Radegunda "Rady" Sabal Budzik

Radegunda “Rady” Sabal Budzik, lovingly known to family and those closest to her as “Nang Rady,” “Lola Rady,” “Auntie Rady,” “Tita Rady,” and simply “Mom,” passed away on September 2, 2026, at the age of 88, leaving behind a life filled with faith, family, generosity, and, of course, a house full of plants, because in Rady’s eyes there was always room for one more!

Rady made Chicago her home and worked for many years at Marshall Field’s, the iconic downtown Chicago department store. And if there was one advantage to working at Marshall Field’s, Rady certainly knew how to make the most of it: the sales! She loved a bargain and rarely passed up a good one. Family and close friends could count on Rady to spread the word when something was marked down. And chances were, by the time she told you about the sale, she had already bought something herself! After all, how could you pass it up when it was on sale?

If shopping was something Rady enjoyed, gardening was something she truly loved. Her backyard was her pride and joy, filled with flowers and plants she lovingly tended throughout the summer. Even on the hottest Chicago days, she could be found outside watering the grass, tending to her flowers, and growing green beans and tomatoes, or batong and tamatis, along with bitter melon, or ampalaya.

But the garden most definitely did not stay outside.

Rady brought her love of plants indoors, and then brought in a few more... and a few more after that. There were plants in the living room, plants in the kitchen, plants on the floor and plants lining the windows. If there was an empty corner, Rady seemed to take that as a sign that it needed a plant.

When the windows ran out of space, no problem. She simply added little side tables along them so she could fit more.

And then there was her habit of dividing the roots of her plants so she could make even more plants!

Her daughter, Amanda, remembers looking around the increasingly green household and asking the obvious question: “Mom, where are you going to put another plant? There is no more room!”

But somehow, Mom always found room!

At times, the house looked less like a house and more like a small jungle, but those plants brought Rady tremendous happiness. Gardening was not simply a hobby she picked up along the way. It was something she loved throughout her life. She nurtured things, watched them grow, and believed that having one healthy plant was an excellent reason to turn it into three.

Her faith was another important part of who Rady was. Sunday meant church, and she faithfully attended services. She also took her church responsibilities seriously. And she took particular pride in her assignment: making sure the rice was there for every gathering!

But church was about more than Sunday service. It was part of Rady’s community. It was where she prayed, spent time with friends, caught up on what was happening in their lives, and celebrated birthdays, holidays and special occasions. Faith and friendship naturally came together there for her.

Although Rady built her life in Chicago, a part of her heart always remained with her family in the Philippines. Her brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews were never forgotten simply because an ocean separated them.

Amanda remembers the balikbayan boxes appearing in the house year after year. And these were not lightly packed boxes.

Rady filled them.

There was juice, canned goods, soap and all kinds of everyday items carefully packed inside. As a little girl watching this yearly event, Amanda had questions.

“Why are we sending all of this to the Philippines? They have stores there! Don't they have juice there?”

To a child, it made absolutely no sense.

But as Amanda grew older, she understood that those boxes were never really about juice, soap or canned goods. They were about remembering people.

Rady knew that many everyday things could be expensive or harder for family members to purchase, and if she could send something that made life a little easier, she did. She packed enough so there would be plenty to share. Even after building a life thousands of miles away, she continued thinking about her brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews back home.

That was simply Rady.

She showed her love in practical ways: finding something you could use, feeding you, sending something home, remembering you, sharing what she had, or telling you about a sale you absolutely needed to know about.

Rady is survived by her only daughter, Amanda Sabal, who carries with her not only the memories and traditions of a lifetime shared with her mother, but all of the little things that made Rady unmistakably Rady.

And perhaps one of the best ways to understand Rady is to go back to those plants.

She could take one plant, carefully divide its roots, and turn it into two or three. Amanda might have looked around the house and seen that there was absolutely no room left.

Rady saw differently.

There was always room for one more.

One more plant. One more thing to send in the box. One more person to remember. One more way to care for someone she loved.

That was Rady: always finding room for a little more to grow, a little more to give, and a little more to share with others.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, September 16, 4:30 pm until 8:00 pm with a funeral service at 6:30 pm at Montclair-Lucania Funeral Home, 6901 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60634.