Daneise Catherine Sprague

Born June 17, 1929, Daneise passed away peacefully at home in Stevensville, MI on Tuesday October 1, 2017. Visitation followed by a Mass will be held Saturday, October 7, 2017 at St. Joseph’s Church, 220 Church St., St. Joseph, MI 49085. Visitation will be 9 AM to 11 AM at the Rose Center, located behind the church. At 10 AM, during visitation, time will be set aside for people to address the visitors, if they wish. The funeral Mass will take place from 11 AM until Noon. There is no after-service reception due the need to move the casket to Elmwood Cemetery, Hammond, Indiana. There will be no funeral procession to the cemetery but those interested in accompanying the family are welcome to do so. There will only be a short chapel service at the Elmwood Cemetery. She was born in East Chicago, Indiana and was the oldest child of Harry and Anne (Lapaich) Dellahan. Her beloved brother, the late Tom Dellahan, joined the family 4 years later. She grew up in East Chicago attending St. Mary’s Catholic Grade School and Roosevelt High School, where she graduated in 1946. She married the late Robert W. Briska in 1948 and soon joined the ranks of many remarkable young women who parented the baby boom generation. Her school days cohort of friends became a lifelong group of dear companions known as the “Aunties.” Collectively these women raised dozens of children while providing mutual support, laughter and wisdom to one another and creating an informal “extended family” amongst them. Daneise and Robert moved to Villa Park, Illinois in 1963. When she reentered the workforce in the 1970s Daneise worked as an office manager for a series of medical practices. Daneise remarried in 1990 to the late Kenneth Sprague. While originally from the Seattle area, Ken had relocated to Chicago in the late 1980s due a job reassignment. His steady, easy going manner and affable personality made him instantly likeable by others. Together they added many friends to Daneise’s already extensive circle. Ken was an ideal traveling companion and together they visited several parts of the world. Daneise’s love of the Lake Michigan began during her days in East Chicago. In 1964, She began vacationing with family in the Stevensville, MI area. Before long the annual vacation encompassed the entire summer season. In the mid-1990s Ken and Daneise purchased a condominium unit at the Surfside complex. The location was already a second home to her in-laws, Robert’s sister Lorraine and husband, Dan Simon.  Surfside was such a pleasant and appealing location that in 1996 Ken and Daneise moved there permanently.  Surfside and its many residents added yet another layer to Daneise’s social network.  In time she became jokingly referred to as the “Mayor of Surfside.”  The support of Surfside staff and neighbors helped make it possible for Daneise live out her life exactly how she wanted to.  The richness and depth of her deep ties with so many people were a reflection of the remarkable woman she was. Daneise is survived by her children, William (Fran Cella) Briska of Elgin, IL; Luann (Billy Lalagos) Briska of West Chicago, IL; Carrie Rush of Carol Stream, IL; and Carolyn Jarosz of Palatine, IL plus several grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She also cherished her close relationship with Ken’s sons Doug and Dave Sprague and their families.  In addition to her parents, and those mentioned above, Daneise was proceeded in death by her son, Ralph Briska.