Irja S Seppanen Fortuna

Irja S. Fortuna, age 95, passed away on October 9, 2013. Dear mother of Joanne (Bruce) Pafume, Karen (John) Navoy and Donna (Brian) Carroll. Loved grandmother of Aimee (Joe) Hardin, Mark (Stephanie) Pafume, Allison (Jeff) Grana, James Pafume, Chelsea (Marc) Iraola, Haley Carroll and Charlene Carroll. Treasured great grandmother of Hudson Hardin. Preceded in death by her beloved husband Conrad. Irja grew up in Portland, OR, attended Oregon State University earning an education degree and taught in the Corvallis Oregon school system prior to her marriage to Connie in 1945. After moving to Chicago, Irja raised her family and worked for many years in the Chicago Public School system teaching business and working in the programming office at Chicago Vocational High School. Irja was an active member of Sigma Kappa Sorority, AAUW and the Women’s Auxiliary for Community Hospital, also volunteering for many years as a leader of the Girl Scout troops at Immaculate Conception Grade School in South Chicago. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. at the Chapel Lawn Funeral Home (8178 Cline Ave., Schererville, IN). Interment Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens. Friends are invited to visit with the family on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at the funeral home from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at noon. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Irja Fortuna would be appreciated to the Sigma Kappa Alzheimer’s Gerontology fund (www.sigmakappafoundation. org or 317-872-5531) or to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org or 800-242- 8721).