Persephone Hartrich

Persephone Palmer Hartrich, beloved daughter and sister, died on January 16, 2025, at age 18.
Born in Chicago, Illinois on June 21, 2006, Persephone was a smiley and rambunctious baby who would attempt to climb any structure within reach. As a child, Persephone would often eat five to six apples per day and had very strong feelings about different apple varieties. This led to a fun family project of recording apple reviews, complete with a theme song recorded by Nate and the kids. They were posted on YouTube to be enjoyed by many family and friends. She was a loquacious and creative toddler and kid, constantly engaged in imaginative play.
Growing up, Persephone took an interest in a wide variety of things including dinosaurs, Bakugan, Calvin and Hobbes, Harry Potter, Pokémon, Doctor Who, and Homestuck. While she had many phases of interest, her obsessive love for her two cats Lupin and Sirius was steadfast.
Persephone was a recent graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School. She was an active member of the Marching Huskies color guard. Persephone was interested in different languages and immersed herself in Japanese classes. She even created and wrote in her own languages. Her enthusiasm for words led her to begin writing both a novel and a graphic novel.
Persephone was fascinated by everything from quantum physics to cultural criticism to world history. She was bright and clever, able to hold a shocking amount of facts in her mind. She would go on YouTube deep-dives and could retain all of what she learned. And as Persephone grew, so did her interests. She loved culinary classes, games, science, philosophy, candy, scary movies, and a huge variety of music. She had a quirky Instagram account dedicated to posting trail cam photos of deer, and others where she shared progress on creative projects, drawings, and poems. She went on frequent excursions to Thatcher Woods Forest Preserve, collecting bones or building structures with her friends.
Persephone was deeply loyal to her friends and loved to cook for them. Her vast imagination and interest in developing stories led her to write Dungeons & Dragons campaigns for her friends.
She relished designing costumes for herself every Halloween. She was also a video game developer, game designer, illustrator, and musician. At home she was often seen breaking out into silly dances. She had a distinctive voice and manner of speaking that we loved.
Persephone will be remembered for her intelligence, kind heart, and great laugh.
Persephone is survived by her parents Laura and Nathan Hartrich, and her brother Simon.
Memorial service 3pm (visitation begins 2pm) Saturday, January 25, at Unity Temple, 875 Lake St., Oak Park, Il 60301. Reception to follow.
Persephone's body will be buried privately, prior to the public memorial event.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to www.gamersoutreach.org or www.afsp.org.
Arrangements by Inclusive Funeral Care, 773-370-2959 or www.InclusiveFuneralCare.com.