Maureen T. Simonelli

Visitation for Maureen T. Simonelli (nee Harnett), 85, of Palatine will be held from 4:00pm – 8:00pm on Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home, 201 N. Northwest Hwy., Palatine.

Maureen was born on April 20, 1938 in Chicago, IL and passed away peacefully early on Christmas morning, Monday, December 25, 2023.

Maureen was lively and youthful with a passion for fitness and fun, often “walking” nearly ten miles at a rapid pace with her younger friends. She had a great sense of humor, making friends easily, in part, because she was a wonderful storyteller. Many of her stories centered on her own humorous misadventures and were told in a manner that instantly endeared her to her audience. Maureen had many interests including fashion, travel, hiking (Colorado and the mountains would always remain her favorite place), nature, reading, attending the Goodman theatre with great friends, and volunteering with the League of Women Voters, which she became involved with later in life. She loved helping to recruit and register new voters and unsurprisingly made many new friends along the way. Two of her favorite interests were art and home decoration – though this came with an unfortunate fondness for glass tables, which her 8 grandchildren were equally fond of covering with their little fingerprints. Maureen keenly recognized each grandchild’s unique talents and interests and joyfully encouraged and supported them in those pursuits. We will miss her “I have a theory” preface when sharing her opinion, her boundless energy, her phone calls, Christmas dinners with her stuffed shells, meatballs, sausage, special sauce and even her eye rolls. No words could truly capture the loss we feel. She will be so deeply missed. Maureen is survived by her husband of 61 years, Robert; daughters Paula (Ron) Kutz, Julie (Jeff) Fister and Gia (Bob) Anders; grandchildren Nolan (Elizabeth) and Jason Kutz, Alexandra, Emma and Mitch Fister, and Evan, Kendall and Maren Anders. Maureen is preceded in death by her parents Maurice and Angeline and her brother Vincent.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to JourneyCare Home Health & Hospice through the following link https://journeycare.org/donate/ or contact Mary at the Barrington Center at (224) 770-2489, 405 Lake Zurich Road Barrington, IL 60010.