Lillian LaPalio

Lillian LaPalio, age 100, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, at the caring community of King Bruwaert House in Burr Ridge, Illinois, on August 9, 2021. 

From her birth on May 26, 1921, in Chicago, to her death on Monday, she nourished people around her with love, friendship, inspiration, hospitality and joy.

Her gifts of advocacy, service and inclusiveness were evident in her work with the Department on Aging, and the recent leadership roles she held, including coordinating the renovation of Berger Park in Chicago (which became affectionately known by the local children as “Grandma Lil’s Park”), organizing Operation Warm Heart, a local knitting group who donated hundreds of knitted items each year to local groups and charities in the Hinsdale/Burr Ridge area, and her three terms as Resident Council President at KB House. 

She was the beloved wife of the late Philip, loving mother of Charlotte (Stan) Kutin, Philip Jr., Lawrence (Mary), Steven (Marty) and the late Salvatore, who died at age 33. Dear grandmother of 10 and great-grandmother of 11, she was also aunt and great-aunt to many. As the matriarch of her family, she will be deeply missed. 

A visitation will be held at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church, 5005 Wolf Road, Western Springs, IL 60558 on Monday, August 16, 2021, at 10am, followed by a funeral mass at 11am. Private interment at St. Joseph Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to King Bruwaert House, 6101 S. County Line Rd, Burr Ridge, IL 60527.

“A beautiful life, well-lived.”

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