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Joan Gerlits Obituary
Joan graduated from Longwood Academy and attended Loyola University. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends and was an avid bridge player.
Due to COVID-19, services and interment will be private and a memorial lunch will be scheduled at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago,17 N. State Street #650, Chicago, IL, 60602.
Info 847-675-1990 or www.donnellanfuneral.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Joan Gerlits
2 Entries
Denise M. Shepherd
January 29, 2021
Aunt Joan was my father, Neil Murphy's, younger sister. Family was important to Dad and Aunt Joan and Uncle John were are bit part of that.
She was very kind and looked after my Grandmother Murphy for many years.
That generation is winking out - Dad and Mom are gone, and now most of their generation. Our loss.
Kathleen Maher
August 13, 2020
Joan Murphy Gerlits was my aunt by marriage to my late father's older brother, John T. Gerlits, Jr. Joan and John, lifelong partners, died within days of each other. This must double the grief of those who will forever miss them. Grief is the hardest thing I know.
Most of my memories of Joan revolve around Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. She was a welcoming, wonderful cook, a careful planner, and proud of her Irish heritage, as are we all. My cousins, Laura and Jack, are living proof that Joan and John were benevolent, conscientious parents, who put their children first, without overdoing it. Not an easy feat, and for many, near impossible. But Joan was the quintessential mother.
The entire Gerlits family were, and no doubt remain, devout Roman Catholics (not counting my own hard lean against some traditions).
My impression was that Joan followed Jesus's emphasis on forgiveness. Both John and Joan worked hard and strived to find the divine in every person's spirit. Unending condolences to Laura, Jack, and everyone else mourning Joan Murphy Gerlits.
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Donnellan Family Funeral Services10045 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, IL 60077
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