James Paul Verbeck, 87, of Huntley, died peacefully, September 30, 2024.
James was born August 2, 1937 in Geneseo, Illinois, the son of Walter and Grace Verbeck. His early years were spent growing up in Louisville, Kentucky before returning to the Quad Cities in Illinois where he attended Alleman High School and then went on to trade school. On August 5, 1961 he married the love of his life, Caroline Anne Storm of Algonquin, Illinois. He worked for Union Special in Huntley for 37 years; and he loved Huntley so much that he retired in Sun City, Huntley as one of the original first phase homeowners.
Jim was a kind, generous and caring man who would go out of his way for anyone and assist with anything you would ask for. He was devoted to his children and grandchildren (known as “Papa Jim”) and he was their chauffeur, their cheerleader at their games, concerts and other school events or other activities and would love to babysit when the grandchildren were little. He loved to be a part of their daily lives and gave so much of his time and attention to them. He was an avid Chicago White Sox fan and loved to tell and hear good “Dad jokes.” During retirement, Jim enjoyed dining with family and friends at Papa G’s and Village Inn in Huntley and was well known by the staff who always remembered his order before he made it. He was a kind and loving husband, father, grandfather, great- grandfather and friend and will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his daughters, Nora Lee (Timothy) Zeller, Katie (George) Gazdacka, and Joyce (Ken) Turnipseed; by his 7 grandchildren: Calen, Ryan (Hannah), Sara (Nick), Katelyn, Josh, Elyce, and Matt; his great-granddaughter: Samantha (“Sammie”) June; and nephews and nieces.
James is proceeded in death by his parents, his brother, Paul, his sister, Mary Carol, and his beloved wife, Caroline (aka “Sweet Caroline”).
Visitation will be on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 9am -11am with a Catholic based service at 11am at DeFiore Funeral Home, 10763 Dundee Road, Huntley. Interment and burial will be private at Windridge Memorial Park and Nature Sanctuary in Cary, Illinois.
For further information please contact the funeral home at 847-515-8772 . Online condolences may be directed to www.defiorefuneral.com.
Please leave a video condolence by entering your name and click the "Record" button below. You can always preview your video prior to submitting it. Please note that you may receive a prompt to grant DefioreFuneral access to your camera. This is only temporary and will be solely for the duration of recording your condolence message.
On behalf of myself and my teamates who work with Jim's daughter Nora Lee I would like to pass on our sincere condolences to the family on his passing. He clearly was a great and caring man. Sincerely, James (Toronto, Canada)
So sorry for your lost of your Dad,Nora and Tim .
May the Lord comfort you In this time of sorrow. My husband ( Ed) and myself worked with Jim for many years at Union Special. He was a kind, soft spoken man.