Obituary of Patricia J. Willen

Patricia J. Willen A Mass of Christian Burial for Patricia Jane Willen of Old Monroe, MO, will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church near Old Monroe. Msgr. Gregory Schmidt, church pastor, will officiate with burial in Immaculate Conception Cemetery near Old Monroe. Serving as pallbearers will be Jason Hart, Gabriel Willen, Ryan Willen, Michael Lonning, Daniel Wegman and James Buss. Mrs. Willen, 77, died Saturday afternoon, June 27, 2009 at Barnes St. Peters Hospital in St. Peters, MO. Born August 28, 1931 in St. Louis, MO, the second of three children born to Elmer and Vivian Grace Erhardt. She was united in marriage on May 20, 1950 in Florissant, MO to Herman Joseph "Ham" Willen. This union was blessed with five children: Joseph, Stephen, Jean, Lawrence and Jacqueline. She worked for several years as a claims administrator for the Social Security Administration in St. Charles, MO, retiring in 1987. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church near Old Monroe. She was preceded in death by her parents: Elmer and Vivian Erhardt; her sister, Mary Kessler and brother-in-law, John Kessler; and her beloved husband of almost 59 years, Herman J. "Ham" Willen, who died March 23, 2009. Survivors include three sons: Joseph Willen and his wife, Peggy Jo, of Winfield, MO, Stephen Willen and his wife, Evelyn, of Old Monroe, and Lawrence Willen and his wife, Diana, of St. Charles, MO; two daughters: Jean Neiner and her husband, Christopher, of Philadelphia, PA, and Jacqueline Sauer and her husband, Jeffrey, of Warrenton, MO; fifteen grandchildren: Amy Elizabeth Glumm, Hal Back, Jason Back, Amy Jo Balling, Christina Hobkirk, Katherine Willen-Trent, Melinda McClellan, Jason Hart, Elizabeth Hart, Gabriel Willen, Krystal Willen, Sarah Willen, Ryan Willen, Brittany Willen, and Amanda Willen; and eight great-grandchildren: Brittanie Glumm, Elizabeth Glumm, Brandon Glumm, David Balling, Austin Trent, Jennifer Balling, Aiden Hart and Peyton Willen. She also leaves one sister, LaVerne Erhardt Saxbury and her husband, William, of Los Altos, CA; her nephew Dahlem Magner and niece, Deanna Magner Carr, other relatives and many friends. Visitation will be held from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. Monday, June 29, 2009 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home near Winfield. A Prayer Service will be held during the visitation at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the American Alzheimer's Association or the Immaculate Conception Building Fund in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home, 3838 East Highway 47, P.O. Box 253, Winfield, MO 63389. Online condolences may be made at www.carterricksfuneralhome.com.