Anne H. Scheer, age 88, of LaGrange; beloved wife of James; loving mother of Sue, Mary, Nancy (David), Jim, Mike (Jacalyn), Tim (Bridget), Rick (Laurine); preceded in death by her children Thomas Robert & Anne Catherine and grandson Lewis James, III; proud grandmother of 24 and great-grandmother of 4; dear sister of the late John; dear sister-in-law, aunt, & friend of many. Visitation 3 to 8 pm on Tuesday, September 1 at Hallowell & James Funeral Home, 1025 W. 55th St., Countryside. A private Funeral Mass will be held at St. Cletus Church, LaGrange. Interment Queen of Heaven Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Anne’s name to St. Cletus School are appreciated. Info: (708) 352-6500

Anne was born at the Chicago Lying-In Hospital in November of 1931, just months after it opened its doors.  She grew up in LaGrange Park, attending St. Francis Grade School and Lyons Township High School. Anne twirled baton, leading one of the first LaGrange Pet Parades in the late 1940s.  She played the piano and was an excellent swimmer and diver.  She adored her older brother John, who fondly nicknamed her “Bitsy.”

During World War II, her father was able to finagle extra gas rations so the Hewitt family could hunt and fish at Scheer’s Ghost Lake Lodge.  There, as a young girl, Anne met her lifelong friend, companion and husband, Jim. 

Mom attended Webster College and after graduation, married Dad in the middle of hunting season in 1953.  They lived briefly in Evanston and started our family with the arrival of Judith Suzanne.  Mom and Dad moved to the LaGrange area in the mid-1950s and had eight more children.  Mom handed on the torch of her Roman Catholic faith, bringing us all to the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, Confession and Confirmation, educating us at the recently opened St Cletus School, and modeling a life of prayer, sacrifice, and discipline.  A most happy moment for Mom was the year her youngest daughter Annie received her First Communion and Dad, under the instruction of Father Robert Ebrom, received his First Communion as well.  Her saddest moments were burying her infant son Thomas Robert, her daughter Annie, and her grandson Lewis. 

Anne was the ultimate multitasker before that was even a thing. She would cook, answer the family business phone, put a load of laundry in the washing machine all with one, and sometimes two, babies on her hips. As her family grew, adding in-laws, outlaws and 24 grandchildren and 4 great grandkids, Mom found love, forgiveness, and compassion for all.  She relished the challenge of hosting family get-togethers with all in attendance. 

Mom loved her forty-five seasons at the LaGrange Country Club where she enjoyed playing with the Tuesday Women’s 9-holers. Anne and Jim traveled far and wide, spending many months together and with their children on safari in Africa, on vacation in the Caribbean and Costa Rica, relaxing at Ghost Lake and more recently, The Quarry in Naples. She was an accomplished bridge player and always ready to trounce a grandchild in a friendly game of Scrabble, Uno, or Yahtzee, even if she had to bend the rules.  Mom bred several litters of Labrador retrievers over the years, just for the fun of it.  She was a member of the St. Cletus Women’s Council, serving a term as president, and volunteered for many years at the local thrift shop.  She and the Webster College Gang shared many girls’ weekends together at Ghost Lake and The Farm.

Anne loved her Folger’s Coffee all day, every day, Hershey’s Chocolate Bars, and salt.  Legend has it that her mother would hide the saltshaker to prevent Mom from eating it all.  As an adult, she allowed herself the luxury of two saltshakers on her table. She was never too proud to confess that during a brief year in Little Rock, Arkansas, she put on an extra 15 pounds eating too many pancakes for breakfast at the local diner.

Joan Keating, Mom’s friend of 70 years, kept Mom laughing to the end of her life.  Shanny and Valary, Mom’s most recent care-giver friends, kept her healthy and fit over the last 18 months. 

Mom was so strong, uncomplaining, and always grateful. She was never one to judge and always quick to make peace.  At the end, she encouraged her grandchildren to be kind to each other and to never exclude anyone.   As she reflected on her life in later years, Mom said confidently that even in the darkest moments, she knew God’s presence and that He had never failed her, even in the greatest tragedies.

Eternal rest, grant unto her, O LORD,

And let perpetual light shine upon her. 

Rest in peace, dear Mother.