Phillip Laesch

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

PRINCETON — Phillip L. (Lawrence) Laesch, 72, of Princeton died on Monday, June 11, 2007, at Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton.

He was born April 18, 1935, in Bloomington to Fred M. and Leone (Perry) Laesch.

He attended elementary school in Deer Creek, and Peoria, graduating from Oak Grove Elementary School of Broadmore Heights, in 1949 and from Peoria Woodruff Senior High School in 1953. He attended Illinois State University from 1953-1957, graduating in 1957 with his bachelor’s degree in education. His first teaching assignment was in Flint, Mich., for three years at Flint Central High School and Flint Southwestern High School. He returned to Illinois in 1960 to assume a teaching position at the high school of Buda. Following one year at Buda, he became a member of the faculty of Princeton High School in 1961 and served there until 1965 as English and Latin instructor. After which he took a leave of absence from PHS to study at the University of Illinois, completing his master’s of education degree in German in 1968. He returned to Princeton High School during the winter of 1968 and was employed there as German instructor until his retirement in 1993.

During his teaching career Laesch did extensive travel abroad. He attended the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1959; Sprachinstitut at the city of Cologne, Germany in 1963; Sprachschule Lerch, Innsbruck, Austria in 1972; and the University of Vienna in 1976. He also attended Middlebury School of Language in 1976.

His professional honors and memberships include Sigma Tau Delta (Honorary English Fraternity at ISNU, Normal) and nomination to “Who’s Who in Education” in 1990. In March of 1993 Laesch received a professional honorarium from the Connie Belin National Center for Gifted Education, University of Iowa, as a nominee by a former Princeton High School student. Laesch retired from full-time public high school teaching at PHS in June of 1993 after 38 years in the profession to continue some part-time work as aide in the computer department of that school.

His father, mother, maternal and paternal grandparents, and only brother preceded him in death.

Services will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Norberg Memorial Home in Princeton, the Rev. Bruce McVety officiating. A time of gathering and reflection will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. An additional time of remembrance will follow the service. Cremation was accorded.

Memorials  may be made to the Princeton High School Foundation.