Hundreds bid farewell to family of carriers

 JOLIET - Friends and family gathered Tuesday to say goodbye to three members of the Bockhol family who vanished and were found dead last week in the Des Plaines River.

About three hundred people packed St. Mary Nativity Catholic Church to celebrate the lives of Karen Bockhol, 49; her daughter, Tracy Bockhol, 26; and her son Thomas Bockhol, 23. The Bockhols were veteran newspaper carriers for The Herald News.

They were missing from Feb. 25 until Thursday, when police discovered their bodies in their minivan at the bottom of the Des Plaines River near Bluff and Lime streets. A police investigation determined the brakes on their minivan had failed.

The Rev. Chris Groh said the Bockhol tragedy gave new meaning to the morning ritual of walking outside to get the newspaper. The discovery of the van in the river left many with more questions than answers.

"There are no adequate answers," Groh said. He encouraged everyone to have faith the family is in God's hands.

Karen Bockhol was known throughout her neighborhood as a godmother to many children. Groh said the walls of her home were lined with photographs of the children, and the home was always filled with laughter.

People flooded the church, filling all the pews, and several stood in the back during the service. The family paid tribute to Karen Bockhol with the Boyz II Men song titled A Song for Mama.

Tracy and Thomas Bockhol were described as honest, hard-working and caring people. A cousin who also worked with Tracy and Thomas at Merichka's Restaurant in Crest Hill said the two will be dearly missed.

"Tracy had a smile that radiated throughout her whole being," the cousin said.

Relatives reminisced about Karen Bockhol being the jokester of the family. Several times, she had information sent to relatives on products such as Rogaine and athlete's foot as a joke.

Her love for her children and godchildren outweighed her concerns for herself.

Doctors had advised Karen Bockhol several times to go into the hospital for observation for high blood pressure, but she she didn't want to leave the kids alone, even if it was only for a day.

Karen Bockhol was also remembered as the neighborhood cake baker. Whenever there was a birthday, they could count on a homemade cake from the Bockhols. Groh said the Bockhols opened up their hearts and home to everyone.

"When you went into the Bockhol home, you couldn't tell who was family and who was a friend, and it didn't matter because you were all treated like family," Groh said.