Mr. Sikora served as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He was a member of Boilermakers Local 363 for more than 40 years and co-owned Minnette Boiler in East St. Louis, IL, for 15 years.
A Renaissance man, Joe was a master of many skills, including welding, mechanics, building, woodworking, and cabinet making. He was a very giving man to his family and friends, and he used his skills and creative talents for anyone who needed his help. Some of his community and church volunteer work included making welded playground equipment in the 1950’s for Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish and building picnic stands for Cathedral Parish. He was instrumental in taking care of many repairs and maintenance projects for the Poor Clare Monastery and the Diocese of Belleville. Joe built offices in the Belleville Area Catholic Social Services to house a newly-formed program for specialized foster care, as well as numerous other improvements. He was a member of the original group of area volunteers to build Camp Ondessonk, where his signature feat was hanging the chapel’s steeple bell. His workmanship survives him and continues to enhance lives.
Joe was preceded in death by his first wife of 45 years, Caroline A., nee Sak, Sikora, whom he married on April 3, 1948, and who died on October 25, 1993; his parents, Frank and Antonio, nee Botko, Sikora; five brothers, Louis, Leo (Evelyn), Theodore (Josephine), Frank, and Edward (Marie) Sikora; and a sister, Cecilia (Jess) Medley.
Surviving are his wife of 18 years, Maria, nee DeLuca, Sikora, whom he married on June 27, 1997;
four daughters, Carol (Dan) Hechenberger of Fairview Heights, IL,
Mary Sikora of Kingsland, TX,
Jeanne Sikora (David Seyfer) of Belleville, IL,
and Karen (James) Gottschalk of Manchester, MO;
three grandchildren, Joseph (Lori) Alstat, George Ryan (Jennifer) Alstat,
and Roman Hechenberger;
five great-grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Hudson, Cohen, Teague, and Margaret Alstat;
two stepsons, Kirk (Jennifer) Schilling and Kory (Tara) Schilling;
three step-grandchildren, Rebecca, Payton, and Preston Schilling;
and many nieces and nephews.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of Southern Illinois, to Caritas Family Solutions (formerly Catholic Social Services), to the Catholic Urban Program, to the Alzheimer’s Association, or to the Parkinson’s Foundation. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.rennerfh.com.
Visitation: Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, November 15, 2015, at George Renner & Sons Funeral Home, Belleville, IL.
Funeral: Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, November 16, 2015, at the funeral home with Msgr. William McGhee officiating. Burial with military honors will follow at Lake View Memorial Gardens, Fairview Heights, IL.
Condolences Left For Joseph Sikora
My prayers are with you. May God Bless and keep you in your time of need.
Lillian Sullivan, Belleville, Illinois, 62223
I pray for comfort and strength during this time for you and your family. Mr. Sikora does not have to suffer anymore. Our God is awesome.
N’Keil, Belleville, Illinois, 62223
Hearing the Sikora name brought back so many TREASURED “So 47th St” MEMORIES! What a
WONDERFUL neighborhood we all shared, back
in the mid-20th Century!!!
As we send our sincere condolences, we also
CELEBRATE Mr.Sikora’s Heavenly Homegoing!!!
-I’m confident our Grandparents Louvier &
Mother, Betty were there to greet him!!!
Know you are in our thoughts & prayers,
as The Lord goes with you into you
“new normal”.
Ann Heileman Karasek, Swansea, IL, 62226-1918
So sorry for your loss, Joe was a great guy and will me missed. I enjoyed working with him at the Arbor.
Sorry we did not get to his service due to illness, but he was in my thoughts.
Sis and Ron Blaes, Swansea, Il, 62226