Diana Reczek

Visitation for Diana Reczek, 64, will be from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, April 24th, 2015 at the Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home, 201 N. Northwest Highway, Palatine, IL and on Saturday, April 25, 2015 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Holy Family Church at 2515 W. Palatine Road, Inverness, IL. The Funeral Mass will immediately follow at 10:30 a.m.

Diane passed away Monday morning, April 20, 2015 following a brief and brave battle with cancer. Diana Lynn was born on February 25, 1951 in Chicago, IL, the daughter of Chester and Virginia Gilski (Laboda) and grew up with her brothers and sisters on the north side of Chicago.

She is survived by her husband of over 41 years, William (Bill) James Reczek, and her four daughters and three granddaughters: Lauren (Michael) Owen and their children Madelyn, Reese and Charlotte; Krista (John) Fiedler; Jaclyn Reczek (Chad Wire); Jessica Reczek (David Mykytiuk); and her dog Marley. Diana was the eldest of Chester’s and Virginia’s seven children and following her graduation from Good Counsel High School, she began her career of cutting and curling the “blue hairs” at Virginia’s Beauty Shop. After the birth of her daughters and her family’s move to Palatine, IL, she decided to pursue her passion for helping people by completing her nursing degree at William Rainey Harper College, where she was the class president and valedictorian in 1990. Diana spent the next 25 years working in the healthcare profession, touching countless people in the process. Diana and Bill’s daughters fondly recall summer trips driving to Florida (always staying at a Days Inn on the stopovers) and the New Year’s ski trips with cousins to their cabin in Mauston, WI. Diana was smart, loving, positive and sincere – all are blessed to have known her and her spirit will continue to burn within us (along with her trove of Yankee Candles). She will continue to be the most adored daughter of Chester and Virginia; sister of Anthony (Kathy), Donna, Ann Marie (Edward), Robert (Cassandra) and Daniel (Christine); aunt, great-aunt, sister-in-law, cousin, friend and colleague to countless others. She was preceded in death by her father Chester, sister Barbara, and brother-in-law Edward.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or see stjude.org