Barbara Ann Kieca

After a long and beautiful life, Barbara Ann Kieca passed peacefully into the arms of her Lord and Savior on March 25, 2023. What a joyful reunion with her beloved Frank, daughter Joanne, loving parents and brothers. Barbara was born on April 29,1929 to Matthew and Therese Voegtle.

As a young girl, Barbara displayed a talent for music. A classically trained singer blessed with the voice of an angel, her pure tones echoed at St. Edward Church on Sunnyside in Chicago during numerous weddings.

Barbara had secretarial experience before joining the classified advertising team at the Daily Herald, where she worked for over 30 years. Barbara’s strong faith led her to St. James Catholic Church in Arlington Heights in 1955, where she was a PADS volunteer and a member of the Over 50 Club. She raised her family in a close-knit neighborhood. On any day, you would find her tending to the flowers and vegetables surrounding the house, planning Girl Scout activities, cooking wonderful treats for the next block party or dabbling in handwriting analysis. Her parents spent summers at the family retreat on Big Lake St. Germain in Wisconsin. Barbara loved being out on the lake fishing and swimming. Her filet skills were legendary, as was her sharpness at bridge, gin, pinochle, and poker.

Barbara enjoyed watching her grandchildren and great grandchildren take their place in the world, escaping the winter weather in Florida, volunteering in kindergarten and attending family celebrations. Her sense of humor and joy of a life well lived never faded.

Barbara is survived by her children, Karen (Peter) Sauter and John (Peggy) Kieca; grandchildren Patricia (Jeff) Baeder, Dr. Bettina (Matthew Geer) Sauter, Jennifer (Brian) Nowicki, Gene (Maddy Douglass) Kieca and Kathleen (Alex) Hickey; great grandchildren, Elizabeth Baeder, Andrew Baeder, Frank Nowicki, Zophia Nowicki, Vincent Nowicki, David Nowicki, Jameson Hickey and Daniel Hickey and very special friend Jake Janisch. Numerous nieces and nephews, former neighbors, Luther Village friends, caregivers and extended family lifted her spirits and for that, Barbara’s family will be forever grateful.

She was preceded in death by the love of her life, husband Frank, daughter Joanne; her parents; and siblings, John (Sandy Vanderheyden) Voegtle, Thomas (late Betty) Voegtle, Matthew (late Shirley) Voegtle and Phillip (Fran) Voegtle.

Visitation Friday, March 31, 2023, from 10:00 am until time of prayers at 12:15 pm at Glueckert Funeral Home, Ltd., 1520 North Arlington Heights Road (four blocks south of Palatine Road), Arlington Heights, IL 60004 proceeding to St. James Catholic Church, 831 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, for a 1:00 pm Funeral Mass. Interment will be at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in the family’s name may be given to Ann and Robert H. Laurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago 255 East Chicago Ave., Chicago IL 60611 or at https:// luriechildrens.org or to the PADS Program, c/o St. James Catholic Church 820 North Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60004.