Cora Schorsch

She was preceded in death by her husband Albert J Schorsch Jr; her mother Grace Mudge Petterson; her father James Albert Thompson; her son Albert J. (Betsy) Schorsch III; her brother Lawrence Morris Thompson; and her sisters Naida (Joe) Wolff and Lois (Frank) Babcock.

She is survived by her sisters Marilyn (the late Ivan) Bell and Carol (the late Jack) Booth; her children Nancy (James) King, Brian (the late Rosemary), Kurt (Joanne), Gregory, Glenn (Mary), Jennifer Oliver.

Her Grandchildren: Rebecca (Steven Kruse) Schorsch, Thomas (Sarah) Schorsch, Michael (Violet) Schorsch, Elizabeth (Adam) Galvez, Albert Schorsch IV, James Jr King, Leif (Jennifer) King, and Edmund (Rachel) King, Lauren (Matthew) Mohrman, Melissa (Brian) Nakagama, Amanda Schorsch, Alexander (Leoma) Schorsch, Caroline (Paul) Wampler, ZZ Schorsch, Robert (Tory), Kelsey, Molly (Jonah) Samp, and Will Oliver.

Her great-grandchildren: Lucia Heppner; Annabelle and Felix Schorsch; Stella, Juniper, Lazarus, Franz, and Leo Schorsch; Isabella, Violet, Steven, Ruby, and Ollie King; Hugo King; Leon Mohrman; Nora and Niko Nakagama; Rylan, Aurelia, Gregory and Claudia Wampler, Steven Schorsch and many extended family members.

Born in 1927 in Pine Falls, Manitoba, Canada; Cora was the first child of Grace Mudge Thompson and James Albert Thompson. Cora was joined by a baby brother Lawrence (Larry) Morris Thompson 18 months later. Larry and Cora spent their childhood in Mine Centre, Ontario and at the Mudge Camps Resort in Grassy Narrows with their mother Grace, and grandparents, Cora and George Mudge, and their uncles George and Ted. Cora was a strong swimmer, knew her way around boats, canoes, outboard motors, and piper cubs. She fished, not for sport, but to feed the family. She had an uncanny ability to catch a fish on the first cast, and clean it too. In winter she and Larry constructed ski jumps, sledded, and help their grandfather haul ice blocks from the lake. She recalled helping her grandfather cut roof shingles.

Cora loved the surrounding forest and knew which plants to forage for, which plants to avoid, when to hunt for bungo mushrooms, and where to find the blueberry patches. She knew how survive in the bush. She hated snakes.

She was home-schooled by her mother in a government correspondence course, and also attended Mine Centre's one room schoolhouse through ninth grade. Due to the excellent Canadian education system she was quite the scholar, could recite "the Highwayman", "Hiawatha", and "Evangeline". Her children often heard, "This is the forest primeval". She could be told one line of a poem and continue to recite the entire verse. Well into her nineties, she could recite long lists of English poets. She loved school especially literature, nature study, and art.

Cora became one of the "girls" that roomed and boarded in Fort Frances in order to attend high school. She choose a secretarial tract of studies and landed a job at the Government Department of Lands and Forests after high school. She was on a bowling team, and went to hockey games with her girlfriends.

On weekends and holidays, Cora would take the midnight train to Mine Centre to visit her Mother, her stepfather, and dear little sisters, Marilyn, Naida, Lois and a delightful blonde sister Carol, born in Great Britain during the war. In summers Cora worked at Mudge Camps in the store selling supplies, tobacco, and candy.

While working at the camps, Cora made an independent study of the Ojibway Language, creating notebooks of words and phrases which she learned from nearby girls and Indian Guides. In her pursuit of this knowledge, she earned the moniker, "Moskimotosh". She often would attend Pow-wows.

One summer, 15 year old Cora met the love of her life, Albert Schorsch, a tall handsome American fellow from Chicago, who came with his father and uncles to Mudge camps to catch muskies. After he left, he wrote her a letter, and a written correspondence ensued, during the years he spent at Notre Dame University and in the Naval Academy.

Cora studied CCD under the oblate order, joined the Young Catholic Workers, and converted to Catholicism. In 1950 Cora and Albert married at St Mary's Catholic Church in Fort Frances, and settled in Chicago, Illinois.

Adjusting to Chicago and their small apartment took time, but Cora loved Albert, and soon could navigate the city and the large Schorsch family of Albert's brother Raymond, sisters Margie, Dolores, Catherine, Mary and Patsy and his parents Catherine and Albert Sr. There were many uncles, aunts and cousins. The family ran a homebuilding business, where Albert worked during the day and went to night school for a law degree in the evenings. Cora would type his term papers. They attended Saint Pascal's Church, down the street from their home.

Little Albert was born in '51, and when Nancy came along in '53, they moved to a home in "Schorsch Village" a neighborhood famous for bungalow style houses. Soon that home became crowded with Brian '55 and Kurt '56, so Albert and Cora custom built a raised ranch home on a lot sandwiched between his parents home and the home of his Uncle Frank and Aunt Anna Schorsch. Gregory made his debut in the new home in '57, Glenn in '59 and Jennifer in '61.

Albert and Cora educated their seven children in Catholic schools, St Priscilla being their home parish. The family would fill an entire pew at Sunday Mass. All of her sons were altar boys, Nancy sang in the choir.

Cora was a devout Catholic and both parents continued their faith journey by attending lectures, courses, and reading books on raising children in the Catholic faith. Cora prayed every day even into the last days of her life. Being homebound in her later years, she would tune into Sunday Mass from Holy Name Cathedral. She would receive the Eucharist from cousin Judy.

Cora encouraged all of her children to pursue their interest in music, many played piano, guitar, percussion, brass instruments, and in singing in Church Choirs, music productions and plays, jazz bands, and music ensembles.

Christmas celebrations always featured family sing-alongs, and grandchildren soon followed in these musical pursuits. Children and grandchildren earned degrees in music education, music performance, and became performing artists in an Irish band, a folk-rock band, and a celebrated banjo player and composer. Cora loved listening to her grandchildren perform, but also frequently attended the Chicago Symphony performances with her sons and husband. She admired Pavorotti, the Three Tenors, the Canadian Tenors, and Andy Williams.

Cora found joy in her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She entertained them with stories of her younger years, and in nature walks through the Wisconsin forest pointing out native flowers, mushrooms, ferns, and mosses. She identified birds by their calls, and spotted owls, partridges and wild turkeys that no one else noticed. She protected the native plants from being disturbed and birch bark from being stripped from the trees.

Cora was a skilled cook, and cooked for a crowd: family style incorporating methods from her mother Grace and grandmother Cora. Wild rice was a staple in her home. She hosted legendary family parties for family and friends. Her Christmas Fruitcake converted even skeptics and was coveted by all.

Achieving her golden years took a strong spirit, Cora overcame many health challenges, borne with determination, and strong will. She was devastated by the loss of her husband, Albert after 52 years of marriage, and the loss of her oldest son. Cora was good to the core of her being. Her family will always treasure her love, her unending compassion, her Faith, her intelligence, and her spirit. Her family and friends are all blessed by her memory.

Visitation will take place Tuesday, May 19, from 4PM until 8PM at Montclair-Lucania Funeral Home, 6901 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60634. Funeral mass will take place Wednesday, May 20, 10:30AM at St Priscilla Catholic Church, 6949 W Addison St, Chicago, IL 60634. Burial to take place at St Joseph Catholic Cemetery, River Grove, IL.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St Priscilla Catholic Church (www.stpriscilla.org/donacje-online/)