Stefan Herold, 90, formerly of Forest Park, died on February 13, 2017.
He was born Sept. 2, 1926 in Weprowatz, Yugoslavia. Stefan, his wife Lilli and two children Harry and Veronika immigrated to the United States by ship from Zirndorf, West Germany, on Dec. 7, 1957 and made their home in Forest Park. They later resided in Oak Park, River Forest and Elmhurst before moving to Lemont in 1998.
Mr. Herold was a construction worker in Germany, and after moving to the United States he was employed with Oak Park and River Forest High School as a custodian and retired after 30 years of service in June 1987.
He was known by his many co-workers as Poppa #1 and received a jacket upon retirement and wore it proudly. He was a lover of all animals, not only his many cats and dogs throughout his lifetime but his many grand puppies and grand kitties. It wasn’t unusual to see him feeding and caring for his many outdoor “pets” as well.
The hobbies he loved were woodworking, building things, fixing things, stamp collecting, having garage sales, going to lunch, traveling and going on adventures, going on drives, decorating for the holidays, visiting the Polish deli, spending time at his camper home in Yorkville in the warmer months with his family, and being outdoors and working in his beloved yard.
He and his wife were married on Feb. 14, 1948 and would have celebrated 69 years of marriage.
Mr. Herold is survived by his wife Lilli (nee Schadek); his daughter Veronika (Scott) McAdam; his grandchildren, Amanda McAdam (Jason) Brown, Scott, Jr. (Brittany) McAdam, Jamie Herold and Stefan Herold; his grand puppy Nala and grand kitties June and Autumn.
He was preceded in death by his son Harry; his parents, Georg and Eva Herold; his brother Adam (Eva) Herold; and his sisters, Katharina (Adam) Oppermann, Magdalena (Michael) Oppermann and Maria (Gunther) Witek.
Visitation will be held Feb. 24, from 3 to 9 p.m. at Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home, 203 S. Marion St., Oak Park where services will be held on Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. Interment is at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park.
Donations to the American Heart Association (heart.org), P.A.W.S. Chicago (pawschicago.org) or Best Friends Utah (utah.bestfriends.org) are appreciated.
