Dale Bolling Obituary

My mom was a multi-faceted person with a strong, good spirit. Others have noted her qualities of strength and direction. I remember her quest to find my husband's great-grandfather, Oldrich Farsky's, portrait of Abraham Lincoln, commissioned by Robert Todd Lincoln and also his portrait of General Sherman at the Chicago Public Library. She searched and inquired and spoke to people and took me to see the paintings on two separate occasions. The Lincoln painting was at Riverside-Brookfield High School and we spoke to a principal there.



I also remember her deciding one day to go downtown by herself, in her 80s, to take a ride on the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. During that same era, she traveled by herself on the "L" to O'Hare Field to see her granddaughter Nancy off at the O'Hare gate- as Nancy embarked on her flight to a challenging 500-mile bike ride in Alaska. I came with Nancy to the airport and was part of the trio at the gate. There was a spirit of adventure! We have a nice photo of all of us together at the gate- three generations!



My mom also had a gentle side to her nature. Mom spent a part of her day reading and a part of her life nurturing her friends and family, calling on the phone, and engaging with the problems all people have.



Mom's gentle side was quite maternal. I remember her affection for Dad. Every night they had their ritual of love to say good night to each other. One time they stayed at my house on Keslinger Road in Maple Park. Due to limited space, Dad slept in my bedroom upstairs across from the bathroom, and Mom slept in the lower level in the family room on the sofa bed. Mom had an arthritic knee at the time and couldn't climb the stairs to "say goodnight to Daddy," but she sent me with the message and he returned it in kind, with affection. They always ended their day with this expression of love. I know this because I went on trips with them in their senior years.



Their love for each other was touchingly apparent the couple of times they were able to see each other during the hospital and nursing home periods- a long time- when they were separated because of their illnesses. Mom wanted to wait for my dad in the lobby of Marianjoy Rehab Hospital as Valerie's family wheeled him in to see her. The hand holding and look of love between them moved me to tears. How they wanted to communicate with each other!



I have a box of love letters from the World War II years that I wll love to read soon- how they loved each other!



God bless my parents- that they are together now! And I would love to be there for my children, as a place to come home to- as my mom was for me. My heart is just as open, enduring, and maternal. A good mom- like Dale was- leaves ripples for generations.



I love my mom- and dad- always and forever.



Sincerely, Claire

PS: Thank you, Mom, for all the times you picked me up at the train station so I could spend some time with you and Dad, and for driving me and walking up three flights of stairs so we could see my grandchildren and your great-grandchildren. Thank you for sharing your life with me, for being there for all the special moments in my life- and my children's lives. My love to you and Daddy. I miss you. Claire

On behalf of my wife, Jeanne who predeceased Dale by a few months, I would like to say she loved her cousin and would be very sad if she were alive today. My deepest sympathy goes out to the family of Dale.



Paul Ombruni

I have been happy to know Dale, or Mrs. Bolling as I had called her up until I was fifty. When I last visited on a trip out to Chicago, Dale told me that I could call her Dale. I guess it was okay now to do so. I was just so used to saying Mrs. Bolling out of respect. Now that I was older, it was fine to call her Dale. It still felt funny though.We will miss her.

I fondly remember being at the back door, singing Yo OH Valerie, Yo Oh Claire, and Dale would come to the door and get Val or Claire for me.



I will never forget that.



I also will never forget how fit Dale was and her LOVE for tennis.



We will miss her.

My husband John bought the house next to Dale's in 1987. Dale and Hans were considerate neighbors with never a bad word about our young growing family and the situations that accompany one. Dale's love for Palmer School and North Mayfair were an inspiration to me as a young mother and community member. She will be missed.

We have been praying for this dear lady for years. Our hearts go out in deepest sympathy for Val and the rest of the family.



In His love and ours,



Scott and Anne Ney

Mom was not only a jewel in our family. She was in many ways the very HEART of our family -- infusing life into our aspirations and keeping us moving toward better things. Her favorite admonitions to all of us -- from young to old, all through our lives were: "Get moving! Keep moving! Onward and upward!" She kept after us to try hard -- and even harder yet -- to succeed in noble pursuits. This was the same standard that she held for herself.



She loved books and learning -- and read incessantly. She loved to write and speak up for what she believed in. She was no shrinking violet in any way! She was a very intelligent, creative, and hardworking person. She was a born leader and adventurer. She inspired us with her example.



Mom loved her family, her neighborhood, and her city -- and enjoyed researching and celebrating their histories. She had REAL pride in them -- and never gave up on them. More importantly, she worked hard for their better futures. She was always willing to risk trying to learn new things and do lengthy, detailed, and hard projects -- and do them well -- even well into her Golden Years.



She really never became an old lady ever! She always ready to be young and vibrant. She loved being a little crazy at times. I remember how she tackled the computer in her 80's -- and, about that same time, learned to sail in an awfully mucky lake near my home, in a flimsy REAL sailboat, when I was too scared to even watch from the shore! There was no stopping her when she made up her mind to do a project. She would hang onto her goals like a bulldog and see her projects through to the best possible outcomes.



In our family, she was in the very fabric of our lives, believing in us all, and urging us to shoot for the stars. One could never ignore her. She was always there -- prodding, even pushing, and inspiring. She was a great wife and mother -- and an even greater grandma! She was similarly dedicated to her extended family. I also know that she was a super friend and a marvelous public servant.



To me, Mom epitomized loyalty, dedication, and a job well done. I know that she truly felt that the worst thing she could ever do was just sit on the sidelines and do nothing, when she knew she could help. What a legacy she has left for us all! Her neighborhood in Chicago, her lifelong friends, her co-workers, and family all are much better off because she lived among us. She was -- and continues to be -- a blessing to us all. WHAT A MOM I HAD!



(I miss and love you very much, Mom.)

I will always fondly remember Dale from my days with her as a fellow member of Nineteenth Church of Christ, Scientist. Always alive with fun and perpetually active.

Grandma was a jewel to our family; she was an inspiration and source of committment to doing what's right and honorable; also fun-loving, and a true Chicagoan!