Therese Klaus, 68, a German immigrant whose smile greeted customers for 20 years at Katherine’s Bakery in Villa Park and Lilac Bakery in Lombard, died of cancer Sunday, Jan. 21, in her Elmhurst home. “Her smile is what everybody remembered most,” said her daughter Therese Lynch. Born in Engberg, Germany, Mrs. Klaus came to America in 1956, settling in Chicago before moving to Elmhurst in 1973. In Elmhurst, she represented her Pick Subdivision neighborhood on an Elmhurst Park District committee and was known for her attractive garden. “Strangers would stop to look at her garden, especially the flowers she grew,” her daughter said. Mrs. Klaus spent 10 years at each bakery, working with customers at the front desk. Mrs. Klaus also was an election judge, supervising elections in York Township. “She was the kind of woman who always put other people ahead of herself,” her daughter said. “Especially her grandchildren.” Other survivors include her husband, Hubert; three other daughters, Mary Ann, Kathy Dalheim and Nancy Mitchell; three sons, John, Herman and James; 16 grandchildren; a brother, Hans; and a sister, Agnes. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in Steuerle Funeral Home, 350 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park. Services will be at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the funeral home with mass at 10 a.m. in St. Alexander Catholic Church, 300 S. Cornell Ave., Villa Park.
