Betty Gerzel

Betty A. Gerzel, age 105, of Lindenhurst, IL passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 30,
2023. She was born on June 13, 1918 in Granite City, IL to parents Mike and Kate Worklan,
whom were both immigrants from Croatia. As a first generation American and one of five
children, she had a tough trail to blaze but as her family soon began to realize, there wasn’t a
single challenge that she wouldn’t meet head on and ultimately succeed.
Betty met and married the love of her life, Edward Kirn and they lived in North Chicago, IL in a
2-flat above Edward’s parent’s home on Lenox Ave. It was there that they raised their three
children: Karen, Elizabeth and Michael, until Edward’s untimely passing from a tragic accident.
Widowed at 38 years old and a homemaker for 14 years, Betty went to work in the payroll
department of Fansteel Metallurgics, before securing a job doing the water billing for the North
Chicago City Clerk’s office, where she retired at age 63. Betty met her second husband, Thomas
J. Gerzel and they were married in 1966. Theirs was a love story of comedy, travel, dancing,
golf, family and friendship until Tommy’s passing in 1990.
Betty was a woman of many talents! She learned to paint with oils and was quite skilled at it.
Her natural painting ability and keen eye for detail produced numerous works of art that are
now prized possessions for her family.
An accomplished seamstress, she made intricate dance costumes for recitals for her two
daughters when they were young. Once her grandchildren came along, she transitioned her
sewing skills into making Care Bears, quilts and other assorted gifts. Eventually Betty went on
to parlay those same talents into learning how to crochet and knit, which became a true
passion for her. She created beautiful afghans, baby blankets, scarves, and doll sweaters for
her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Treasured items that will go onto to
become cherished heirlooms to be passed down through the future generations.
Having quite the assortment of hobbies over her lifetime, she took great pride in her Croatian
heritage, playing the D-pream in the Waukegan Croatian Hall Tamburitzas group. She loved
dancing at the Crow Hall and would often be seen there on Friday nights with Tommy.
Betty took up the sport of golf after she retired and grew to love it! She enjoyed playing golf at
Orchard Hills and also at Foss Park where she played with the 9-hole golf group. She always
said the secret to staying young was to keep moving and in keeping with those beliefs, she
continued to golf until the age of 93!
In her spare time, she learned to cross-stitch and created beautiful pictures, pillows and even
cross-stitched a few blankets that she loved to gift to family and friends.
She thoroughly enjoyed shopping and on Saturdays you would often hear her say “Let’s go
bummin’!” (“bummin” meant shopping!). However, her biggest enjoyment came from
traveling. Betty loved to travel both domestically and internationally. Whether she was taking
a trip out West to visit family or explore a new country in Europe, she did not let the dust settle
under her feet and was constantly on the move. The stories, experiences and pictures that she
brought back from each trip were fascinating and fun-filled.
Betty loved spending time with her family and friends and had quite the social network once
she retired. She loved a good party, loved to laugh and tell stories. The holidays were always
her favorite – especially Christmas.​
Though she battled cancer (3) times over her lifetime, she never had a dose of chemotherapy
nor radiation. She believed in eating healthy, taking care of yourself, keeping in shape and
living life to its fullest. It was likely that philosophy that allowed her to live independently until
the age of 100! Betty leaves quite a legacy behind over the course of her 105 years on this
earth. Her love for her family was as large as her Croatian temper, which was evenly balanced
by her love of laughter. She was generous in so many ways with those she loved. She will be
remembered as being remarkable, extraordinary and one of a kind.
Betty is survived by daughter Karen “Kay” McCormick of San Antonio, TX, daughter Elizabeth
Marsh of Grayslake, IL, son Michael (Nancy) Kirn of Tucson, AZ, step-son Dennis (Jody) Gerzel of
Grayslake, IL, (9) grandchildren, (15) great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents: Mike and Kate Worklan, brothers Matt and John
Worklan, sisters Ann Prebil and Mary Stanonik, husbands Edward Kirn and Thomas J. Gerzel,
son-in-laws Gerald McCormick and Gary Marsh and grandsons Jeff and Jim Marsh.
A visitation will be held at 9:00am followed by a memorial mass at 10:00am on Friday,
October 13th, 2023 at St. Patrick’s Church, 15000 W. Wadsworth Road, Wadsworth, IL 60083.
Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Arrangements are under the direction of Peterson & Patch Funeral Home, Waukegan.
Please sign our online guestbook at www.waukeganfunerals.com