Former Arlington Heights Teacher's Dying Request: 'Don't Vote for Clinton'

The sharp wit and sense of humor of Julia Jahec, a longtime District 25 teacher, has gotten some media attention following her death this past week at the age of 85. The Arlington Heights woman, who was described as the “queen of one-liners,” made an interesting final request in her obituary.

“Julia’s final request was that in lieu of flowers people not vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton,” the obituary reads.

Jahec’s daughter, Mary Ellen Jachec, explained to the Daily Herald that her politically active mother was a conservative and a devout Catholic who was bed-bound in her final days. The duo was watching Fox News when the idea came up to add the line to her obituary. Julia Jahec, a strong opponent to abortion, did not support Clinton’s views on Planned Parenthood and found her untrustworthy, according to the article.

“She would never have said that to me except that she was dying: ‘Yeah, forget the flowers,’” the daughter told the Daily Herald.

“It’s the first time we’ve done anything like that, and I’ve been here for 40 years,” Jim Murray, general manager at Lauterburg & Oehler Funeral Home in Arlington Heights, told the Daily Herald.

Jahec was raised on the north side of Chicago during the Depression, according to he obituary. Her parents worked several jobs to ensure their children received a Catholic education, and Jahec, who considered herself lucky to have recieved that education, made several requests to her mom to become a nun.

“After her mother said ‘no’ the final time she announced that she would become a stewardess and travel the world,” according to her obituary. “She was rejected by Pan Am for ’being too tall’ so she went to Plan B.”

She got her degree in teaching from Mundelein College in 1952 and taught at schools in Chicago before meeting her husband, Stan. The two started a family and Julia took a break from teaching but returned in the 1970s to teach for District 25. She would go on to teach at Wilson, Patton and Dryden schools.

Jahec died Thursday — two days after her 85th birthday and after suffering multiple strokes and infections.

A visitation for Julia will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. on Friday at Lauterburg & Oehler Funeral Home, 2000 E. Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights. Prayers will be said on Saturday starting at 9:15 a.m. at the funeral home processing to St. James Catholic Church, 831 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, for her funeral mass at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at All Saints Cemetery.

» The full obituary can be found here.