Lucille Loretta Thiltgen (Pollock), age 96 of Galena, IL, died in hospice care on Sunday, November 16, 2025. A funeral mass will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Galena, where friends may call after 10 AM at the church until the time of mass. Burial will be in Nativity BVM Cemetery, Menominee, IL. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 PM on Friday, November 28, 2025, at the Furlong Funeral Chapel in Galena. Lucille was born to Elmer J. and Florence K. (Hoffmann) Pollock on May 21, 1929. She attended a one-room schoolhouse with eight students in Zwingle, IA, and then St. Columbkille High School in Dubuque. After attending high school, she helped take care of her brother and sister, Jim and Mary Ann, on her parents’ farm until meeting and marrying her husband, Oswald “Ossie” Thiltgen. They were married on September 14, 1949, at St. Theresa’s Church, LaMotte, IA. She and her husband, Ossie, farmed together for thirty-one years until the farm was sold in 1980. She butchered and processed hogs and chickens for the family, milked cows, did fieldwork and housework, canned produce from the garden, sewed clothes for the children, and raised the children. If that wasn’t enough, she also worked other jobs during her life, including working at a battery factory, selling Tupperware for nineteen years, owning and operating an antique/collectibles store for twenty-five years until the age of 95, and operating a Bed & Breakfast out of their home. She had many hobbies, including playing cards (euchre), putting puzzles together, baking pies, quilting, and ceramics. She was a great collector of antiques, Beanie Babies, glassware, dolls, all types of figurines, and many other items too numerous to mention. Lucille had some unique expressions that gave one a sense of how she viewed life. When asked about how or why things happened in the past, she said: “That was just living, that’s the way it was”. Her attitude about solving problems was: “If you are given lemons in life, learn how to make lemonade,” and “When things get tough, you have to do things you don’t want to do.” She had a get-up-and-go attitude. While Lucille could have a straightforward, no-nonsense approach at times, she had a soft spot in her heart for those who were down, having a hard time, or just needing help, whether it was a family member or a complete stranger. One could count on her to help in any way she could, no questions asked. She was a rock of dependability. Her two greatest loves in life were: taking care of her children and grandchildren and taking care of flowers! Her yard was filled with flowers of many types, and she continued to plant new bulbs in the fall, even when she knew she might not be there in the spring to see them bloom. She had a “green thumb” and couldn’t help herself in wanting to see things grow. She was always a farmer at heart. She had as many as sixty potted plants in her apartment before her passing. She was known as the “flower lady” at the assisted living facility and was asked for her advice on caring for flowers. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother who will be sadly missed. Lucille is survived by her children; Laurene (Dave) Case, Shirley Hulscher, Ruth Gallagher, Jerry (Cathy) Thiltgen, Diane Haque, Donna Masters, Pat (Donnie) Nellis, Sue (Rick) Nemec, Mary Leifker, John (Maggie) Thiltgen and Joe (Cathy) Thiltgen, twenty one grandchildren and twenty one great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild and a sister Mary Ann (Butch) Breitbach, a sister-in-law Elaine Pollock as well as many nieces and nephews. Lucille was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and two brothers, Raymond and James; a sister, Darlene; and four sons-in-law, Butch Hulscher, Tim Gallagher, Sattar Haque, and Dale Leifker; a grandson, Jordan Duerr; and a great-granddaughter, Kyla. The family requests no flowers. A special thank you goes to the staff at Midwest Medical Center Assisted Living in Galena and Hospice of Dubuque. Your kindness and compassion will always be remembered.
Lucille L. Thiltgen
