OBITUARY: Albert W. McCabe

Albert W. McCabe, 97 of East Peoria, died at 7:44 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014, in the emergency room at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

He was born May 27, 1917, in Stonefort, to Thomas M. and Catherine M. (Zimmers) McCabe. He married Arvella V. Alexander on June 10, 1942, in Peoria. She preceded him in death on Jan. 13, 1997. He also was preceded in death by two sons, Albert J. McCabe in 1943 and James M. McCabe in 2001; one granddaughter, Kimberly L. McCabe in 1980; three brothers, Thomas E., Raymond J. and John B. McCabe; and three sisters, Mary S. White, Cecila A. Bogue and Agnes E. Crawford.

Surviving are four sons, Robert P. (Linda) McCabe of Peabody, Mass., Thomas D. McCabe of Morton, Stephen L. McCabe of Pekin and Kevin E. (Joanna) McCabe of Washington; four daughters, Sharon L. (Dennis) Hellman of Foristell, Mo., Karen S. (David) Walton of Castle Rock, Colo., Carolyn C. (Donald) Brown of Anchorage, Alaska, and Jacqueline M. Tonsor of Conway, S.C.; 16 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren, with one great-grandchild on the way; three great-great-grandchildren; one brother, Robert L. McCabe of Denver, Colo.; one sister, Francis I. (Bernard) Heine of Peoria; and one sister-in-law, Norma (Harvey) Stanley of Harrisburg.

He was a United States Army veteran, serving with the 82nd Airborne Division. He was a POW from September 1944 until his liberation in April 1945.

Albert worked at Hiram Walker & Sons, Inc. in Peoria from 1941 until his retirement in 1984.

He was a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Morton, East Peoria VFW Post 2078 and a charter member of American Legion Post 33 in Ottawa.

A prayer service will begin at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, followed by visitation from 5 to 7 p.m. at Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Morton. Further visitation will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Friday, Oct. 3, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Morton, followed by a funeral Mass at 11 a.m., with Msgr. Gerald Ward officiating. Burial will be at Hillcrest Memory Gardens in Morton, where full military rites will be conducted with the participation of the Patriot Guard.

Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Morton is handling arrangements.

Memorials may be made to the Central Illinois Memorial Kidney Fund, P.O. Box 235, Morton, Ill. 61550.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.knappjohnson.com.