Barbara C. Ort

Barbara C. Ort, 85, of Kankakee died March 1, 2015 at her home. Visitation will be from 10 AM until the time of services at 11AM on Friday, March 20, 2015 at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Kankakee with the Rev. Barb Lohrbach officiating. A graveside service will be held in Morton, IL, as arranged by Knapp/Johnson Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Kankakee Valley, the Kankakee Humane Society, or the Sun Foundation for the advancement in the environmental sciences and arts. Barbara was born July 3, 1929, in Grand Forks, North Dakota to Isaac Solomon and Melora Katherine (Phelps) Corn. She married Henry J. Ort on July 27, 1952. He preceded her in death on Mary 30, 2014. Surviving are daughters Nancy (Mike) Hogan and Holly (Ron) Bailey. Grandchildren Jennifer (Joe), Amy (Aaron), John, Heather (Scott), Jeremy (Juning), Timothy (Roxanna), and Stephen (Kristen) survive as do great-grandchildren, Josie, Julianne, and Joseph Henry Michael Korish; Hannah, Elizabeth and Claire Potacki; Maddy Hogan; Matt, Meagan, and Madison Parry; Max Bailey; Benjamin and Malena Swanson; Erik and Parker Swanson. Also surviving are daughters of the heart and husbands, Roberta (Phil) Duyff, Linda (Richard) Valiga and Lucimar (Tulio) Junquiera. Growing up, Barbara enjoyed summers in church camps from DesPlaines, Illinois to Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire and her grandparent’s farm in Cedar Springs, Michigan. She graduated from University High School, Normal, Illinois. She continued her education receiving a BS degree from Illinois State Normal University, Normal, followed by an MS from the same university. She was a life-long learner with interest in education and the arts. Barbara was a lifelong educator starting as teacher of the deaf in Pekin, Bartonville, and Morton, Illinois. She was an administrative with the Tazewell-Mason Counties Special Education Association. She taught first grade in Morton, Illinois. She was well-known for her creative teaching style and her work with children with learning challenges. She participated and provided leadership in a variety of professional education organizations, including Delta Kappa Gamma and Morton AFS Youth exchange program. In retirement, she continued to encourage lifelong learning. Focusing on the arts, she did programs on spinning, weaving, and candle making at local grade schools and at Bishop Hill. Barbara turned her goal of “cleaning the basement in retirement” into a CLUTTER program focusing on the joy and love of living. This was given hundreds of times with donations going to organizations in the local communities. She continued using her clowning to bring joy and love to those around her. She developed curriculum for and taught Senior Net Classes with Henry. She used her artistic creativity to support organizations fundraising efforts…such as decorating many trees for the Kankakee Historical Society Gallery of Trees. She had a YOU WORK, I WORRY service for young people going to school. They would tell her what challenges they had coming up. They did the work and she did the worrying. Her hobbies and interests included travel, reading, environmental arts and sciences, volunteer work for many organizations and family adventures.

Barbara C. Ort

July 3, 1929 - March 1, 2015