Obituaries
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Show Obituaries Show Guestbook Show Photos QR Code PrintKristin “Kris” Girdaukas, age 64, passed away in her home on Sunday, March 31,2024, surrounded by her devoted family and friends. Kris was a loving daughter, wife, mother, sister, friend, counselor, and grandma to her beloved grand-dog.
Born in Glen Ellyn, IL on January 25, 1960, to the late Raymond and Dorothy (Young) Hendee, Kris grew up in Park Ridge, IL. She attended elementary schools where her father was Superintendent, Maine South High School, Illinois State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s in Education as well as Walden University, where she received her Master’s in Counseling.
While she was teaching at Cumberland Elementary School in Des Plaines, IL, she met the of love her life Gerard “Gerry” Girdaukas. They were married on December 21, 1985. Gerry sadly passed away on their 30th wedding anniversary in 2015.
Kris will be dearly missed by her son, Josh; her mother, Dorothy; her sister Kimberly Hendee and her brother Mark Hendee (Dina Lambrecht) as well as countless friends, including Phillip Goodwin and Lisa Emerick. As well as many loving cousins from the Wautoma, WI area.
Kris touched many lives through her years of teaching special education at Cumberland Elementary School, and helping individuals navigate the hurdles of life through her counseling practice, Allied Counseling Services.
Kris was a wonderful cook. Well-known for her world-famous pancetta, Julia Child’s beef bourguignon, awesome potato salad, Super Bowl chili, and chocolate chip cheesecake – just to name a few. She also enjoyed taking rides in her 1966 Cadillac Eldorado, most of the time with her grand-dog, Lambeau in the backseat. She and her family traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean, France, Alaska, and her beloved Disney World. Her most recent travel to Ireland with son Josh was by far one of her favorites.
Above all, she loved and cherished being a wife to Gerry and mother to their sons David, Patrick, and Josh. Along with her father, Raymond Hendee, and her husband, Gerry, Kris was preceded in death by her sons, Patrick and David Girdaukas.
Service Date April 8, 2024
SERVICE LOCATION St. Anne Catholic Church
Funeral services honoring Kris’s life will be held on Monday, April 8, 2024.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, 9091 Prairie Ridge Blvd, Pleasant Prairie, WI.
The Mass may be viewed via livestream on the following link facebook.com/PiaseckiFuneralHome/live/. You do not need Facebook to watch.
Interment will follow in Ascension Cemetery, 1920 Buckley Rd., Libertyville, IL.
A visitation for Kris will be held on Sunday, April 7, 2024 from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Piasecki Funeral Home and then on Monday, April 8, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the Mass at church. In lieu of flowers, memorial remembrances may be sent to St. Lukes Lutheran Church, 205 N. Prospect Ave, Park Ridge, IL 60068, https://www.stlukespr.org/ or to American Cancer Society (Pancreatic Research) https://donate.cancer.org/ or to St. Anne’s Catholic Church, 9091 Prairie Ridge Blvd, Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158 are appreciated by the family.