Former Kendall County Food Pantry Executive Director Dies

The former executive director of the Kendall County Food Pantry has died.

According to DeKalb County Coroner Dennis J. Miller, Maria Spaeth, 52, of Yorkville, was pronounced dead at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, at Valley West Hospital in Sandwich.

Miller was unable to provide a preliminary cause of death, but said there was no obvious trauma to the body. An autopsy is scheduled for June 23.

Spaeth and her husband, Ken, recently resigned from the Kendall County Food Pantry. Ken Spaeth worked as the treasurer.

The resignations came shortly after Yorkville police opened an investigation into an apparent theft of funds from the Pantry. It is unknown if the resignations were in any way connected.

According to to Jeff Young, Acting Chairman of the Kendall County Food Pantry Board, two previous volunteers were being investigated. No one at the Pantry receives compensation for their work.

“The Kendall County Food Pantry and its board are all volunteers and have always been volunteers,” Young said in a previous article.

Young told Patch Thursday morning the Kendall County Food Pantry is mourning the death of its long-time executive director.

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Spaeth family," Young said in a statement.

Yorkville police say they served search warrants June 1 on the Food Pantry, located at 208 Beaver St., and at a personal residence in Kendall County.

Yorkville Police Department Deputy Chief Terry Klingel said there are a couple of persons of interest involved with the theft of funds. He was unable to give more information about them, other than that they held some role within the Pantry.

Klingel told Patch that Spaeth's death would affect the investigation, but not to the point that it would be stopped. He would not comment on whether Spaeth was ever a suspect.

Klingel was unable to say how much money was stolen. The initial police report said the theft was more than $500, but WSPY News, citing unnamed sources, reports the theft was more than $100,000.