Jeanie M. Grieco
Jeanie M. Grieco
Born on May 31, 1934 in Chicago, IL to parents Ralph and Jeannette Grieco. She died peacefully on October 17, 2023 in Wood Dale, IL. She is the widow of Ralph F. Fortino (2001); beloved mother of Ralph L. Fortino (Stephanie); loving grandmother of Elizabeth Bridge (Devin) and great-grandmother of Robin; sister of Maryanne Magno (James); and aunt of Diane Magno and Julie Procich (Thomas) and their children.
Jeanie had a deep love of music and trained in her younger days to be a soprano for Chicago’s Lyric Opera Company. She also had an affection for animals and had several dogs and cats through the years that she cared for unconditionally. Jeanie made many life-long friends who will miss her greatly.
Visitation will take place on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 from 10 am to 11 am at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 551 N. Rush Street, Itasca, IL in Margaret Woods Hall. A funeral Mass will take place at 11 am in the church.
Ashes will be interred by the family at Assumption Cemetery, 1S510 Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL in the Our Lady of the Angels columbarium.
Remembrances may be made in the form desired by friends.
Arrangements entrusted to Cappetta’s West Suburban Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Info 630-852-8000 or westsuburbanfh.com
My name is Staci and I met Jeanie 28 years ago when I was 17, when I started working at Betty Schwartz’s Intimate Boutique in Hinsdale. We quickly became the very best of friends and have remained close all of these years. She was a second Mom to me throughout every part of my life. I moved from Chicago to Florida at the age of 21 and we talked on the phone frequently, laughing about everything you could ever imagine, both of us sharing a passion and zest for life, music, animals and love. She often would tell me that I reminded her of her younger self and if we didn’t talk in a while, she would write me love letters and would make sure to give me a good scolding the next time we spoke regarding my whereabouts, as she worried about me just like a Mom and best friend would. On separate occasions, she was able to meet both my Mom who has passed away and whom Jeanie loved so dearly because she would say that my Mom gave her the greatest gift she could ever ask for and that was me, and my Dad whom she loved just as much and enjoyed hearing him play harmonica on speakerphone. We would always end our phonecalls with a contest about who loved each other more and we would say I love you for 10 minutes after we were going to hang up. On a trip to Chicago, I was able to go spend time with her at her condo and her beautiful cat, Paloma, who turned out to be a boy and not a girl after a trip to the vet and much to her surprise, so I named the cat Paul-oma. We had the best visit with a ton of belly laughs. We imagined living in a big house together with all of my rescue dogs and her cats, somewhere warm and tropical. After a failed marriage and another disappointing relationship, I met the man of my dreams who lived in France. Last year, I excitedly called Jeanie to tell her all about it and that he was coming to America to see me. She was so excited and happy, but told me to let him know that she was the “Italian Chicago Boss” that would find him if he ever treated me badly. He proposed to me on his trip and asked me to come to France to spend 3 months with him. Jeanie was so excited for me, I had never traveled to another country before and I couldn’t wait to talk to her upon my return to the states. I called her for months after I was back with no answer. I moved to France in May of this year and wasn’t able to make phone calls until recently. On my behalf, my Dad would call and leave messages to let her know I was doing well and to see how she was. In the past couple of weeks, I looked online to see that she was still living at her condo and I saw pictures of it for sale. I wished in my heart that maybe she was living with a family member. Today, I was finally able to call her and it wasn’t her voice on the answering machine. That’s when I discovered she had passed. My heart is broken, to think that I’ll never hear her voice and her laugh again, but she is a part of me, of my heart and is truly in my thoughts every day. A beautiful beaded tapestry that she gifted me years ago is proudly hung in my bedroom, the beads shine in the sunlight, just like she shines in my heart no matter where I’m at. Jeanie, you were and are my everything and I love you more than all the stars in the sky, all the water droplets in every ocean and every grain of sand that’s ever covered the planet. I will find you and love you in every lifetime yet to come and I feel your presence all around me, every day. Thank you for loving me and for enjoying our life together.