Grace Schillinger Case

Cordova, Illinois
Grace V. Schillinger Case, of Cordova, Illinois, died Thursday, May 31, 2012, in Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf, Iowa, at the wonderful age of ?98?. She was surrounded by her family with loving care and devotion.
Services are 11:00 a.m. Monday at First Congregational Church, Moline, with The Reverend Allen Mothershed officiating. Burial is in Colbert Cemetery in Hanna Township, Henry County. Visitation is 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Sunday at Trimble Funeral and Cremation Center, Moline. Memorials may be made to your favorite charity.
What a full and wonderful life she did live! Her parents, Nelson and Edith Kilby, had been trying to have a baby for ten years and had put their name in for adoption at a Chicago Hospital. A baby boy was born and a call was made, to which Edith said, ?Oh, thank you very much, but I am pregnant. We are going to have a child of our very own!? Grace Virginia Kilby was born June 16, 1913, in Toulon, Illinois. They called her ?Grace? because she was a gift from God. She was a lifetime member of Baptist faith.
At six, she wrote her first story. She loved pencils, tablets, and writing stories. At seven, she would ride her horse bareback, standing barefoot on his back at full gallop. At 16 ½ years old, she married Ferd Schillinger, a Henry County farmer, on January 28, 1929. They raised their six children on a farm in rural Coal Valley, with no indoor bathroom or running water.
She gardened, canned, washed and ironed, raised chickens, and sold eggs for grocery money. Counting hired men and her nephew, Jerry Kruger, there were ten around her table every meal. She and Ferd loved to dance. She would say, ?He was the most handsome man on the dance floor at the Col Ballroom.?
Her flower gardens and lily pools were a sight to behold, where children played and weddings were held. Grace was a woman of many talents, among them was her gift of WORDS. Whether her words were written or spoken, or thoughts or prayers. She passed this gift to all.
Money was short, but her husband, Ferd, paid for a two-year correspondence writing course. It changed her life. She wrote about farm life, and wrote a column for the Moline Daily Dispatch, ?The Outdoor Way?. She wrote ?Country Lane? and ?Stepping Stones? for the Orion Times for over 50 years. She wrote for the Lighthouse Beacon, where she resided for the past 3 years. She gained national notoriety through her story in ?The Farm Journal? magazine. She also wrote two books.
She truly loved the United States Postal Service! She wrote letters to friends and family all of her life. If you were lucky enough to receive a letter from Grace, you saved it. They were treasures! She was also blessed by those who sent her letters. She would run to the mailbox to receive correspondence. It was the highlight of her day.
They had a summer cabin at Shady Beach on the Rock River, where they fished and children water-skied, and everyone was welcome.
Ferd passed away after 55 years of marriage. After grieving his death for five years, she met Bob Case, who lived on the Mississippi River. Forty-five days later, they were married, on March 28, 1989. She wrote him letters every day telling him why she loved him. He would say, ?Tell me again, Grace.?
Grace is survived by her children, Joe and Margo Schillinger of Geneseo, John Schillinger of Moline, Carol and Bob Reese of Colona, Sharon and Lon Pirkl of Colona, Sunny and Jim Moorhusen of Cordova, and Rich and Diane Schillinger of Lynn Center; 17 grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; Bob Case?s son and daughter-in-law, Bill and Lois Case, and their three sons; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husbands, sisters, Julia Painter and Betty Holden, a brother, James Kilby, and daughters-in-law, Judy, Thelma, and Debra Schillinger.
The family invites you to share stories and condolences and light a candle in Grace?s memory at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.