Eileen M. Kahovec

Visitation for Eileen M. Kahovec (nee Erlandson), 94, of Ballwin, MO, will be held from 9:30 AM until the time of the Funeral Mass at 10:30 AM on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at St. Francis de Sales Church, 33 S. Buesching Road, Lake Zurich. The Interment will be at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery, Palatine.

She was born on December 5, 1928, in Worthington, MN and passed away Sunday, May 7, 2023, in Arlington Heights.

Eileen was a welcomed daughter, after four sons, by Carl and Leila Erlandson. Carl and Leila went on to give Eileen two more cherished sisters and a beloved younger brother. It was a wonderful upbringing on a farm started by Eileen’s grandparents in 1897.

Eileen graduated from Saint Adrian High School in 1946 and went on to nursing school when she was 17 years old. She graduated from Presentation School of Nursing in 1949, moved to Chicago, married, and raised five daughters. In 1979 she wed Frank Kahovec, moved to Ballwin, Missouri, and was extremely happy there.

Eileen loved her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She drove multiple times a year from Missouri to the Chicago land area for holidays, weddings, births, parties, and events. Eileen loved to hold those babies.

She was not afraid to tackle any task, be it tarring the roof of an apartment building, or running a gas station while her husband was ill. She used her nursing degree to support her family while simultaneously returning to school to earn her BSN. She continued to use her nursing degree well into her 80’s. Eileen loved to keep busy! She golfed, bowled, swam, and had a well-used season pass to Six Flags into her late 80’s.

Eileen offered to help everyone, picking up hitch-hikers, delivering food for the church, bringing furniture to housing projects in Chicago; she was fearless! Even while in a wheelchair she wanted to help her daughter with a recent move and subsequent house painting.

Eileen survived breast cancer twice along with numerous surgeries, a broken hip, a stroke, several health complications, and never complained or lost her faith in God. We can all hope to age with her pleasant disposition, upbeat attitude, and faith in the Lord.

Eileen is the loving wife of the late Frank; mother of Nancy (Dave) Thomas, Laura (Robert) Glon, Cheryl (Mark) Smith, Kathy Burroughs, and the late Colleen Nolan; grandmother of David (Nina) Thomas, Jen Thomas, Trisha Thomas, Ray (Candace) Glon, Dan (Shannon) Glon, McKenna Serowka, Ashley (Jeremie) Lukowicz, Audrey (Adam) Polywka, Lauren Burroughs, Abby (Curtis) Benson, Kristin Burroughs, and Kelsey (Marcello Gonzalez) Beck; great grandmother of Mirah and Dylan Thomas, Isabelle, Adeline, Maisie and Isla Glon, Samuel and Ethan Serowka, Autumn and Duncan Lukowicz, Michael and Jacob Polywka, and Jayden Beck; daughter of the late Carl and Leila Erlandson; sister of JoAnn Smith and the late Eugene, LaVerne, Russel, Maurice, Katherine and James.z

In lieu of flowers, donations to a charity of your choice would be appreciated.