Nicholas Portegys

Nicholas T. Portegys

Age 96 of Wilmington, passed away Saturday September 26, 2009 at his home.

Nicholas was the fifth child and first son of farmers Peter and Gertrude Portegys who immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands in the late 1800s. Always very athletic, his passion was baseball and he was proud of being a part of the Farm Bureau Team for many years.

His first job was with an ice cream dairy, (a job he loved) and he then during the depression joined the Civilian Conservation Corp, cutting down trees in the state of Oregon. When he returned home to Waukegan, IL he worked for the North Shore Gas Company, marrying Catherine Cunningham in 1941. At the age of 29, he joined the Navy with the 467th Unit of the Seabees serving in Africa and Italy and entertained the troops playing baseball... He was a left handed pitcher and first baseman.

After WWII, he returned again to Waukegan and later built a home for his new family in Gurnee, IL. In 1955 he moved to Joliet and worked for Commonwealth Edison, retiring after 36 years in 1976. He bought a house in Richie, IL that was almost 100 years old and in need of tender loving care, and was remarried on May 22, 1982 to Joanne Pagliaro-Bowman. Being a very energetic and creative person, their home and his love of gardening kept him always busy.

He was preceded in death by his mother Gertrude nee DeBoer and his father Peter, his sisters Mary Lightbody, Nellie Metcalf, Gertrude Deitz, Kathryn Faulkner and Ann Dickson, his brothers James and Peter, his first wife Catherine nee Cunningham and stepson Michael Bowman.

He leaves behind his loving 2nd wife Joanne Pagliaro-Bowman, his daughters Agnes (Jim) Limacher, Martha (Thomas) Jones, Julie (Douglas) Crews, and sons Thomas (Shirley) and Patrick (Debbie), stepchildren, Patricia (Eugene) Siegel, James (Kaye) Bowman, Jeanne (William) Parker, Kathleen (Michael) Marconi, 24 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, brother John and numerous nieces and nephews.

His quick wit and quiet silliness will be greatly missed by all. He was a gentle, kind and wise man.

Visitation and video tribute will be held on Wednesday September 30, 2009 between the hours of 4:00PM and 8:00PM and Thursday October 1st from 9:00AM until 9:30AM at Reeves Funeral Home, 219 North Joliet Street (two blocks North of Illinois Route 53 / Baltimore Street) in Wilmington. Funeral services will follow on Thursday at 10:00AM in Saint Rose Catholic Church, 624 South Kankakee Street in Wilmington, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated with Reverend Steve Bondi officiating. A memorial luncheon in St. Rose Parish Hall will be held at the conclusion of the Mass and burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery in Romeoville.

Preferred memorials in lieu of flowers may be made as gifts in Nicks memory to St. Jude Children's Hospital, 4619 N. Ravenswood Ave # 302, Chicago, IL 60640-4579 (www.stjude.org), St. Rose Catholic Church, 603 S. Main St., Wilmington, IL 60481, The Salvation Army, 300 Third Ave., PO Box 2582, Joliet, IL 60433 or St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 18 Woodlawn Ave., Joliet, IL 60435.

Friends may sign the online guest book by logging onto: www.ReevesFuneral.com

Funeral services and arrangements have been made under the direction of Reeves Funeral Home in Wilmington. (815/476-7621)