{"id":15011,"date":"2025-07-29T15:48:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T20:48:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=15011"},"modified":"2025-07-29T15:48:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T20:48:04","slug":"christine-theresa-litzelman-82-of-ste-marie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/obits\/15011-christine-theresa-litzelman-82-of-ste-marie\/","title":{"rendered":"Christine Theresa Litzelman (82) of Ste. Marie"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>Christine Theresa Litzelman, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend,<br \/>\npassed away peacefully on July 27th, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family. She<br \/>\nwas 82 years old.<br \/>\nBorn on January 10, 1943, to Edward and Emma Zumbahlen, Christine was raised with<br \/>\nstrong family values and a deep appreciation for hard work. As a teenager, she began<br \/>\nworking at the Newton Press-Mentor and served as a bookkeeper for the local police<br \/>\nmagistrate, setting the tone for a lifetime of service and dedication to her community.<br \/>\nAfter graduating from Newton Community High School, she continued her career in<br \/>\nbookkeeping at the Effingham Equity. Later in life, Christine answered a new calling,<br \/>\nserving as a 911 dispatcher for 10 years. She was eventually sworn in as a deputy and<br \/>\nwent on to become secretary for the Jasper County Sheriff\u2019s Department, a testament to<br \/>\nher resilience, sharp mind, and unwavering sense of duty.<br \/>\nChristine married the love of her life, Donald Litzelman, on February 17, 1962. Together<br \/>\nthey built a beautiful life and raised four children: James Litzelman of Arlington, VA;<br \/>\nCheryl Orlet of St. Louis, MO; Susan McClurg of Edwards, CO; and Tony Litzelman of<br \/>\nSte. Marie, IL. She was a devoted and doting grandmother to her nine grandchildren<br \/>\nand three great-grandchildren, each of whom brought immense joy to her life.<br \/>\nShe was proceeded in death by her husband of more than 60 years, Donald, brothers<br \/>\nArthur, Vincent, Cletus, Sylvester and Leonard Zumbahlen, and sisters Clara Brummer,<br \/>\nRosemary Bergbower, Marian Weishaar and Marie Dust. She is survived by brother<br \/>\nElmer Zumbahlen, and sisters Estella Deters and Irene Correll.<br \/>\nChristine had a gentle spirit and a nurturing soul. She found joy in the simple pleasures:<br \/>\nfishing on quiet mornings, traveling to new places, trying new foods, and watching the<br \/>\nsun set over the family farm. Her home was always warm and welcoming, filled with the<br \/>\naromas of her home cooking and baking. Her handwritten letters and cards were<br \/>\ntreasured gifts to those lucky enough to receive them, filled with heartfelt words and her<br \/>\nunmistakable warmth.<br \/>\nHer legacy lives on in the traditions she lovingly passed down, including family meals<br \/>\nthat gathered generations around the table, the art of growing vegetables and tending to<br \/>\nblooming flowers, and the irreplaceable feeling of being cared for under her roof.<br \/>\nIn her final years, Christine enjoyed the peace and beauty of rural life from her favorite<br \/>\nrocking chair on the porch, watching the comings and goings on the farm and feeding<br \/>\nher beloved hummingbirds in the summer.<br \/>\nChristine will be remembered not only for the love she gave so freely, but also for the<br \/>\ngrace, wisdom, and quiet strength she brought to every chapter of her life. She made<br \/>\nevery visit to the farm unforgettable, every meal a celebration, and every moment with<br \/>\nher family something to be cherished.<br \/>\nShe will be deeply missed and forever loved.<br \/>\nServices to celebrate Christine\u2019s life will be held on Friday August 29 at 10:30 am at St.<br \/>\nMary&#8217;s Catholic Church in Ste. Marie, IL.<br \/>\nMemorial gifts to honor Christine may be made to the American Cancer Society.<br \/>\nOnline condolences may be offered at www.crainfuneral.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christine died on Sunday, July 27<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15012,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-obits"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Christine Theresa Litzelman (82) of Ste. 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