Bernard Raibley

Bernard “Barney” Raibley, 89, a lifelong Seneca resident, died Nov. 24, 2015, surrounded by the family to which he devoted his life and that will miss him dearly. He is survived by Florene Elaine Raibley, his wife of 65 years, and 11 children: Bernard (Nancy) Raibley of Louisville, CO; Margaret Raibley of Davenport, IA; Paula (Steven) Elmer of Monroe, WI; Elaine Susan Raibley of Morris; Judith Masterson of Waukegan; Annette (Brian) Olson of Morris; Mary Maltas of Joliet; Lawrence Raibley of Seneca; Paul Raibley of Joliet; Laura (Ray) Gutkowski of Amboy; and Mark (Maria) Raibley, of Palos Park. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and a sister, Theresa Pagoria of Seneca. A descendant of old Seneca families including the Brookmans and Pfeffers and closely related to the Underhills and Gerberts, Barney was the great-grandson of an early German immigrant in Kendall and LaSalle Counties, Francis “Frank” Xavier Raible, a stone mason. His paternal grandfather, Bernhart Raibley, was killed in a dynamite explosion in 1907 along the Illinois-Michigan Canal in Seneca, not far from where Barney made his home for nearly 65 years. His father, Lawrence H. Raibley, a union bricklayer, helped build St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Seneca. His mother was Margaret Schepp Raibley. Born on Sept. 24, 1926, Barney was a man of keen intelligence, wit and integrity. A union glass worker at Owens Illinois in Streator for 48 years until his retirement in 1993, he also worked at the former Seneca Shipyard, DuPont Plant and Raibley & O’Brien’s Grocery & Meats in Seneca. He was a voracious reader, enjoyed fishing, baseball and tended a large vegetable garden every spring and summer for most of his life. He was preceded in death by an infant son, Michael Francis; his younger brother Lawrence “Ike” Raibley; a younger sister, Annette Denniger; and his brother-in-law and close friend, Gerbert “Gerb” Denniger. A private memorial service is planned. Osborne-Nelson Funeral Home has been entrusted with his arrangements.