Betty Cittadine

In 1978, Betty Cittadine, then a teacher at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago, received a letter from one of her students. "I hated your class" he wrote. "The books we read were difficult, and you made us rewrite our essays until they were correct." He went on say that hers was the only class he'd really learned from, and that she was the reason he was going on to college.

After a brief bout with pancreatic cancer, Ms. Cittadine died on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, at Baker Hospital in Naples, Florida. After enjoying both Thanksgiving and Christmas, she passed away surrounded by love and family.

Born in Elkhart, Indiana, Ms. Cittadine graduated from Elkhart High School in 1962, and received her undergraduate degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston. She went on to earn a Masters in Social Science from Roosevelt University in Chicago. For the entirety of her 30-year career with the Chicago Public Schools, she focused on motivating students to exceed expectations. She began as a Special Education teacher, become Assistant Principal at Lane Tech High school, then worked as an administrator at the CPS central offices.

She was most proud of her work as director of the CPS College Bridge program. In partnership with 10 Chicago area universities, the program allowed qualifying Chicago high school students to earn dual credit: a high school elective and a college liberal arts course. College Bridge gave students the encouragement and confidence to pursue a four-year college degree.

While working with the Chicago Public Schools, Ms. Cittadine also published a book in 1989 titled "I Wish I Had a Wife: Sanity Saving Tips for Working Moms." Having juggled the responsibilities of home, demanding full-time work, and child care herself, she wished to share what'd she'd learned with other hard-working (and often frazzled) parents.

After retiring in 2007, she remained connected to education as an administrative consultant, served on the board of the Chicago History Museum, and was actively involved with the Northwestern Alumni Association and the International Association of Women.

Ms. Cittadine chose to keep her cancer diagnosis to herself and close family. In her final months, she delighted in the company of friends and family, and with the support of her dear friend and partner, David Lahti of Western Springs, was able to travel to Florida for the holidays.

She was preceded in death by Sven Elfving, her loving husband of 40 years, and is survived by her son, David Elfving of San Francisco, her brother, Jack Cittadine of Elkhart, Indiana, and her nephews Andrew Cittadine and Tedd Cittadine. A celebration of her life will take place on May 6, at the Church of the Holy Comforter in Kenilworth, Illinois. Those wishing to honor her memory are encouraged to visit and donate to their local public libraries in her name.