She was born April 22, 1927, in Dunfermline to Charles "Karlo" and Vicencia (Juraco) Grzanich. She married Joseph A. Intravartolo on September 27, 1947 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Des Plaines, IL. After fifty-seven years of marriage, he preceded her in death on November 27, 2004.
Jean is survived by three daughters, and, as she would say the "best son-in-law in the world". They include Cindy Intravartolo and Diane Intravartolo of Dunfermline, IL and Michelle (Greg) Hillebrenner of Louisburg, NC. In addition she is survived by two grandsons, Matthew (Elizabeth) Hillebrenner of Silver Spring, MD and Michael (Lindsay) Hillebrenner of South Elgin, IL., along with five great grandchildren, as well as, numerous nieces and nephews, and her faithful companion, her cat Tiger for the last seventeen years. She was preceded in death by her parents, seven brothers, six sisters, and three nephews.
She grew up in rural central Illinois during the Depression era without a mother. She recounted stories of making underwear out of plain flour sacks and kitchen curtains out of printed rice sacks. Animals served an agricultural purpose; they were sources of milk, meat and eggs; rarely as pets and never in the house. In spite of all that, she allowed her children to have a variety of pets that included fish, birds, guinea pigs, dogs and many sets of orphaned kittens. She grew up with a fear of water and never learned how to swim, but she resolved that her children would not have that fear. Not only did they all learn to swim but one of them even participated on a competitive synchronized swimming team. She was not able to attend high school, but again, she resolved that her children would have the opportunity for higher education and they did not disappoint her. They all had successful professional careers in veterinary medicine, human medicine and business administration.
She will be remembered for her great family meals and cooking skills. She learned how to fix many Italian dishes specific to her husband Joe's heritage, and will always be remembered for her famous Italian fig (cucidati) cookies and Croatian nut roll (povitica) at holidays. She was also known for her lemon meringue pie, upside down pineapple cake and maple nut chiffon cake, but her personal favorite was coconut cream pie. No one ever left her house hungry and or went home without a care package.
She loved country music and was ever so proud to be a coal miner's daughter. She enjoyed flower gardening, a legacy she left to all of her daughters. She was a great seamstress and craft person until arthritis settled in her arms and she was no longer able to do it. She enjoyed traveling and fulfilled a lifelong dream when she went to Hawaii. She was an avid Cubs fan and was ever so thankful that she lived to see them win a World Series.
It would be remiss if it was not mentioned that she was known to be very outspoken at times. She rarely hesitated to tell you what she thought and always tried to have the last word. She surprised her parish priest once when she told him the women's rest room needed a new toilet and she kept after him until a new one was installed. Afterwards he frequently referred to it as, "Jean's Toilet".
Special thanks go out to friends, Curtis and Jack for including her in their home and hospital visits with the Blessed Sacrament of Holy Communion. The family is especially grateful to Dr. Kenneth Krock and the exceptional staff at the long term care facility at Graham Hospital for the outstanding care, compassion and friendship they provided to her during the recent months. Thanks also go out to the care givers at the Central Illinois Agency on Aging and Visiting Angels which allowed her to stay at home for as long as she was able.
Cremation rites will be accorded and all services will be handled through Oaks-Hines Funeral Home & Crematory, 1601 E. Chestnut St., Canton, IL 61520. Burial will take place in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery at a later date. Online condolences may be left at www.oakshinesfuneralhome.com. Please subscribed to her obituary page for updates on future services times.
Memorials may be made to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate, 530 NE Glen Oak, Peoria, IL 61637 or www.stjude.org . Jean was always grateful that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were healthy. Memorials may also be sent to the Central Illinois Agency on Aging, 700 Hamilton Blvd., Peoria, IL 61603. Make checks out to: CIAA Fulton County Nutrition.
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