Richard A.
Elsesser, 81, of
Mendota died June
20, 2014, in Buffalo Grove.
Services will be at 3
p.m. Tuesday in St. John's
Lutheran Church, Mendota,
with the Rev. Dale Peterson
officiating. Burial will be at
Restland Cemetery.
Visitation will be 4-7 p.m.
Monday in Merritt Funeral
Home, Mendota.
Mr. Elsesser was born Feb.
8, 1933, in
Mendota to
Albert and
Henrietta
(Bellinghausen)
Elsesser.
He married
Myrna
J. Kilmartin
on Sept. 11,
1955, in
St. John's Lutheran Church,
Mendota.
He was a graduate of
Mendota High School, class
of 1951.
He was employed as
a carpenter with Bill Eber
Construction and Dick Fassig
Construction.
With William E. Schmidt,
he partnered to form Elsesser
& Schmidt Builders and
Designers, constructing many
Mendota-area homes from
1957 until retirement.
He served in the U.S. Army
until being honorably discharged
due to injury. He was a
member of St. John's Lutheran
Church, Mendota Elks Lodge
1212, Ducks Unlimited and
National Rifle Association.
He enjoyed the outdoors,
most notably hunting, fishing,
gardening and training
his Labrador Retrievers. He
was an accomplished bowler,
leading the Mendota Elks
League in high series and season
scoring average in multiple
years.
He is survived by two
sons, Mark (Barbara) Elsesser
of Buffalo Grove and David
Elsesser of Omaha, Neb.;
one daughter, Susan (Larry)
Lawrence of Mendota; five
grandchildren, Jay (Liz)
Lawrence of Urbandale,
Iowa, Kate (Kevin) Clark
of Oskaloosa, Iowa, Tess
Lawrence of Denver, Colo.,
and Benjamin and Laura
Elsesser of Buffalo Grove;
one great-granddaughter, Lucy
Clark of Oskaloosa, Iowa; one
brother, Albert Elsesser Jr. of
Mendota; and one sister, Mary
(Fred) Wehmeyer of DeKalb.
He was preceded in death
by his wife in 2008; and one
sister, Ruth Freeman.
Memorials may be directed
to American Kidney Fund,
American Heart Association
or St. John's Lutheran Church
Scholarship Fund.