Mr. Frederick W. Thiele Jr., Galesburg Chapel
60, of Bushnell, Ill., died at 4:33 am Wednesday, July 11, 2012 in the Prairie City Rehabilitation Center Prairie City, Ill.
He was born March 4, 1952 in Aledo, Ill., the son of Frederick W. and Emma Jane Helm Thiele, SR. He married Debbie J. Goff on July 10, 1971 in Galesburg, Ill. She survives.
Also surviving are his two sons, Ryan M. (Bethany) Thiele of Ashburn, Va. and Adam P. (Araceli) Thiele of Evansville, Ind., his sister, Linda (Jim) Haneghan of Galesburg and a granddaughter, Carolina Thiele. He is preceded in death by his parents.
Fred worked as a Physical Education teacher and coach for basketball, track and football at Bushnell Prairie City Junior High School for 34 years. He retired in 2009. He graduated from Galesburg High School in 1970 and Western Illinois University in 1974. He was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame. He enjoyed woodworking and truly loved his job.
Friends and Family are invited to Celebrate Fred’s Life from 1:00-4:00 pm Sunday, July 15, 2012 at Cherry Street, 57 S. Cherry St. Galesburg. Graveside services will be 11:00 am Monday in Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens with Mr. Mark Wantuck officiating. Memorials may be made to the Bushnell-Prairie City Junior High School Physical Education Department; checks may be made to the B-PC School Foundation c/o Don Swartzbough, Famers & Mechanics Bank. Online condolences may be made at www.h-p-w.com.
Rest in peace COACH you will be missed greatly!!!
Dear Debbie, Ryan and Adam,
I cannot express how sad I am for the terrible loss of your husband and father. I always looked foward to visiting with him whenever I came back to Illinois and his friendship with my dad was treasured. Such a truly kind and generous man, he is irreplacable.
Please find strength from family and friends during this terrible time.
Love,
Mary
Our thoughts and prayers are with Debbie, Ryan, Adam, and the rest of the family. Coach was a great man & will be missed by all.
What a shock to read this news. He was a great person, always cheerful with that huge smile. So sorry for your loss.
Coach Thiele was such a good guy! He had a great laugh and I remember joking around w/him and other teachers in the lounge on substitute days. Squirrely Jr. High boys didn’t scare him in the least; he knew how to command their respect (I have a story or two courtesy of two squirrely spawnlings), and he probably didn’t know it, but he changed (for the good) my perspective with one particular son. One day he overheard me lamenting about my strong-willed son and he smiled and said, “I had one just like him, Julie, I like to think of them as ‘high-spirited’” And just like *that* my perspective changed. Thank-you, Mr. Thiele, for helping this mom see her sons Ricky N. Barnhill & Patrick Barnhill in a fresh new way. You made a difference in so many lives and will be missed not only by your family but the community you impacted.
Deb, Adam, Ryan and families,
There are no words to express how much Fred meant to our kids and us. Alot of great memories of basketball and track. We hope these memories will ease the pain of his loss and will get you through the days to come. May God bless you with peace,
Curt and Janet Rigg
Fond memories of Mr. Thiele. How he love to teach us kids in Jr. High. Just Wish he had my kids. Ryan & Adam chins up that is all I can say. His time was to short. My thoughts and prayers are with you..
my prayers and condolences go out to the family.
We are so sadden to hear about Fred, You are all in our Prayers and Thoughts. He was a very Great Man…
Coach Thiele was a truly wonderful man; he was always such an inspiration to everyone that knew him. People like him are few and far between, and he will most definitely be missed.
Thank you Coach for your example in life. You taught us more than how to a better players but how to better people. You were a blessing to know.
He was one of those people you will never forget. Kind and always had a smile. My heart goes out to the family.
We are so saddened at Fred’s passing. We will never forget his zest for life, his family, and friends.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Thiele family. Coach Thiele was such a positive role model for our youth. It was truly a blessing to have known him.
We were sad & shocked by the news of Fred’s passing. He was a great teacher, coach and all round good guy, he’ll be truely missed.
You will be missed by a coach
Debbie, Ryan & Adam,
It is hard to express in words what Fred meant to my family. I feel so lucky to have so many memories of your family, and will always have the memory of Fred’s wonderful smile and big bear hugs. He will always hold a special place in my heart.
Very sad to hear of the loss of Coach Thiele. He was a great man, coach and teacher. He will truly be missed by our community. Rest in peace Coach.
I was so very sad to hear of Coach Thiele’s passing. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all the young lives he touched.
To the Thiele family,
As young men, there are certain people that inspired us, and drove us to be better. Coach Thiele was that man for me. When I tried out for the seventh grade team as a sixth grader, I was devastated when I didn’t make the team. I asked Coach why I didn’t make it and for the first time in my young life, someone was honest to me. “You need to lose weight if you want to be on the team. You have to get in to shape”. He taught me things that would improve my skills and took time out of his schedule to teach me how to get better. I worked hard, lost weight and was starting the next year. He taught me that if you want the rewards in life, you have to work hard for them. I carry that lesson with me to this day. I am so glad to have known him and I am a better person because of Coach. I offer my sincerest condolences to his family.
To Debbie and the entire Thiele Family…
Cliff and I are so glad we had the pleasure of getting to know Fred when he was healthy, and at a peak in his life – almost ready to retire, and have more time to travel and relax. We’ll always remember his smile and upbeat attitude…along with his whimsical jokes and funny stories from all those teaching years. I personally wish we could have had more time to get his love of cards to rub off on Cliff. Ryan will have to keep working on him in Fred’s absense. Stop and visit us on your way to and from Virginia…an empty bedroom is always available. He will surely be missed, but much of his spirit lives on in Ryan, Adam, and the memories you share. Now he can rest in peace.
I remember Fred as a friend in school and seeing you both at my workplace. My the best be with all the family
To Coach Thiele’s family,
My thoughts and prayers are with each of you in your time of loss. Fred was a wonderful man who was a tremendous positive influence on the youth of our community. Thank you for sharing him with us.
May you find peace.
To the Thiele Family,
Coach Thiele was a great man and inspired many young men through the years. I just hope someday I can leave a legacy like coach has on so many lives. He will be missed but never forgotten. Rest in peace.
Debbie and Family,
Fred was one of the kindest individuals we have met in a long time. He was an inspiration and a joy to be around. From the time he came here we were drawn to him because of his wonderful personality. He is one resident that we will always remember and hold dear in our hearts. Fred will be sadly missed. The entire Theile family is in our thoughts and prayers.
Lisa Reid, Lindsey Schisler and the entire Prairie City Rehab and Health Care Facilty
To the Thiele Family,
I had the distinct priviledge of coaching against Fred during my tenure as basketball and track coach at Lewistown Central.
I always enjoyed our battles over the years and I learned a great deal about coaching, sportsmanship and how to comport myself from Fred. He was a fierce competitor who knew the true place that sports should hold for young men.
Fred was truly one of the good guys. His teams always reflected his personaliy. They won with grace and accepted defeat with honor. Fred was respected and loved by his coaching peers.
I last saw Fred at his final track meet in Canton in 2009. We spent a few minutes telling stories about the journey to where we had arrived. I cherish that conversation now more than ever.
My thoughts and prayers are with your family this weekend.
May Fred rest in peace.
Denny Dalmasso
Dave and I have known Fred and Deb for many years as we all went to school together. Fred was a generous and joyful man, no matter his circumstances. We were privileged to attend his retirement celebration from the Bushnell Prairie City schools, and it was clear how many people loved him. His enthusiasm and sense of humor were contagious. He will be sorely missed. Our love and condolences to Deb and the boys.
-Dia McKillip
When our son Mike would visit us from Kentucky we would invite Fred and Debbie to come out to our home also. Fred would tell stories and keep us laughing all night long. What a great sense of humor he had. Ryan and Adam and our grandkids would make movies on our old camcorder and they became pretty professional in movie making while we all had a great time. Fred touched many lives and he is already sorely missed. Our prayers are with Freds family. May God bless.
I fondly remember all the Track Meets with Coach Thiele and Debbie at the finish line with the famous Tootsie Roll suckers. We were always cracking up and having a good time. Coach Thiele left an everlasting impression on all four of my daughters (Leah, Leesa, AJ & Alyx), which I will treasure forever. May the days ahead be filled with precious memories.
Debbie & family,
I am so sorry for your loss. Fred has left his mark on the
B-PC community and all those who lived or worked in it. May your memories comfort you now and forever.
Coach Thiele had a great, upbeat attitude and was always a positive influence on the kids he taught and coached. Always enjoyed talking to him, was super friendly and set a great example. He’ll sure be missed, our thoughts are with you.