Harriet D. Guentzel

Harriet D. Guentzel, 97, of Rockford, Illinois, formerly of DeKalb and Sycamore, passed away April 10, 2022 in Rockford. She was born in 1924 on the family farm in Waseca County, Minnesota, the daughter of Fred and Esther. She married Otto “Jack” Guentzel in 1947, in Mankato, Minnesota. Harriet and Jack were pen pals during WWII when Jack was a B-17 crew member in the Army Air Corps, stationed in England. They didn’t meet until after the war ended.

At age 18, Harriet left the family farm to work for Honeywell in Minneapolis, where she inspected gyroscopes for military aircraft during the war. When living in DeKalb, Harriet worked at Tyler School for many years where she served hot lunch.

She is survived by her daughters, Lee (Bruce) Jacobsen of Machesney Park, Sue Coursey of Rockford, and Jody Guentzel of Madison, Wisconsin; two grandsons, David (Sarah) Coursey of Verona, Wisconsin, and Seth (Melissa) Coursey of Auburn, Washington. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jack, and sister, Dolores Gasner.

Private graveside services will be held at Fairview Park Cemetery in DeKalb, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Oaken Acres Wildlife Center, 12140 Aldrich Road, Sycamore, Illinois 60178, https://www.oakenacres.org/. Please share memories and condolences online at www.fitzgeraldfh.com.