Maria Kotamraju-Fraai Obituary

Kotamraju-Fraai, Maria E. Maria, died on July 10, 2008, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She was 75. Born in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, Maria excelled academically, earning the opportunity in her early teens to pursue her education in the Netherlands. She subsequently received degrees in pedagogy, child psychology, teacher training, English, and Spanish. She moved to Chicago in 1969 after her marriage to Dr. Baburao Kotamraju of Hyderabad, India. Maria devoted her life to helping people change their lives through education; she taught ESL at Truman College for over twenty years, and worked in social service at Association House. She was also a long-time board member of the People's Music School of Chicago. Maria is survived by a daughter, Dr. Nalini Kotamraju of San Francisco and Amsterdam, dear friends, and ten siblings. Dr. Baburao Kotamraju died in 1984. A Memorial Mass will take place at St. Mary of the Lake Parish at 4200 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago on Saturday, September 20, at 10:30 a.m. For inquiries, contact Rita Simó or Tomás Bissonnette at (773) 388-2265. Memorial contributions (in lieu of flowers) to support education in Curaçao may be sent to Maria Kotamraju-Fraai, c/o Dr. Nalini Kotamraju, 101 28th Street #3, San Francisco, CA, 94131.