Louis "Lou" Imbery

Louis ("Lou") Imbery of Watersmeet passed away peacefully on Friday, August 11, 2023.  He was 85 years old.

Lou was born to Frances and Peter Imbery on October 5, 1937, in Hosmer, South Dakota, the youngest of three brothers.  He grew up in Hosmer, where he graduated high school in 1956 as Class and Student Council President. After high school, Lou worked in the railroad industry as a remote station manager. He then attended the National School of Aeronautics in Kansas City in 1958 for airline management and went to work for Northwest Airlines at the Milwaukee airport.  After a few years, Lou transitioned to North Central Airlines, working at both the Minneapolis and Milwaukee airports as ticket counter manager. After work one Friday night at a bar with friends, he met a very beautiful lady named Lorene (“Lori”) Basso. Lori soon became Lou’s life-long love.

Lou and Lori were married on January 16, 1960, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Watersmeet. They made their first home in Milwaukee, where their children Lynn and Scott were born. The family followed Lou's career moves to Minneapolis/St. Paul, back to Milwaukee.  During that time period, when Lori was working, Lou and his kids spent a lot of time at the airport watching the planes take off and land.  In 1970, the family relocated to Hazel Crest, IL, in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, where Lou changed careers and went to work for the Illinois Central Railroad as a programmer.  For several years, he attended night classes at DePaul University in Chicago, and later became Data Processing Manager for the railroad. Lou and Lori moved to Crete, IL, in 1982, where they enjoyed a neighborhood of fun friends.

In the spring of 2001, after Lou retired, he and Lori made their home on Beatons Lake in Watersmeet. They both appreciated coming back to small-town living, and Lou fell in love with the quiet, privacy, and solitude of the north woods. Lou and Lori loved to dance. They spent nearly every Saturday night at the casino in Watersmeet enjoying the live music and dancing. Watching them glide effortlessly across the floor was truly a thing of beauty.  Besides treasured time with family and friends, Lou loved riding his Harley, a cold beer, his faith, and the music of Johnny Cash. 

Lou was proceeded in death by his wife Lori on September 17, 2020.  Lou is survived by his beloved daughter Lynn Davies in Paulding, Michigan; son Scott (Lorna) Imbery in Copper Canyon, Texas; grandchildren Neil (Karen) Imbery, Alex Imbery, and Olivia (Justin) Williams, and great-granddaughters Noelle and Harper Williams, all in Texas; sister-in-law Joan Moll in Land O Lakes, Wisconsin, sister-in-law Lorna Imbery, special cousins, nieces, nephews, and treasured friends.

A funeral mass will be held at 11 am on October 11 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Watersmeet.

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