Louis W Wappel

Louis “Lou” W. Wappel, 86, of Belleville, Ill., born October 3, 1925 in East St. Louis, Ill., died on Thursday, November 3 at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows Retirement Community in Belleville, Ill.

Mr. Wappel graduated from East St. Louis Senior High School in 1943. He served with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Europe in World War II for three years and was honorably discharged as a technician third grade on May 11, 1946. He continued his education at the University of Illinois where he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education.

Lou was an educator for 35 years with East St. Louis School District 189. During his tenure he served as a principal, assistant principal, teacher, basketball and football coach and Driver's Education instructor at East St. Louis Senior High, Lansdowne Junior High, Bluff View Elementary and Edgemont Elementary Schools. He retired in 1985. He was always interested in the education and character building of his students. He also served as a pari-mutuel clerk at Cahokia Downs and Fairmount Race Track for over 15 years.

He was preceded in death by his mother - Theresa Wappel (nee Harth); his father - Joseph Wappel; and two brothers - Frank and Herman Wappel.

Surviving are his wife of 60 years - Evangelynn (nee Eisele); seven children - Stephen (Kathy) Wappel of Apex, NC, Michael (Barbe) Wappel of Spring Lake, NJ, Mark (Alicia) Wappel of Bedford, TX, Ralph (Janelle) Wappel of Longmont, CO, Angela (Joseph) Zurawski of Darien, IL, Paul (Patricia) Wappel of Springfield, Ill. and Michelle (Gary) Wolk of Arnold, MO; 23 grandchildren – David, Jayme, Alexandra, Stephanie, Kristin, Jaclyn, Rachel, Ryan, Colin, Brent, Eric and Melissa Zurawski Mandy, Blake and Kayla Wappel and Philip, Justin, Gabriel, Stephen, Vincent, Marie, Veronica and Bernadette Wolk; three sisters - Theresa Pier of Webster Groves, MO, Mary Kleine of Collinsville, Ill. and Dorothy Hamilton of Memphis, TN; and two sisters-in-law – Roberta Sculley of Sun City West, AZ and Gertrude Piotrzkowski of Indianapolis, IN.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Hospice of Southern Illinois or The Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Foundation. Online condolences may be expressed online at www.valhlalagardensandfuneralhome.com

Visitation will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011, at Valhalla Gaerdner Holten Funeral Home, 3412 Frank Scott Pkwy West, Belleville, Ill.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, at Blessed Sacrament Church, 8707 West Main St., Belleville, Ill., Father Jack McEvilly presiding. Interment will follow at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Belleville, Ill.

Valhalla Gaerdner Holten Funeral Home, Belleville, Illinois