Clara Minnie (Toots) Regele

March 8, 1920 – February 13, 2019

Born to Fred and Freda (Luethy) Danz on March 8, 1920 in East Peoria, Il .

She is s urvived by her daughter Joan Riggenbach, grandchildren and great-grandchildren Brian Riggenbach (Mikey), Abby Nobili (Bobby), Andy Riggenbach (Lindsay, Kennedy, London) and many nieces and nephews.

Preceded in death by her beloved husband Ken, her parents, brothers Fred, Sam, Ben and George and sisters Marie and Elizabeth.

Clara, or as most called her Toots, was raised on a farm in central Illinois  She worked at Caterpillar Tractor Co during the war years and later in life worked at Bergners department store for 20 years. She met her husband, Ken, at a dance and they were married in 1943 in North Carolina where he was stationed during WWII prior to being sent overseas. The family loved to take trips around the states and entertain.

Toots was well loved by many, especially for her feisty spirit and genial nature. She loved playing cards, sharing stories of her youth and days on the farm a nd being around family and friends, and never missed an opportunity to feed you something sweet between her candy dish in the refrigerator, a slice of homemade cake or pie, or her famous peanut butter fudge.

We will miss her laugh, jokes and funny quips about life. A small service will be held at Hope Hospice in Fort Myers on March 11.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hope Hospice of Lee County .

Cheers to you, Tootsie!!