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL 60513, or Wayne Historical Preservation Society, P.O. Box 7240, Wayne, IL 60184. Please sign the guest book at www.legacy.com/kcchronicle.
PHYLLIS E. LAMONICA Died: July 15, 2013; in Elburn ELBURN – Phyllis E. LaMonica, 98, of Elburn, passed from this life to eternal life Monday, July 15, 2013, at her home. Phyllis is survived by her daughter, Elaine (Thomas) Trulis of Batavia; son, Carl (Linda) LaMonica of Elmwood Park; six grandchil-
dren, Thomas Trulis, Michael Trulis, Michael (Roxanne) LaMonica, Michelle (Kevin) O’Bryan, Philip Anthony (Janel) LaMonica, and Carl (Elizabeth) LaMonica Jr.; great-grandchildren, Domonic LaMonica, Patrick LaMonica, Cooper O’Bryan, Micaela O’Bryan, Luke LaMonica, Amalie LaMonica, Daniel LaMonica, Gabriel LaMonica and Jude LaMonica; her sister, Drucilla Norris of Sterling; her brother, Gordon Causey of Falls Church,Va.; and many of nieces, nephews and a family of friends in Chicago and the Elburn area. She now joins her beloved husband, Philip LaMonica; her sons, John LaMonica and Philip LaMonica Jr.; her brother, Laun Causey; sisters-in-law, Annabelle Causey and Rose Nixon; and a brother-in-law, Robert Nixon. The visitation will be from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Friday, July 19, at St. Gall Catholic Church, 120 W. Shannon St., Elburn. A funeral Mass celebrating her faith will begin at 10 a.m. at the church, with Fr. Tim Seigel celebrating. Interment will be in Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Hillside at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in her name to benefit St. Gall Catholic Church or the charity of your choice. Memorial checks may be made out to “St. Gall Catholic Church ” and mailed in care to P.O. Box 8049, Elburn, IL 60119. Tributes and memories also may be forwarded to the family through www.conleycare. com,where you can view her full life story. Please sign the guest book at www.legacy.com/kcchronicle. • Continued on page 10
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• Thursday, July 18, 2013
WAYNE – On the clear, crisp summer morning of July 11, 2013, Corwith Hamill, “A Man for All Seasons,” passed away at his home after a final deep breath as if to inhale the good earth one last time. With him went one of the greatest civic leaders of the past century. Corky was successful as a family man, executive, author, historian and board member of many charitable and civic organizations that benefited from his dedication, good sense, wisdom and organizational abilities. He will be remembered as a scholar and for his encyclopedic memory, dry wit, calm demeanor and civic mindedness. Born in Chicago on Jan. 25, 1914, the second child of Alfred Ernest and Clarice Walther Hamill, Corky (so he was dubbed by his older brother who could not pronounce Corwith) grew up in Lake Forest, where he attended the Alcott School. He progressed through his education to graduate from North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn., and Yale University. During his youth, he explored the ravines along Lake Michigan, roamed the prairies and savannas around his parents’ retreat near then bucolic Mundelein, cherished summers at the Huron Mountain Club on the Upper Peninsula and enjoyed time in the Catskill Mountains. This continuous exposure to the natural environment kindled a strong passion for the outdoors and conservation that lasted until his dying day. Throughout his life, Corky thoroughly enjoyed many forms of outdoor recreation. He pursued
Society, the Wayne Community Association and the Dunham Woods Riding Club. In 2007, Corky was honored as “Conservationist of the Year” by Openlands for his foresight and commitment to the organization. In addition, he served as National Treasurer of the Sports Car Club of America and wrote the organization’s newsletter “The Piston Patter” for many years. He was among the founders of the sports car racing tradition in Elkhart, Wis. Above all, though, Corky was a devoted family man who exhibited a deep sense of belonging to the place he called home in the Fox River Valley, particularly because he was a sixth-generation Illinoisan descending from the early French settlers in the Mississippi River Valley. In 1937, after marrying Joan Birnie Smith (daughter of Harold C. and Emily Birnie Smith), the couple made their home in then rural Wayne. They built their house a few years later and remained Kane County residents the rest of their lives. Corky and Joan were married for 65 years until she succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease. As a couple, they were best known for their community leadership and travel adventures. They handed down their ethic of civic involvement and environmental protection to their descendants. After Joan’s death, Corky was briefly married to Miriam Ewing before she, too, died from illness. Corwith Hamill is survived by his three children, Jonathan Corwith (Nancy Hibbeler) Hamill of Barrington, Nancy Corwith Hamill Winter of Stockton and Elizabeth Corwith (James Erik) Bramsen of Barrington; by his six grandchildren, Susan Corwith Hamill (Clayton Rogers II) Simmers of Norwich, Vt., Kimberly Corwith Hamill (Jay Douglas) Dietz of Evanston, Ethan Hamill (Anne Purdom) Winter
OBITUARIES | Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com
Born: Jan. 25, 1914; in Chicago Died: July 11, 2013; in Wayne
these passions not so much for the physical activity but for the adventures and places they took him. He was an accomplished pilot, race car driver, horseback rider, skier, canoeist, sailor and fisherman. Corky was insatiably curious about everything around him always striving to piece together the mystery of life, mankind’s connection to the earth and human civilizations. In search of better understanding, he traveled to at least 130 countries and all 50 states. He shared his experiences and the knowledge gained through journals and photography, which culminated in the publication of “One Lucky Guy” in 2012. Utilizing his organizational skills, appetite for challenge and steadfast nature, Corky experienced a successful and varied professional life. His first job was as a pilot of a Sikorsky S38 during the 1933 Century of Progress in Chicago, giving rides on the amphibious plane to the public. After graduating from Yale, he took employment as the Assistant Treasurer of the Elgin Watch Company (1936 to 1954). Then he served as President and CEO of the Elgin Water Softener Company (1955-1958), as Executive Secretary of the Association of Reserve City Bankers (1958 to 1975) and as President of the Chicago Zoological Society (1975 to 1981). Corky left behind a legacy of enhanced organization performance wherever he worked. Corky’s legacy will be as a conservationist and community leader. He always was exceptionally generous with his knowledge, wisdom and time leaving his mark on many organizations which he served, including The Chicago Hearing Society, Rotary Club of Elgin, King Home for Old Men, the Illinois Audubon Society, Openlands and Brookfield Zoo. He served as President of the Coleman Lake Club, the Chicago Zoological