Barbara J. Gerch

Barbara Jane Gerch, age 81, passed away peacefully at home, cared for by people who loved her, on Friday, June 30, 2023. Barb taught 4th and 5th grades at Patton Elementary School in Arlington Heights for 40 years. Her humor, dedication, and kindness shaped the lives of generations of students and co-teachers. An avid sports fan (White Sox, WGN radio, and the Patton Final Four basketball pool), Barb was an enthusiastic and loyal booster to her family and friends. She is held in the hearts of her niece Emma Gerch and sister-by-marriage Karen Wills; her former student, friend, and trusty advisor, Jim Biel; her treasured lifelong friends Judy and John Marx, and the whole Marx family; many Gerch, Schomer, and Miller cousins, and Patton teachers and friends. Her parents, Morris and Sophie Gerch, and brother Steven Gerch, predeceased her. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Barb’s memory to support teachers at Donors Choose which supports underfunded classrooms, (www.donorschoose.org/equity-focus)or to the Midwest Parkinson’s Foundation (www.parkinson.org/midwest). Chapel Service, Thursday, July 6, 2023; 12:15 PM at Shalom Memorial Funeral Home 1700 W. Rand Road, Arlington Heights, IL. Interment Shalom Memorial Park. For the link to view the service, shiva information or to leave condolences: www.shalommemorial.org or (847) 255-3520.

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Service Information

Service : Thursday, July 6th at 12:15 pm
Service Location: Shalom Chapel Service -Shalom Memorial Funeral Home

Interment:
Shalom Memorial Park
1700 W. Rand Road
Arlington Heights