Kenneth G. Goerlich, age 79, of Good Samaritan Home, formerly of 1020 Kentucky, died on Monday, January 8, 2018 in the Home. He was born on September 22, 1938 in Quincy, IL the son of Robert and Hilda (Willer) Goerlich, the youngest of ten children. He married Clare Louise Koehler on October 20, 1962 in St. Boniface Church. She survives.
Ken attended St. Francis and St. Anthony grade schools. He graduated from Quincy Notre Dame High School in 1956, where he played baritone horn in the band.
Ken was an active member of the Melrose Victory 4H club for eleven years, and played on the 4H State Championship softball team.
A member of Alpha Delta Gamma fraternity, Ken graduated from Quincy College in 1960 with a BS degree in accounting.
Mr. Goerlich was a member of the Illinois National Guard, called up for active duty during the Berlin Crisis of 1962.
Mr. Goerlich was an accountant and later a purchasing agent for Calcium Carbonate Company and later J.M. Huber Corp., retiring in 1995 after 31 years of service. He was a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish and a former longtime member of St. Boniface Catholic Church.
In his free time, Ken enjoyed dancing, tennis, hunting and fishing. An active community supporter, he was a member of the St. Boniface Parish Council, the St. Boniface School Board, the Roman Catholic Cemetery Association Board, the board of directors of the Quincy Catholic Youth Organization, and was a long-term member of the Knights of Columbus and of the Elks.
After retirement, Ken and Clare restored historic properties in their Kentucky Street neighborhood, which led to their reception of the Landmarks Illinois Richard Driehaus Foundation award for Architectural Preservation in 2016.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by three children: Joseph (Donna) Goerlich of Quincy; Marie (Stephen) D’Orazio of Naples, FL and John Goerlich (Larry Stephens) of Jackson, MS; five grandchildren: Andrew and Emily Goerlich, and Nick, Celeste, and Jace D’Orazio; two brothers: Donald Goerlich and Gene (Rita) Goerlich and two sisters: Carlene (Tom) Shade and Marilyn Schafer. Numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives also survive.
Ken was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Robert, Virgil, and Joseph Goerlich; sisters Joan Goerlich and Rita Bockhold; brothers-in-law Henry Bockhold and Charles Schafer; and sisters-in-law Rosie Goerlich and Rita Goerlich.
The family wishes to express their sincere thanks to the Good Samaritan Home for the excellent care the home provided Ken in his later years, with special recognition to the Activities Department and its drivers who transported Ken to innumerable social activities.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 15, 2018 at 9:30 in the Duker & Haugh Funeral Home and at 10:00 in Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Interment in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Sunday from 4:00 until 7:00 PM at the Duker & Haugh Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to Quincy University, Quincy Notre Dame, Blessed Sacrament Parish, or to the Elks Foundation.