Florence B. Klemmer

Visitation Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Visitation Time: All Service are at Church
Funeral Date: Tuesday, April 13th, 2021
Funeral Time: 10:00 am
Place of Funeral: St. Walter Church
Funeral Notes: During visiting hours, it is still recommended to follow the State of Illinois guidelines limiting gathering and guests should continue to wear masks and practice social distancing.
Interment: Arlington Cemetery

Florence B. Klemmer, 93, born April 19, 1927, passed away April 8, 2021 at Home. A longtime resident of Roselle, Florence was wife to Hans A. Klemmer, mother of Hans Klemmer, Charles Klemmer, Sarah Klemmer and Anne Slavin and a wonderful grandmother to Michelle Anfuso and Alex Klemmer. She is preceded in death by her husband, parents Nicholas and Anna Santeiu and brothers and sisters, Nick, John, George, Dan, Sarah, Anna, Mary, Helen and Betty.
She was compassion, empathy, kindness, and love. And anyone who ever had the good grace to be in her presence knew it. Because you could feel it. Around Florence you felt special, you felt loved. Always.

Florence knew everyone and always had time to spend chatting with them, people were drawn to her kindness and to her smile.

She worked for years as an aide to children with special needs. It was a job. But Florence wasn’t working a job with those kids. She was simply being herself. Caring for them with empathy and compassion. Giving of herself to those kids the same way she did with anyone she came into contact with.

The many crucifixes and crosses on her walls showed you how much a part of life God was. She had an endless collection of rosaries, medallions of Francis and St. Anthony, and probably every other Saint, that she would offer to you for good luck. The Vatican gift shop itself couldn’t hold a candle compared to her collection. She faithfully went to church each week with four kids in tow.

Being a mother was the role that most defined Florence. She was so proud and treasured each of her children. She was so excited to see them after having been apart even for a bit.

There is a great photo of Florence at about age 3 with her older brother Dan. This would have been around the time that she and her siblings lost their mother. A neighbor offered to adopt Florence. Her father replied, “No, we’ll stay together as a family”. And boy did they ever. From cradle to grave, all the siblings stayed close whether they lived 20 minutes away or in different states. They knew what was going on with each other and they were there for each other throughout life’s many trials and tribulations. Despite their responsibilities in their own families, their loyalty and dedication to each other was constant.

Most kind to the end, her last words to everyone were “Thank You and I Love You”