Adelaide Irene Paradise

Dateline: Alton Adelaide Irene “Addy” Laux Paradise, 101, died at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, June 24, 2018 at Eunice C. Smith Nursing Home in Alton. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 7, 2018 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brookings, South Dakota. Interment will be in St. William’s Catholic Cemetery, Aurora, South Dakota. Adelaide Irene Laux was born February 19, 1917 in Lincoln (Havelock), Nebraska, the second daughter of Aloysius Peter and Eleonora Emma (Mehring) Laux. She attended St. Patrick’s School in Havelock, graduating at the top of her class, and was Nebraska State Spelling Champion in 1930. She attended Cathedral High School in Lincoln, Nebraska and was senior class valedictorian. She won the Regents Scholarship to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where she was an Honors Scholar, a member of Palladian Literary Society, and was elected to Pi Lambda Theta, honorary education society, receiving her B.S. in Education. In Lincoln she was employed as editor of the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company’s Journal. She married Francis Charles Paradise in 1938 and moved to Muskegon Heights, Michigan. They later moved to Chicago, IL, returning to Lincoln in 1942, where she worked for Gold’s Department Store and the Cornhusker Hotel. In 1946 they moved back to Chicago, where she was employed at Stewart-Warner Corp. From 1947 to 1959 they lived in Fox lake, Round Lake and Libertyville, IL. She taught in Round Lake Consolidated School from 1950 to 1957, and took classes at Lake Forest College and Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. In 1959 the Paradises moved to Brookings, SD, where she earned her M.Ed. at South Dakota State University. She was elected to Phi Gamma Mu, honorary social science fraternity, and taught for six years in the Psychology and English Departments at SDSU. She lived in Aurora, SD from 1964 to 1978, and served St. William’s Church as president of the parish council and choir director, moving back to Brookings in 1978. From 1972 until her retirement in 1982, she was employed at the Brookings Register, starting as proofreader and advancing to the position of Family News Editor. After retiring she continued to cover Magistrate Court Records and to write feature stories for the paper, until 2005 when she moved to Alton, IL to be nearer to her relatives. She was a member of South Dakota Presswomen and National Federation of Presswomen, and received many awards in journalism and photography. Her state-award winning personal column, “Ad’s Lib”, appeared in the Register four years. She wrote for the Sioux Valley Electric Magazine, and was a contributor to the Brookings County History Book. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas since 1960, serving as national director, state regent, district deputy and six terms as regent of local Court St. Agnes 618. She edited the CDA State Bulletin for eight years, and was a member of the CDA National Speakers Bureau from 1971 to 1975. She was an active member of St. Thomas More Church and Ladies Guild, serving as lector and teacher of religion. She was a charter member of St. Thomas More Quilters. She belonged to the Dakota Sues chapter of Sweet Adelines, and sang bass in several performing quartets for 20 years. She did volunteer sewing for Brookings High School and SDSU theater productions, and wrote many play reviews. She served on the National Catholic Daughters of the Americas speakers Bureau from 1971 to 1975. She received certificates of appreciation from Brookings Cub Scouts in 1978; Brookings Girl Scouts in 1980; the VFW Loyalty Award in 1976 and 1978; the Friend of 4-H award, and was made an Honorary BHS Thespian in 1996. Her special interests included reading, sewing, quilting, playing bingo, solving puzzles, especially crossword puzzles, and playing with her great-grandchildren. Survivors include two sons, John Francis (Linda) Paradise of Rochester, Minnesota, and Robert Charles (Alison) Paradise of Gig Harbor, Washington; one daughter, Judith Ann (H. Lyndal) Colburn of Alton, IL, one brother, David E. Laux of Indianapolis, Indiana, a a brother-in-law, Bill Munson, many nieces and nephews, four grandsons including Tom (Jean) Minier, Mark (Kimberly) Minier of Alton, IL, Jeffrey (Sheron) Minier of O’Fallon, MO, Thomas Paradise of Portland, OR, two granddaughters, Suzanne (Adam) Nolte of Terre Haute, IN, and Cathy (Nate) Rabe of Rochester, Minnesota, nine great granddaughters, and four great grandsons, and one great great granddaughter. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one son, Thomas Peter Paradise, four sisters and three brothers-in-law, Marcella (Leonard) Tangney, Agnes (Don) Matteson, Cecelia (Thomas) Griffin, and Bernadette Munson, and two brothers, John Paul Laux and Aloysius M. Laux. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or the Catholic Daughters of America. Gent Funeral Home in Alton, IL is in charge of arrangements. Online guestbook and information may be found at www.gentfuneralhome.com

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Adelaide Irene Paradise

February 19, 1917 - June 24, 2018