LOMBARD, Ill. — Norman Alois Werner, age 85, of Lombard, passed away peacefully on Sept. 18th, 2024. Norman was born on July 13, 1939, and lived on a farm near Ellinwood, Kan. with his parents Erwin and Clara and his three siblings. He attended school in Ellinwood, Kan. and graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Journalism. He married his high school sweetheart, the late Imogene Werner at the end of his college career. They had three children, Mitch, Kelly and Hilary.
After graduating from Kansas State, he took a marketing job with Walnut Grove Products Company in Atlantic, Iowa where he designed and published in-house marketing materials. Since he was responsible for photography, his young son Mitch occasionally made the cover of agriculture publications. Norman and Imogene eventually moved back home where they started Werner’s Nursery School which became a cornerstone of the Great Bend Kansas community. The pre-school was complete with two Volkswagen buses they used to pick up and bring children to and from school. They hosted annual family picnics and Christmas parties where Norman featured slide shows of pictures he took during the year of the children for their parents.
Norman and Imogene sold Werner’s Nursery School and moved to South Bend, Ind. where he became a huge Notre Dame football fan. He held positions in real estate but eventually put his entrepreneurial spirit back to work when he purchased and began running Stor-It & More self-storage in Kokomo, Ind. until his passing.
Norman was not only a successful entrepreneur, but also a beloved father and grandfather. He found great joy in family gatherings. He enjoyed all the college tailgates, family cookouts and holidays with his children and grandchildren. He was always actively involved in the family group chats especially with the grandkids during football and basketball games.
Norman is survived by his siblings Nora (the late Arnold) Reichuber, Marilyn (Leon) Reichuber, and Donald (Mary Ann) Werner; his children Mitchell (John Jakupcak) Werner, Kelly (Gary) Wiederrecht, and Hilary (George) Tarasuk; grandchildren Thomas (Alexa) Wiederrecht, Rachel Wiederrecht, Emily Wiederrecht, Andrew (fiancé Natasha Vassek) and Sophia Tarasuk; and his nieces and nephews James Shaw, Bryan Werner, Sarah (Brian) Hill and Kristine (Gary) Hammes.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Tunnels to Towers Foundation are greatly appreciated.
The visitation will be held from 4 – 8 p.m .at Hallowell & James Funeral Home 1025 West 55th St., Countryside, IL on Friday Sept. 27th. Chapel prayers 9:15 a.m. at the funeral home followed by a 10 a.m. Funeral Mass at St. Francis Xavier Parish – 124 North Spring Ave., LaGrange, Il on Saturday Sept. 28th followed by interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery Hillside, IL. A luncheon will be served right after at Emilios Tapas at 4100 Roosevelt Road, Hillside, Il. Funeral information: 708-352-6500.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Hallowell & James Funeral Home
1025 West 55th Street
Countryside, IL 60525
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Sept. 24, 2024
