Marie Nikolic

Marie Nikolic, 81, of Lindenhurst, IL (formerly of Albany Park in Chicago, IL) passed away Sunday, April 10, 2022. Born in Torbagy, Hungary, February 18, 1941, she was the loving wife of the late Vladeta Vlad/Nick Nikolic and adoring mother of Margaret (Fritz) Nikolic-Meyers; Daughter of the late Katarina (late Carl) Schneppe and late Johann Gruber. Surviving are her daughter and son-in-law, cousins and aunts and uncles, and dearest family friends, in the U.S. and Germany and Serbia. A visitation will be held from 11:00am until 1:00pm Friday, April 15, 2022 at Burnett-Dane Funeral Home, 120 W. Park Ave. in Libertyville. Funeral procession will follow to St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery, 32377 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Libertyville. Everyone will be invited to a luncheon following the cemetery at Austins Saloon, 481 Peterson Road, Libertyville. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your local food pantry. A little history about Marie, the life of a wonderful, loving, generous woman and mother Marie’s mother Katarina Math, and father Johann Gruber grew up in Torbagy, Hungary, near Budapest. Marie was born an only child early in the Second World War, Feb 18, 1941. Her father was away in the army. She and her mother lived with her grandfather, who was a farmer and town butcher. Marie and her mother suffered through the occupation of first the German army and later the Russians. After the war Marie’s family ran afoul of the Communists then in control. They were expelled from Hungary in 1946 and sent to Germany. Their land and remaining possessions were confiscated. They were resettled in a vacated German army camp as refugees. Eventually they were offered the chance for relocation to the USA or to Australia and they signed up. After waiting several years Marie and her parents embarked in January 1952 for the US on the USS Harry Taylor. Their extended families remained behind in Germany. Marie and her parents arrived at New York’s Ellis Island that January. Marie’s father did not immediately pass the required physical exam. While waiting for further tests, her parents were put to work for several weeks cleaning the Ellis Island buildings. Once released Catholic Charities sponsored them and brought them to a rooming house in Chicago on Belden Ave. They all had jobs the very next day. Working hard they eventually bought a rooming house themselves. In 1960 Marie’s parents divorced. Her father returned to Germany, Marie and her mother remained in Chicago. Marie went to Waller high school and then finished high school at Jones Commercial, training for skilled office work. On a blind date she met her future husband in 1957. Vlad (his friends called him “Nick”) was a Serbian who had recently arrived from then Yugoslavia on the Queen Mary Ocean liner. Marie and Nick were married Jan 1961 and welcomed a daughter, Margaret, in November that year. They lived in apartments in several Chicago neighborhoods until 1970 when they bought a two flat in the Albany Park neighborhood. Marie became a secretary at Fischbach & Moore Electrical Contractors, a prestigious Chicago contractor in those days. Fishbach was involved in many big projects including McCormick Place. Through her job, Marie met several famous Chicago politicians, including Mayor Daley. Nick went to College at night first at Wright and then to DePaul and over the course of 10 years got his Bachelor’s Degree while earning a living and being a father. Nick then got a good job at Combined Insurance where he eventually became a claims manager. Marie and Nick were always very involved with their daughter. They liked to travel and show Margaret the world. On a modest income they traveled to Canada, at least half of the 50 states in the US, flew to California’s Disneyland, Mexico City, and Hawaii. They also took a cruise to the Bahamas. Nothing fancy but they went and they saw and they infused Margaret with a love of new places and travel. The early trips started Marie’s obsession with salt and pepper shakers which she began collecting from their various travels. Eventually she collected around 1,000 sets. Besides travelling, Marie and Nick loved to go to plays. They personally met several actors, Caesar Romero, Debbie Reynolds, and Barbara Eden. They also enjoyed dining out and hit many famous restaurants in Chicago, the Millionaire’s Club, Shanghai Lils, and Villa Venice Supper Club (where they saw the “Rat Pack” perform). Marie would retire after 20 years and Margaret grew up and went to college where she met Fritz Meyers in 1982. They got married in 1987 and became one extended family. Marie and Nick still wanted to go places and so the Nikolic and Meyers families would all go together. Margaret organized trips and outings now showing her parents new things and new places. Some local trips to Michigan, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and some a little farther like Reno and Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas but they went as a family and had some adventures. Marie and Margaret also went on many family girls trips, to New York and Wisconsin and Ohio and Indiana and Missouri and Iowa, to name a few. Nick retired in the early 90’s for medical reasons but they remained very social, throughout the years both hosting and attending many parties. They really enjoyed the company of old and new friends. They opened their home and their hearts to a wide variety of people. Many new immigrating Serbians wound up calling Marie and Nick aunt and uncle and to their children Marie and Nick were Grandparents. They helped many people throughout their lives and were considered by many their adopted family. They also spent many years taking care of Nick’s mother. They managed all her affairs until she passed at the age of 94 in 2007. They did the same for Marie’s widowed mother until she passed in 2015. When Marie’s husband passed away in March 2015, Marie left the home they shared for 45 years and moved to the Village of Victory Lakes in Lindenhurst in October 2015. Marie began a new chapter in her life, enjoying her new community and new friends, spending time with Margaret and Fritz at a number of activities, seeing movies in the Village’s movie theatre, going to the pub, the hair salon, the country store and celebrating holiday meals in the beautiful dining room. She also became President of her Assisted Living Resident Council. She took the role seriously always trying to improve things where needed and not afraid to offer new ideas, or criticize where needed. She became well known to both administration and residents around the Village. The isolation and sedentary lifestyle created as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 and her ongoing diabetes attributed to Marie needing chronic wound and eye treatments. This culminated in several hospital and nursing home stays in late 2020 and early 2021, and sadly a cancer diagnosis the end of 2021. God Bless Marie and all those now departed from us.

Marie Nikolic

February 18, 1941 - April 10, 2022