Ann Schall
Glen Carbon | Save
Ann Margaret Skundrich Schall, age 96, a resident of Glen Carbon, Illinois, died on July 6, 2019.
She was born on June 22, 1923, in Granite City, Illinois, to Nickolaus Skundrich and Mary Rusa Skundrich. As the daughter of Croatian immigrants, she spoke Croatian and English at home and graduated from Madison High School in Madison, Illinois, on May 29, 1941. Fifty-seven students received diplomas that year—the largest graduating class in the school’s history at the time.
Barely six months later, the United States entered World War II in December 1941. On August 1, 1942, the Granite City Engineer Depot opened to train officers and enlisted men in engineer supply and maintenance functions. Energetic civilian clerk-typists were in high demand, and a young Ann Skundrich started her career in federal civil service there during the war. In 1962, the depot was renamed the Granite City Army Depot—a particularly significant year for Miss Skundrich of Madison.
In October of 1962, Ann, now a GS-8 in federal civil service in St. Louis, a Madison homeowner, and a benefactor of her widowed mother, married Major Joseph F. Schall. The former high school classmates wed at Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Madison, and hosted a reception at the Officer’s Club, Granite City Army Depot. After the wedding, Ann joined Joe and his two children, Eileen and Richard, at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
When Joe Schall, now a Lieutenant Colonel, received orders for the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in 1964, Ann, Eileen, and Richard moved to Granite City. Joe retired from the Army in July 1966. Since both he and Ann shared the hometown of Madison, he retired to the area and began a second career in management with Granite City Steel. Ann and Joe built a home in Granite City and lived there until he transferred in 1978 to Weirton Steel in Weirton, West Virginia. When Joe died in 1985, Ann returned to Illinois and lived near family in the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area.
Ann married Edgar W. Wille in 1996 at Saint Cecilia Roman Catholic Church in Glen Carbon. The retired couple made their home locally and moved eventually to Meridian Village in Glen Carbon. Edgar died in August 2014 at age 94.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Nickolaus and Mary Skundrich; her two older brothers, Stephen, Jr., and Peter Skundrich; her older sister, Helen Skundrich Knezevich; her first husband, Joseph F. Schall; and her second husband, Edgar W. Wille. She is survived by her son, Richard J. Schall, and daughter-in-law, Lynne, of Wichita, Kansas; four grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews scattered around the country. Of many dear relatives, special thanks are given to her nephew, Thomas Skundrich and his wife Rose, of Wood River, Illinois.
Ann Schall is remembered as a high-energy optimist who worked hard on the job and for her family. In her leisure, she cultivated a “green thumb,” developed her talent as a seamstress, volunteered at her church, enjoyed her family and friends, and never forgot how to laugh.
In celebration of her life, visitation will be held at Irwin Chapel, 591 Glen Crossing Road, Glen Carbon on Wednesday, July 10, from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with a Wake Service at 4:00 p.m. A Rite of Christian Burial will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 11, at Saint Cecilia Catholic Church, 155 North Main Street, Glen Carbon, with Reverend Patrick Gibbons officiating. Interment will take place at Calvary Cemetery, Edwardsville.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one’s choice. www.irwinchapel.com
Irwin Chapel Funeral Home
