Anna Santore Obituary

On the evening of the 13th of April 2007, my grandmother, Anna Santore, passed away at age 92. She had lived with my family for the last 26 years shortly after retiring. She truly had a wonderful life - she was born, raised, and lived most of her life in Chicago, IL. My grandmother was the second oldest of four children all of Ukrainian heritage. She left school before starting high school to go to work and raise money for her family during the depression. She married at 19, and worked a variety of factory jobs - starting as an olive jar packer with her mother. Other jobs she held included inspecting small electric motors for quality, and inspecting picture frame moldings for any defects - very admirable jobs for a woman of her day and education. My mother was her only child, and she worked hard to provide for her and made sure that she got a good education. Family meant a lot to my grandmother - I don't think she could have asked for a better "retirement life" than to live with her daughters family and watch her grand children grow up. She was always up before I was, making sandwiches for us to take to school. She was there for us when we got home - ready to tell us a story ("my father would never buy a car other than a Ford"), or ask us how our day was. She was there for me to grab on to while our old dog Shasta would be tugging at my leg. She would regularly start dinner every night before my parents came home from work. She helped me learn my first communion prayers. She took good care of us and taught us many morals and values in life. Even in her last years as her dementia got increasingly worse, she never forgot who her family was, and was always willing to help out others in any way that she could - folding towels, bringing plates to the sink, or offering a humorous observations "I always thought that house looked like a church!". Grandma loved pets, reading about nature, reading the daily newspaper, and watching one of "her programs" on TV (like Another World) - most of all, she always looked forward to all of "her boys" being home together. Grandma never had to live in a nursing home until the last month of her life when a fall and a broken hip forced her to - she was very much loved, and will forever be missed - but her memories, stories, and values will live forever. She was my last living grandparent.

May God bless you grandma, I pray that you're in a better place with your mother, father, husband, and older brother.

Good night grandma, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bight - and if you send them to me, I'll throw them out the window!

We extend our deepest synpathy George and Marlene on the loss of your Mother, Marlene and also to your children