Ex-pastor at historic Palatine church dies

The former pastor of the iconic country church near Harper College in Palatine, who led the congregation through its 150th anniversary, has died.

The Rev. Ronald Pribyl held off his own retirement back in 1996, long enough to see the yearlong observance of St. John United Church of Christ through its historic anniversary.

Among the celebrations was a "Pioneer Days," when families could take hayrides through the neighboring farm fields, much as they did in the early days of the congregation, when they rode in horse drawn wagons to attend church services. Congregation members believe the church, which was formed in 1854, is one of the oldest in the area.

Pastor Pribyl passed away July 12 from complications of carcinoid cancer, at his Schaumburg home. He was 78.

"He always liked the small church atmosphere," says his wife, Fran, "and the people. They are wonderful people."

Pastor Pribyl came to lead the church in 1979, after previously serving congregations in Western Springs, Port Byron and Rockford.

One of his first projects was to insulate the white clapboard church building, located on the southwest corner of Roselle and Algonquin roads, and replace its wood with more durable aluminum siding in order to preserve it for the future.

As it is, the church is an exact duplicate of the original building that was erected in 1854 by German farmers. It burned down in 1885 when lighting hit its steeple, leading congregation members to rebuild an identical one.

Under Pastor Pribyl's leadership, the congregation grew from an unlikely source: its proximity to Willow Creek Community Church, whose original church building opened in 1981 further west on Algonquin Road in South Barrington.

"Ron did a lot of weddings, and many of them came from Willow Creek," his wife adds. "They didn't have a chapel then, and we were just down the road."

Harold Bergman, whose farmland is located just west of the church, is the oldest church member. He remembers that his late wife, Elsie, helped Pastor Pribyl with the weddings, and that it nearly was a full-time job.

"I don't know," Bergman said, "there seemed to be a rush for weddings in a country church."

Congregation members endorsed the idea of renting out their traditional worship space, seeing it as an outreach to draw new members. They now have a wedding coordinator who promotes its intimate space and rural atmosphere to prospective couples.

Beyond the weddings, congregation members related to their pastor's compassion in serving their needs.

"He married my daughter and confirmed both my children," says Kathy Harlow of Palatine. "He was an integral part of everyone's families."

In 2005, congregation members honored Pastor Pribyl by naming him their Emeritus Pastor, a title he cherished, family members say.

Pastor Pribyl was preceded in death by his first wife, Anne. Besides his second wife, he is survived by his son, James; daughters, Janet (Wes Olson), Becky (David) McDaniel and Jennifer (Mark) Cummings; as well as eight grandchildren and a great-grandson.

A memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. today at St. John United Church of Christ, 1475 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine.