Gary L. Harlacher

GARY LEE HARLACHER, 71, OF GENESEO, PASSED AWAY ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2021, AT HIS HOME.  A CELEBRATION OF LIFE WILL BE HELD AT 10:30 A.M. ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2021, AT ST. MALACHY CATHOLIC CHURCH, GENESEO.  DEACON ROBERT O’ROURKE WILL CELEBRATE.  BURIAL WILL FOLLOW AT OAKWOOD CEMETERY.  VISITATION WILL BE HELD FROM 2 – 5 P.M. ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2021, AT VANDEMORE FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATORY – GENESEO CHAPEL.  MEMORIALS MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE COACH HARLACHER MEMORIAL FUND.

GARY WAS BORN MAY 4, 1950, THE SON OF FRANCIS AND JANICE (GOCHANOUR) HARLACHER, IN STREATOR, IL.  HE GRADUATED FROM STREATOR HIGH SCHOOL AND WENT ON TO ATTEND ILLINOIS STATE, THEN RECEIVED HIS MASTER’S DEGREE FROM SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY, CHICAGO.  GARY SPENT THE MAJORITY OF HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER AS A TEACHER AND COACH AT GENESEO HIGH SCHOOL, WHILE PREVIOUSLY ALSO SPENDING TIME AT WESTMER HIGH SCHOOL, ROCK FALLS HIGH SCHOOL, TRIVALLEY HIGH SCHOOL, ROCK ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL AND RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL.  IN 2013, GARY WAS INDUCTED BY HIS PEERS INTO THE ILLINOIS BASKETBALL COACHES HALL OF FAME.  HIS PASSIONS INCLUDED COACHING, ATTENDING HIS GRANDCHILDREN’S EVENTS, TRAVELING, GOLFING, HORSE RACING, AND THE NEW YORK YANKEES.

THOSE LEFT TO CHERISH HIS MEMORY INCLUDE HIS LOVING PARTNER, CHERYL LUCK, LADD, IL; CHILDREN, DEVON (DAN) SCHAAF, GENESEO, IL, AND RYAN HARLACHER, LOS ANGELES, CA; GRANDCHILDREN, HAYDEN, REESE, AND CONNOR SCHAAF; SIBLINGS, PEGGY (DON) KLEPPIN, RUTLAND, IL, DEBBIE BATESON, CLINTON, IL, MARLENE (BOB) HORTON, STREATOR, IL, CHERYL (GREG) DRYSDALE, STREATOR, IL BRENDA (JIM) LEWIS, STREATOR, IL, AND TERRY HARLACHER, STREATOR, IL; AND COUSIN, LOUIS BURCAR, STREATOR, IL.

HE WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HIS PARENTS, FRANCIS AND JANICE; SISTER, KATHY MCACHRAN; AND GRANDCHILDREN, DREW AND OWEN SCHAAF.