Charlene Kavanaugh Obituary

Kavanaugh, Charlene Kay Age 63, of Apple River, IL, passed away at home on August 21, 2011, in the company of loved ones. She was born to Ralph and Josephine Neva, October 25, 1947, in Jamestown, ND. With an intermediate stop in California, Char's family moved from North Dakota to Chicago, Illinois where Char later met and married Kevin Joseph Kavanaugh in 1971. They raised a family together in Chicago before relocating to Apple River in 2001. Char was blessed with a green thumb and enjoyed spending time transforming the landscape of her Apple Canyon Lake home into something beautiful. She was equally accomplished in the kitchen, experimenting with and perfecting one delicious recipe after another. And, she shared a passion for good books and even better wine. But above all of that, Char was generous with those she loved, a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She is survived by her mother Josephine; her husband, Kevin, her daughter Heather and her son Brian ( Julie); her grandchildren Jasmine, Jackson and Ellery; her sister Diane (Richard) Hoger; her brother Dennis (Laurie) Neva; and numerous brothers and sisters in law, nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. A visitation will be held August 26, 2011, from 4- 8 pm at Furlong Funeral Chapel, 100 Carol-don Ct., Galena, IL 61036. A funeral Mass will be held at the following day at 11:00 am at Holy Trinity, 302 Franklin St., Scales Mound, IL 61075. A memorial gathering will be held August 29, 2011, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at Fulton's on the River, 315 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60654. Internment will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the National Brain Tumor Society (braintumor.org) or The Cure Starts Now Foundation (thecurestartsnow.org).