Obituary Alois "Opa" Berlinger, 87, of East Peoria, passed away at 7:58pm Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. He was born May 8, 1929 in Umpfenbach, Germany to the late Edmund and Maria Klein Berlinger. He married Helga Lehmeier on February 12, 1958 in Wrzburg, Germany. He was a Third Degree Knight of Columbus. Surviving is his wife Helga of East Peoria; children, Michael (Kathryn) Berlinger and Willibald "Bill" (Patricia) Berlinger, both of Peoria; and Erika (Jeff) Walters of East Peoria; 22 grandchildren; one greatgrandchild; and eight siblings, sisters Elizabeth Gehrig, Agnes Dosch, Klothilde Hildenbrand, Ccilia Berberich, Gertrude Schade and brothers Anton, Herman, Gustav, all of Germany. Alois first worked as a stone mason learning from his father in the family stone quarry. In his later teen years, he was trained as an artist in the schools in Miltenberg, Germany. His work can still be seen in his home town and surround villages. A memorable project was in the Maria Heimsuchung Church in Wrzburg, designed by Balthasar Neumann in the mid- 18th century. In 1965, he and his family emigrated to the United States where he continued to work in his field of study in Chicago and Colorado before coming to the Peoria area (1971). In 1968, he and his wife founded the American branch of the family business, today known as Heritage Restoration and Design, where he worked alongside his family until 2009. Alois' funeral Mass will be held at 11:00am Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at The Cathedral of St. Mary in Peoria. Visitation will be from 5-7:00pm Monday, February 27, 2017 at Deiters Funeral Home & Crematory in East Peoria. Recitation of the Rosary will be at 7:15pm Monday at the funeral home. Additional visitation will be from 10:30am-11:00am Tuesday at the church. Interment will be at Resurrection Cemetery in Peoria. Msgr. Stanley Deptula will officiate. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Cathedral of St. Mary. Cemetery Details Resurrection Cemetery & Mausoleum 7519 N. Allen Road Peoria, IL, Visitation FEB 27. 05:00 PM - 07:00 PM Deiters Funeral Home & Crematory - East Peoria 444 E. Washington Street East Peoria, IL, US, 61611 garydeiters@deitersfuneralhome.com Rosary FEB 27. 07:15 PM Deiters Funeral Home & Crematory - East Peoria 444 E. Washington Street East Peoria, IL, US, 61611 garydeiters@deitersfuneralhome.com Visitation FEB 28. 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Cathedral of St Mary of Immaculate Conception Peoria, IL, US Funeral Mass FEB 28. 11:00 AM Cathedral of St Mary of Immaculate Conception Peoria, IL, US