Charles L. Gumprecht

Charles L. Gumprecht was born February 20, 1926 in Crystal Lake where he spent his entire life.  He passed away January 19, 2021 in Barrington.

Charles is survived by his daughter, Cathy (Russ) Seegers; grandchildren, Kyle (Whitney) and Lauren Seegers; and great grandchildren, Asher, Caleb, and Joanna Seegers.  He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Joanne, whom he married May 12, 1951; siblings, Arnold and Edwin Gumprecht and Florence Hendrickson; and his parents, Charles and Frieda (Holtz) Gumprecht.

Charles was a dedicated member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Crystal Lake, where he went to school in 1932.  He was drafted into the U.S. Army the day after D-Day and completed basic training in October, 1944 where he was classified as an infantryman for heavy weapons.  In December of 1944 he was deployed to southern France and on Christmas joined the 95th Infantry as a replacement.  On January 1, 1945 he was moved to the front line and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.  Charles proudly served in the Army until April, 1946.  He travelled on an Honor Flight to Washington D.C. in 2016

While serving his country in WWII, Charles’s dad signed him up as a member of the American Legion. When he returned to Crystal Lake, he joined the Legion’s Firing Squad and held his Legion membership for 76 years. He was also a member the Crystal Lake Memorial Park/Union Cemetery Board, he joined the board in 1985 and became President in 1990 thru 2016.

Charles was a member of the Crystal Lake Fire Department, as a volunteer, for 44 years, from 1949-1993 and retired as a Lieutenant. When able, Charles enjoyed “hanging out” with his department brothers and reminiscing about the old times.  He was also interviewed many times with the CL Historical Society about the history of his beloved town of Crystal Lake,

Visitation will be 4-8pm, Thursday, January 21 at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 419 E. Terra Cotta Ave. (Route 176), Crystal Lake.  Funeral service will be at 11am Friday, January 22 at the funeral home where there will be visitation from 10am until the service.  Burial will follow at Crystal Lake Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Immanuel Lutheran Church, 300 Pathway Ct. Crystal Lake, IL 60014 or the Crystal Lake Fire and Rescue Association, 100 W. Woodstock St, Crystal Lake, IL 60014