Patti Diane Krause Obituary (1941

Patti Diane (Wilson) Krause was welcomed into heaven on Friday, January 30, 2026. The oldest child of William Lester I and Opal June (Faucett) Wilson, Patti was born in Chicago, IL, on July 21, 1941. Her father, William, achieved the rank of Captain and served as a flight engineer in the Army Air Corps, flying B-25s from the US to the Pacific theater during World War II. Patti was the sister of three siblings, two of whom survive: Jane Ann Fuchs of Fair Oaks, Indiana, and Nancy Adler of Rockford, Illinois. She is preceded in death by her brother, William Lester Wilson II, a US Air Force veteran who served during the Vietnam era. When Patti was a teenager growing up in Dolton, Illinois, she and her sister, Nancy, babysat a neighbor named Robert Francis Prevost, who later became better known as Pope Leo XIV. Patti met her future husband, Carl John Krause Jr. (1937), son of Carl John I and Minnie Krause, in Dolton, IL. Carl is a US Army veteran, having served in Korea from 1957 to 1959. Carl and Patti famously met at Dolton Methodist Church in Dolton, Illinois. Patti was participating in one of her life’s passions, singing in the choir one Sunday, when she spied a handsome recently discharged soldier in the congregation. They nervously met after church that day, fell in love, and got married on April 9th, 1960. Patti is survived by her husband Carl. Carl and Patti began raising their family in Dolton, Illinois, in 1960, and later moved to Cullom, Illinois, in 1976. Most recently, Patti resided in Pontiac, Illinois, with her husband Carl. Patti was the mother of eight children: Carl John III (1960) and his wife Patricia Ann (Kane) of Cullom, Illinois; Brett Robert (1963) (deceased) and his wife Shelly (Blessing) of Panama City, Florida; daughter in law Gayle Ann (Burdick) McDonnell (1965) of Beecher, Illinois; Aric William (1965) of Delmar, New York; Jacob Michael (1971) and his wife Amy Lynn (Johns) of Pontiac, Illinois; Rachel Anne (1973) and her husband Kevin Dyck of Pontiac, Illinois; Sarah Elizabeth (1975) and her husband James Webster of El Paso, Illinois; Dr. Abigail Ruth (1977) and her husband Dr. Jonathan Litwiller of San Jose, California; and Stephen Nathaniel (1979) and his wife Ida Grace (Draviam) of Wimberley, Texas. Patti is the grandmother of 18 beautiful grandchildren and 13 amazing great-grandchildren. She was a source of joy, prayers, and inspiration to each, committed to following and encouraging each grandchild through their academic, artistic, and athletic endeavors. She was known to sit in the auditorium or stands, in sunshine or rain, in cold or warm, morning or night, for hours at various concerts and sporting events, tirelessly supporting and encouraging. It was her special joy to bless her grandchildren with her generosity and undying loyalty. Patti’s kids and grandkids enjoyed her absolute loyalty – they could never do wrong in her eyes. If the kids failed to score or had an off performance, it was the terrible umpire or referee, or the stage lighting, or the director’s fault in Patti’s eyes. Patti could be described as having the soul of an artist – she loved to create. Over the years, she crocheted, knitted, painted, drew, and designed, and continued her love of music by singing and playing the bass, acoustic guitar, bongos, and didgeridoo. She was famous for creating unique and thoughtful gifts for holidays and special events. For weddings, births, or any other occasion, she’d be up for days designing and preparing invitations, table decorations, centerpieces, gift bags, birth announcements, or anything else needed. Besides her full-time job raising 8 unruly children for 37 years, Patti found time to get involved in the community whenever and however she could. She was active in community theater, emergency services as an EMT-I, church choirs, church functions such as Vacation Bible School, and providing advice or encouragement to friends and family, or taking someone to lunch when they really needed it. Patti worked for years at First Financial Bank in Pontiac, when it was still Bank of Pontiac. Trying to sum up Patti’s life is near impossible – she was a 4-D person in a 3-D world. Her husband, children, and grandchildren will miss her forever, but will celebrate her legacy. Everything about Patti survives through the beautiful family she nurtured and raised. Each is a unique and beautiful reflection and testament of Patti’s commitment to selfless giving, grace, and love. The family will hold a visitation for Patti on Tuesday, February 10th, from 5-8 pm at Grace Christian School, 1314 Indiana Avenue, Pontiac, Illinois. A celebration service will be held on Wednesday, February 11th, at 10 am, also at Grace Christian School. Following the service, a procession to the West Lawn Cemetery in Cullom, Illinois, will take place, followed by a short graveside service. Those joining the grave-side service should anticipate cold weather. Patti believed in making an impact locally. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to one of Patti’s favorite organizations, Grace Christian School in Pontiac, Illinois, where a scholarship fund has been created in Patti's name (www.gcsgators.org). You can make a lasting local impact to celebrate Patti’s legacy by supporting a young person's education and future.