Vera Estelle Ingles, 97, of Creve Coeur, died Monday, June 1, 2020, at 12:40 a.m. at her home.
Funeral services were held Monday, June 8, at Preston Funeral Homes and Crematory in Creve Coeur, with Pastor Dwight Winnett officiating. Burial was held in Swan Lake Memory Gardens in Peoria.
Mrs. Ingles was born Dec. 25, 1922, in Dudleyville, to Anton C. and Caroline (Schaufelberger) Kirstein. She married Cecil Ingles of Sorento on Oct. 23, 1945, and he preceded her in death on Dec. 29, 1994.
She worked at the movie theater and her uncle’s auto repair shop in Greenville, where she found she had a talent for mechanics. When the U.S. Navy WAVES program was created, she enlisted and served her country from 1943 to 1945. Although they wanted her to train in airplane mechanics, she instead chose business at Hunter College in New York. She was then stationed in Corpus Christi, TX, where she ran a store.
After she and her husband married, they settled in Creve Coeur. She worked in the data processing department at Caterpillar for nine years, and bowled on the Caterpillar Ladies Team. She was a longtime member of the First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Creve Coeur, where she was active in CWF, taught Sunday school for many years and served as the financial secretary. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting, fishing in Minnesota and leading her Girl Scout troop on many adventures.
Always an advocate of reading, in 1979, she embarked on a second career at the Creve Coeur Public Library and studied library science at Illinois Central College. Using her technical skills, she computerized the library’s catalog. She retired in 2006, at the age of 84 as the executive director.
In her retirement, she enjoyed reading and visiting her grandchildren. An avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, she rarely missed watching a game.
She is survived by two daughters, Sue (John Mandeville) Ingles of Los Angeles, CA, and Marsha (Karl Miller) Ingles of Rennes, France; two grandchildren, Frances Mandeville and Nicholas Mandeville, both of Los Angeles, CA; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by three brothers and three sisters.
Memorials may be made to the First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, 604 Groveland St., Creve Coeur, IL 61610, or Creve Coeur Public Library, 311 N. Highland St., Creve Coeur, IL 61610.
Online condolences may be left at www.preston-hanley.com.
