Kathryn Decanini, known to all as Kaye, died peacefully in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 29, 2018. She was 90 years old. Some of the last things she heard were her children telling her they loved her and a recording of her late husband Carl playing Love Letters, a song she loved.
Kaye was all about family and in particular all about being grandma to her seven grandchildren. She and Carl had the capacity to make each one of them feel he or she was the most important to them. Whether it was going to the movies at the Pickwick Theatre (but first stopping at Osco to buy candy to smuggle in); or going to Walter’s for the early dinner on deal night; or eating Kaye’s homemade chop suey and pretending to like it; or visiting college with her; or learning how to garden in her backyard; or watching old black and white movies eating popcorn in her den; or staying overnight at the Leonard Street house on Christmas Eve and decorating the tree; or watching her taste guacamole for the first time and like it; or having her teach how to clean furniture using grandpa’s old undershirts; or watching The Godfather while being forced to eat Cheerios—there was always just a good feeling being with Grandma because she was having as much fun as you were.
Kaye was born and raised in Chicago, one of eight children. She met Carl, the love of her life, while still in school at Carl Schurz High School. Their younger years were marked by hard work, mostly in the family business at Riverside Greenhouses on Dee Road. Their later years were marked mostly by fun such as hosting huge family birthday parties, going to garage sales, attending grandchildren’s graduations, traveling to Arizona, and Carl playing Kaye’s favorite songs on the grand piano in their living room.
Kaye is survived by her children Karen (Ronald), Carl, and Maureen (Richard), as well as seven grandchildren Matthew (Katie), Lindsay (Tom), Zachary (Moritz), Kristin (Nicholas), Alison (Anthony), Richie, and Giuliano; and finally eight great-grandchildren Julia, Gehrig, Vivienne, Theodor, Nikolaus, Nathan, Erin and Amelia. She is also survived by her three sisters Mary Miller, Charlotte Werdell, and Joan Werle. She is predeceased by Carl, and her cherished daughter Laura (John also deceased).
What is there to do now when Kaye will be missed so very much? Well, there are eight great grandchildren (and maybe more to come) who will be needing lots of trips to the Pickwick with hidden candy, old movies on television with bowls of popcorn if lucky or Cheerios if not, and many Christmas Eve pajama parties but also a promise that they will have to try great grandma’s chop suey at some time!
Visitation Wednesday, August 1st, 3:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M. at Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 W. Central Rd. at Northwest Highway, Mt. Prospect.
Funeral Thursday, August 2nd, 9:15 A.M. from the funeral home to St. Paul of the Cross, 320 S Washington Ave, Park Ridge, IL 60068, for Mass at 10:00 A.M.
Interment Town of Maine Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers memorials to St. Paul of the Cross.