OBITUARY FROM THE POST-TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 3, 2011
Gregor, Joan L. (nee Collins), age 76, of Hobart, passed away Friday, January 28, 2011. Joan was born on September 14, 1934 in Tipton, Indiana to Marion and Virginia Collins. She was a beautiful and kind woman. Joan's unconditional love was the greatest gift she gave. She was the heart and soul of her family and will be greatly missed.
Joan is survived by her husband of over 55 years, Mike; 4 children, Sandy (Jim) Bowman, Michael David (Nancy) Gregor, Laurie (Dan) Gregor, Sue (Jack) Foddrill; 10 grandchildren, Joshua, Elyse, and Joe Gregor, Anthony, Brian and Kevin Bowman, Rick (Laura), Jon, Jacob, and Isabella Foddrill; great grandchildren, Ashton and Aiden Gregor; sisters, Jane (Don) Hoefflicker, Linda (Larry) Binkley; brother, Dick (Michele) Collins; sister-in-law, Laura Collins. Joan was preceded in death by her children, David Michael and Karen Ann Gregor; her parents, Michael and Virginia Collins; and brothers, Mike and Jim Collins.
A memorial service for Joan will be Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 2:00 p.m at Rees Funeral Home, 600 W. Old Ridge Rd., Hobart. A memorial visitation will also be Saturday, February 5, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Rees Funeral Home, Hobart Chapel, (219) 942-2109 or online at www.reesfuneralhome.com.
This obituary was obtained from: http://legacy.post-trib.com/obituaries/posttribune/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=148313292
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This story appeared in the NW INDIANA TIMES, JANUARY 28, 2011, about Joan Collins Gregor, HHS alumni from the Class of 1952, who was killed in a house fire in Hobart on Friday, January 27, 2011:
A 76-year-old Hobart woman died in a house fire Friday morning, marking the city's first fire fatality in close to four years. The Lake County coroner's office identified the victim as Joan L. Gregor.
The cause of her death is still pending, according to the coroner's report.
Firefighters were called to the home at 18 Old Ridge Road just before 11:30 a.m. When the first emergency units arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the small, ranch-style home. They found Gregor, who uses a wheelchair, dead near the front door, Fire Chief Brian Taylor said. No one else was injured in the fire. Taylor said the woman was home alone when the fire broke out.
Hobart firefighters used 100 gallons of water battling the blaze. Taylor said the fire was extinguished in about 20 minutes. The fire was contained to two rooms of the home, and the structure is not a total loss, Taylor said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Taylor said there were no fire fatalities in the city last year, in which Hobart saw a record number of fires. "I consider the 2010 statistics the highest number we have on our records," Taylor said. The 2010 total jumped to 151 from 114 in 2009. He said Friday morning's house fire fatality marks the first death in a fire in a number of years.
Due to the high number of fires, particularly in apartment complexes, Taylor was granted approval last year by the City Council to go forward with a pilot safety inspection program, initially at a single apartment complex. He said fire officials will be conducting safety inspections only on common areas and vacant units.
The last fire fatality was in March 2007 when a 55-year-old woman died at an Arc Bridges facility.
This story was obtained from: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hobart/article_d2f0c53d-71d3-571b-8b8a-0e19300c0fbe.html