North Shore Death Notices: May 2 To May 8

The following death notices were added to funeral homes serving the North Shore area in the past week. Those homes have provided obituaries for some of those that have passed away recently. Patch offers condolences to their loved ones, links to their obituaries and notices of upcoming services below.

Kelley & Spalding Funeral Home, 1787 Deerfield Road in Highland Park

Rosemary J. Sheahen, 89, Lake Forest
Service May 17

Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home, 111 Skokie Blvd. in Wilmette

Isai Glickstein, 84, Round Lake
Service May 10

Edith Lipman, 95, Palatine
Service May 11

Steven Morris "Morry" Grant, 97, Evanston

Aviva May née Rabinowitz, 90, Chicago

Bernard L. Schwartz, 88, Forest Park

Ina Teplitsky, 84, Buffalo Grove

Albert L. Page, 77, Glenview

Jack C. Li, 74, Morton Grove

Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie and 195 N. Buffalo Grove Road in Buffalo Grove

Judith M. Kamen née Kaplan, 77, Highland Park
Service May 10

Arthur "Harpman" J. Solomon, 68, Skokie
Service May 10

Richard D. Glickman, 78, Chicago
Service May 10

Rae "Ginger" Smerling, 88, Highland Park

Elaine L. Bell, 100, Evanston

Ruthe G. Sacks, 99, Chicago

Sonia Goldberg, 93, Chicago

Harold Katz, 93, Evanston

Ronald M. Portugal, 91, Northbrook

Robert William Klawans, 90, Deerfield

Eve Barbara Schwartz, 87, Evanston

Aaron Klein, 86, Evanston

Benjamin Blumberg, 79, Chicago

Darryl Feder, 79, Round Lake

Galina Mann née Shenigson, 76, Northbrook

Donnellan Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie

Marvin Leo Kocian, 85, Northfield
Service May 10

George M. Baker, 94, Wilmette
Service May 12

Eleanor Marie McAllister, 88, Wilmette
Service Aug. 6

Mary Anne Janoski née Banahan, 83, Northfield

Maureen McGee Kogen, 54, Northbrook

Haben Funeral Home, 8057 Niles Center Road in Skokie

Medard D. “Duke” Hajduk, 92, Skokie
Service May 5

Stefan Bartl, 94, Skokie
Service May 9

David B. Sarmas, 62, Skokie
Service May 19

John D. Nikitow, 66, Skokie

Thompson Funeral and Cremation, 1917 Asbury Ave. in Evanston

Margaret Wideman, 88, Evanston
Visitation May 13, service May 14

Brittany Nicole Kinlow, 23, Chicago
Visitation May 12, service May 13

Evanston Funeral and Cremation, 1726 Central St. in Evanston

Carol Ann Hatcher, 94, Evanston

Christine M. Smith, 70, Northbrook

N. H. Scott & Hanekamp Funeral Home, 1240 Waukegan Road in Glenview

William Gordon Fox, 92, Northbrook
Service May 11

Dorothy A. "Dee" Modica, 73, Northbrook
Visitation May 13, service May 14

Janet E. Fisher, 61, Highland Park
Service May 14

David Lasich, 87, Northbrook
Service May 14

Helen V. Basler, 98, Northbrook

Miriam Bandelier Frick, 91, Glenview

Featured Obituary:

Our beloved mother, Helen Basler, was called home to be with her Heavenly Father on May 2, 2022 and rejoin her husband of 44 years, Erv Basler, and her extensive circle of family and friends who have long awaited her.

Helen began life during a raging blizzard on February 13, 1924 at her family’s NE Iowa dairy farm to the relief and delight of her mother Emma, father Carl David, and her older siblings George, Arnold, Esther, Florence, and Mabel (brother Carleton arrived a year later). They were a 2nd generation Norwegian family whose grandparents migrated to America in the 1870’s, established their homestead and prospered in their new community near Decorah. Helen and her siblings attended the Bell School, a one-room rural schoolhouse in Union Prairie township, and went to Norwegian school in the summer months. She was baptized and confirmed at Glenwood Lutheran Church. Helen’s large extended clan enjoyed many Hexom and Johnson get-togethers, and annual family reunions were cherished traditions she loved to promote throughout her life.

Helen attended Decorah High School, class of 1940. But she yearned for a larger stage to pursue her dreams, so upon graduation, she enrolled in the college of nursing at the University of Iowa, and then moved to Chicago to seek a job. She was soon employed by a well-known surgeon, Dr. Urkov, and often worked weekends at Marshall Field’s. In her spare moments she enjoyed exploring the city and its many cultural venues.

At a dance celebrating the end of WW2 at the Aragon Ballroom, she met the love of her life and future husband, Erv. He was smitten by her charms and beauty, and she by his handsome smile and ambition. They married on July 6, 1947 at the Glenwood church and settled down in the Edgebrook neighborhood of Chicago to raise three children, Adrienne, Ed and Dennis. Helen continued her devotion to the Lutheran church there, participating as a Sunday School teacher, choir and women’s circle member, and was active in many community endeavors, including PTA, garden club, Meals on Wheels and other service organizations. Her focus was always upon family, friends and faith. She loved giving cards and flowers and kept all the notes she received.

Following the birth of their youngest son, Brian, Helen and Erv moved to a several acre property in the northern suburbs to begin a new chapter in Northbrook. There they developed a spectacular garden, whose bounty Helen shared with friends and neighbors as well as the residents of the Covenant Living retirement community. She sang with the Melodeers, an award-winning Sweet Adelines a capella chorus, and enjoyed their weekly practices and annual national competitions. Helen especially loved her friends and faith community at Northbrook Covenant church where she also served as deacon.

After losing her husband to ALS in 1991, Helen regrouped and turned her attention back to her roots in Decorah. She acquired her family homestead, Happy Acres, an Iowa centennial farm, and continued to be a good steward of the land. A few years later, a handsome Victorian house built in 1900 by her great uncle caught her eye, and Helen embarked upon an ambitious restoration of the home and property. But her appetite for historical restoration was just getting started. At age 73, she had the vision to bring the Hotel Winneshiek in downtown Decorah back to its former glory. This multi-year extensive restoration effort, along with her refurbishment of the adjacent 150 year-old opera house, created a new focus of pride and activity in town. Helen was also a faithful supporter of Glenwood Lutheran Church, Luther College, Decorah Hospital, and various community projects. She was honored with the Spirit of Luther award in 2006 from Luther College for significant sustained service to the college. Helen loved Decorah, Iowa and always looked forward to entertaining family and friends every year during the annual Nordic Fest.

Send obituaries and images to your Patch to be included in future editions: Deerfield, Evanston, Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Bluff-Lake Forest, Niles-Morton Grove, Northbrook, Skokie, Winnetka-Glencoe-Northbrook, Wilmette-Kenilworth

Last week: North Shore Death Notices: April 25 to May 1