Coleen Fay Hjerpe

Coleen Fay Hjerpe, 63 of Streator passed away Monday morning (February 18th) at her son’s home in Bloomington after a year long battle with lung cancer. 

Visitation will be held Saturday from 12 noon until 2 PM at the Winterrowd Funeral Home.  Services will be held at 2 PM at the funeral home.  Burial will be held in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Serving as pallbearers will be Eric Hjerpe, Alex Hjerpe, Carl Murphy, John Murphy, Mike Murphy Jr., and Irv Mullen. Honorary pallbearers will be Kelly, Kevin, Mike, and Terry Murphy.

Coleen was born November 11, 1955 in Streator to John K. and Fay (Sipe) Murphy.  She married Richard A. Hjerpe on January 17, 1973. He passed away in a tragic car accident July 26, 1980.

Surviving are children Tina (Nick Wood) Hjerpe of Streator, Eric (Emily) Hjerpe of Bloomington and Nicole (Jamonte Stewart) Hjerpe of Normal, grandchildren; Brittany, Alex, Madalynn, Kaitlyn, Kaycee, Brianna, Bianca, Janiyah and Daniel, great-grandchildren; Emma, Hunter, Adalynn and Tanner, brothers; Michael (Phyllis) Murphy of Streator, Terry (Cheryl) Murphy of Manville, Kevin Murphy and Kelly Murphy both of Streator, sisters; Audrey Murphy of Streator and Kim (Gary) Forristall of Princeton and several nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother; John Murphy III, sisters; BJ and Janet Murphy and Patricia Mullen and nephews Shane and Terry Murphy Jr.

Coleen attended Streator High School.  After receiving her cookie packer degree from Keebler University she went to work at Owens Illinois Glass and later Brownies in Gardner.  Coleen was an avid reader of romance novels, an expert at Wheel of Fortune, loved Elvis, and slayed her opponents at any word game you played against her.  She enjoyed watching her favorite TV shows (especially Wheel of Fortune), eating Twinkie’s with her grandchildren, doing scratch-off lottery tickets with family, playing cards, and spending time with her kids, grandkids and greatgrandchildren. 

Memorials may be made in her name to the American Cancer Society or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.