Obituary for Delores Wasowicz (Drake)
DELORES MARYANN WASOWICZ (nee Drake), age 94 of River Grove, IL. [born March 24, 1928 – died January 6 2023.
Devoted wife of her late husband, Leonard William Wasowicz [1924-2006] with whom she was married since Thanksgiving Day, 1949.
Caring mother of Marc of Bensenville, Eric (Ann Lawrence) of Palatine, Laura (Matt Petrie) of Worcester, Massachusetts, and Dave (Maria, nee Revera) of Mt. Prospect.
Cherished and doting grandmother of Tess, Alec, Amy, Cole, Casey, Andrew, and Hope.
Predeceased by her loving parents, Edward, and Martha Drake (nee Sypniewski).
Eldest sister of her siblings, Donald Drake, the late Deanne Gohr, the late Dennis Drake, Delano Drake, and Darryl Drake. Aunt and great-aunt to many nieces and nephews.
Delores grew up on Lotus Avenue on Chicago’s Near Northwest Side, surrounded by loving grandparents, aunts, and uncles. As a child, she was fascinated by the jazz music that she heard from a neighbor’s window. This love of music would sustain her throughout her life. A 1946 graduate of Chicago’s Foreman High School, Delores worked at a variety of jobs, including stints at the Forum Cafeteria in downtown Chicago, Schwinn Bicycle Company, and Illinois Bell Telephone Company before marrying Leonard and moving to River Grove in 1957.
Like many women of her generation, Delores proudly listed her occupation as “homemaker”—a catchall term for housekeeper, teacher, trusted advisor, and best of all, loving nurturer. In her quest to widen cultural and educational opportunities for her children, she was a co-founder of the River Grove Public Library and served as an active member of the Friends of the Library. She was also active in the River Grove PTA and the St. Anne’s Sodality of St. Cyprian Church. As her children grew up, Delores worked in local media, first as a weekly columnist for the River Grove World in the 1970s and later as a weekly radio host of her radio show “As I See it” on WRRG (Triton College). She also volunteered as a production assistant in the East Leyden High School Drama Department in the 1980s and managed to get an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts from Triton College shortly after her children finished college. While at Triton, she was an avid gardener for the college’s Shakespeare Garden. Her volunteer work eventually expanded to downtown Chicago, where she was a commentator for the CTA Culture Bus in the mid-1980s.
Her love of music never wavered. She loved to borrow records from the public library, including a Sousa band record to which she joyfully marched around the house. She sought out classical music and ballet at Ravinia and jazz at the Jazz Showcase. Her pursuit of jazz eventually took her to New Orleans where she made numerous trips to listen to the trad jazz bands playing on the steamboats, the clubs, and best of all, the streets of the French Quarter. This love eventually took her back to Chicago to discover local clubs on the Near North Side and Pilsen.
Her love for music was only matched by her devotion to the Chicago Cubs. She made sure that she brought her children to Wrigley Field, even if it involved the long walk to Addison and Cumberland from River Grove and the even longer bus ride out to Wrigley Field; it was always time well spent, filled with sunshine, hot dogs, peanuts, and later, beer.
Delores Wasowicz was an intelligent, courageous, witty, and loving person. She is deeply missed.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Delores to the River Grove Public Library rivergrovelibrary.org or by mail at River Grove Public Library, 8638 W Grand Ave, River Grove, IL 60171 would be appreciated.
Visitation Thursday, January 12, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Chapels 8300 W. Lawrence Ave., Norridge, IL.
Funeral services begin at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, at the funeral home, and then proceed to St. Cyprian Church in River Grove for Mass at 10:00 a.m.
The entombment will be private at Elmwood Cemetery in River Grove.
For more information www.cumberlandchapels.com or (708)456-8300.
Devoted wife of her late husband, Leonard William Wasowicz [1924-2006] with whom she was married since Thanksgiving Day, 1949.
Caring mother of Marc of Bensenville, Eric (Ann Lawrence) of Palatine, Laura (Matt Petrie) of Worcester, Massachusetts, and Dave (Maria, nee Revera) of Mt. Prospect.
Cherished and doting grandmother of Tess, Alec, Amy, Cole, Casey, Andrew, and Hope.
Predeceased by her loving parents, Edward, and Martha Drake (nee Sypniewski).
Eldest sister of her siblings, Donald Drake, the late Deanne Gohr, the late Dennis Drake, Delano Drake, and Darryl Drake. Aunt and great-aunt to many nieces and nephews.
Delores grew up on Lotus Avenue on Chicago’s Near Northwest Side, surrounded by loving grandparents, aunts, and uncles. As a child, she was fascinated by the jazz music that she heard from a neighbor’s window. This love of music would sustain her throughout her life. A 1946 graduate of Chicago’s Foreman High School, Delores worked at a variety of jobs, including stints at the Forum Cafeteria in downtown Chicago, Schwinn Bicycle Company, and Illinois Bell Telephone Company before marrying Leonard and moving to River Grove in 1957.
Like many women of her generation, Delores proudly listed her occupation as “homemaker”—a catchall term for housekeeper, teacher, trusted advisor, and best of all, loving nurturer. In her quest to widen cultural and educational opportunities for her children, she was a co-founder of the River Grove Public Library and served as an active member of the Friends of the Library. She was also active in the River Grove PTA and the St. Anne’s Sodality of St. Cyprian Church. As her children grew up, Delores worked in local media, first as a weekly columnist for the River Grove World in the 1970s and later as a weekly radio host of her radio show “As I See it” on WRRG (Triton College). She also volunteered as a production assistant in the East Leyden High School Drama Department in the 1980s and managed to get an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts from Triton College shortly after her children finished college. While at Triton, she was an avid gardener for the college’s Shakespeare Garden. Her volunteer work eventually expanded to downtown Chicago, where she was a commentator for the CTA Culture Bus in the mid-1980s.
Her love of music never wavered. She loved to borrow records from the public library, including a Sousa band record to which she joyfully marched around the house. She sought out classical music and ballet at Ravinia and jazz at the Jazz Showcase. Her pursuit of jazz eventually took her to New Orleans where she made numerous trips to listen to the trad jazz bands playing on the steamboats, the clubs, and best of all, the streets of the French Quarter. This love eventually took her back to Chicago to discover local clubs on the Near North Side and Pilsen.
Her love for music was only matched by her devotion to the Chicago Cubs. She made sure that she brought her children to Wrigley Field, even if it involved the long walk to Addison and Cumberland from River Grove and the even longer bus ride out to Wrigley Field; it was always time well spent, filled with sunshine, hot dogs, peanuts, and later, beer.
Delores Wasowicz was an intelligent, courageous, witty, and loving person. She is deeply missed.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Delores to the River Grove Public Library rivergrovelibrary.org or by mail at River Grove Public Library, 8638 W Grand Ave, River Grove, IL 60171 would be appreciated.
Visitation Thursday, January 12, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Chapels 8300 W. Lawrence Ave., Norridge, IL.
Funeral services begin at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, at the funeral home, and then proceed to St. Cyprian Church in River Grove for Mass at 10:00 a.m.
The entombment will be private at Elmwood Cemetery in River Grove.
For more information www.cumberlandchapels.com or (708)456-8300.