Georgene Kauth O’Dwyer of Batavia, who died recently at the age of 89, is being remembered for decades of volunteerism in her community and as a faith-filled member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in the city.
Kauth O’Dwyer, a recipient of the Batavia Citizen of the Year award in 2018, died May 21 at her home.
The Batavia Chamber of Commerce and Batavia Historical Society recently issued a joint statement honoring the Batavia woman’s contributions to the city. Kauth O’Dwyer was also known for her involvement at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Batavia.
Batavia Chamber of Commerce and Batavia Historical Society officials described Kauth O’Dwyer as one of their most cherished volunteers.
“I truly enjoyed speaking with Georgene whenever she came into our office,” Batavia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Margaret Perreault said in the statement.
“She was smart, wise and always optimistic. As an ambassador for the Chamber, she was very conscientious about making phone calls to members on the Chamber’s behalf. She truly enjoyed talking to local business owners and sincerely was interested in learning about them. She easily made friends with anyone she talked to,” Perreault said.
Kauth O’Dwyer was repeatedly named the Chamber’s Ambassador of the Month. However, she would have rather seen someone else receive the accolades, Perreault said.
She will be greatly missed, she said.
“Georgene was truly one of a kind in her selflessness and commitment to our community,” Perreault said.
Kauth O’Dwyer grew up in Streator where she attended Catholic schools both there and for a brief time in Moline, according to her obituary. She and her first husband Walter Kauth, an Army veteran, moved to Maywood and Aurora and then made Batavia their home in 1958. The couple raised three daughters.
She and her husband were early members of the Batavia Historical Society. For more than 40 years, Georgene Kauth O’Dwyer opened and closed the Batavia Depot Museum on weekends. She served as corresponding secretary of the organization and volunteered on the Depot Museum expansion committee as well.
She would be present at most Batavia events, if not as an organizer, as an active supporter, Batavia Historical Society President Dan Hoefler said.
Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke said that although she volunteered as a Chamber ambassador, she was really “an ambassador for the entire city of Batavia.”
When it was announced that she was named Batavia Citizen of the Year, Schielke described Kauth O’Dwyer as one of those who makes the world a “kinder, gentler and more supportive place.”
More Top Picks Best Metal Storage Sheds
After her husband Walter’s death in 2004, Georgene married John O’Dwyer of Batavia and she embraced her expanded family, according to her obituary. John O’Dwyer died in 2012.
Her volunteer work and involvement in her church was her way of setting down her roots in the community, friends said.
Holy Cross Catholic Church Parochial Administrator Jared Twenty told The Beacon-News she was a beloved member of the congregation.
“Georgene was a wonderful and faith-filled woman with a true servant’s heart,” he said. “She was a pillar of the Holy Cross community, and was a blessing to all who knew her.”
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.