LaVon Pearl Slowik

Visitation for LaVon Slowik, 88, of St. Anne, will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Clancy Gernon-Houk Funeral Home in St. Anne. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Anne Catholic Church. Father James Fanale will officiate. Burial will be in Kankakee Memorial Gardens, Aroma Township, where LaVon will be reunited with her beloved Henry and their many dear friends who have already preceded her passing. Memorials may be made to St. Anne Catholic Church. She passed away Saturday (Jan. 19, 2013) at ManorCare Health Services in Kankakee. LaVon was born Aug. 24. 1924, the daughter of Byron (Pete) and Faye Alice (Thompson) Clemans Sr. LaVon was retired from Kankakee Community College where she served as the Business Office supervisor and then as manager when KCC first broke ground in 1969. Later she was promoted to treasurer for KCC, a capacity she filled until her retirement in June 1988. Prior to her move to KCC, LaVon worked in the business department of Kankakee School District 111 as a secretary and an accountant. Throughout her life, LaVon was constantly active. During the war years she was in the first wave of Rosie the Riveters, helping build airplanes for the war effort. Later she was a reporter for the St. Anne Record Press for a number of years. When the St. Anne Grade School was expanded to include an in-school hot lunch program, LaVon was hired as a cook. During that time she returned to night school to refresh her secretarial and accounting skills, which served her well and led to her work in the Kankakee school system and then to KCC. She was also a local board member for the Selective Service beginning in June 1982. At that time “working mothers" were often frowned upon, but LaVon stayed the course to become a proud and highly respected example to her children, her community and her church. She, along with like-minded women, were the vanguard who cracked open the door that would later be called the women’s liberation movement. In addition to her work, she was also a world traveler: From Europe to Hawaii, to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji; to Central and South America, Canada and just about every state in the union. She and her beloved Henry were on the move, bringing back wonderful stories and souvenirs from their many grand adventures. When not traveling, they were part of a very close-knit group of friends whose Friday night soirees were truly unique and memorable. Whether dining out or entertaining at home, those Friday nights were some of the best times of their lives. Surviving are her son, Hank Slowik Jr. and Patricia McCrary, of Douglasville, Ga.; daughters and sons-in-laws, Julie and Earl Wesner, of Schaumburg, and Sallie and Roger Thorton, of Goreville. Also surviving are her grandchildren, Scott and Tracy Slowik, of Sugar Hill, Ga., Stephanie Truax (grand marshal of last year’s PumpkinFest parade) of Sumpter, S.C., Stacy and Jeff Mahoney, of Atlanta, Ga., Mary and Michael Cooper, of Las Vegas, Nev., Eric Paugh, of Carbondale, Marc and Jody Wesner, of Schaumburg, and Brad Wesner, of Bartlett. Her great-grandchildren are Amelia Slowik; Scott, Steffan and Elaina Truax; Meghan Mahoney; Cameron Paugh; Bradford Wesner and Threnody Hooper; and Abby and Olivia Wesner. She is also survived by her beloved brother, Byron Clemans Jr., of Manteno; and her beloved sister-in-law, Patricia Clemans, of Kankakee; and many nieces and nephews, and their children and grandchildren. LaVon was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Henry Slowik Sr.; son, David; parents; sister and brother-in-law, Neva and Ray Tresner; sister-in-law, Phyllis Clemans; brother, Russ Clemans; and two nephews, Gary and Randy Clemans. Memorials may be made to St. Anne Catholic Church, St. Anne, IL

LaVon Pearl Slowik

August 24, 1924 - January 19, 2013