In Memoriam - Frank Wukitsch

April 18, 1941 - January 26, 2021

Frank E. Wukitsch, 79, passed away on January 26, 2021 in Geneva. Frank was born on April 18, 1941 in Chicago to Frank and Dorothy (nee Schlesser) Wukitsch. He was united in marriage to Susan (Bonnie) Zimmerman on April 30, 1968 in Basel, Switzerland.

Frank will be remembered for his love for his family, the theatre and old tools.  Frank’s father, a tool and die man for the Chicago Stockyards, instilled a love for woodworking and tools at a young age.  Frank would often go with his father to job sites and learned woodworking from a master.  After four years in the army (stationed in Germany), Frank went to work for the Raytheon Company working on missiles.  While in Germany, Frank and Susan were introduced by a mutual friend and were married two months later in Basel, Switzerland.    Returning to the United States, Frank received a Masters Degree in Theatre and went on to teach theatre at the Latin School in Chicago and The Goodman School of Drama/The Theatre School- DePaul University.  His many students talk of his “quiet but powerful sense of calm and generous heart” and his giving of his sandwiches is legendary.   

Frank instilled in his young children a love of the arts, and specifically, the theatre.  Many a weekend was spent on the train going into Chicago to see one of the children’s shows at the Goodman Theatre and later The Theatre School- DePaul University.  Lisa and Gil carry on that love of the arts and the theatre in their jobs as music teachers, pit orchestra directors, and drama directors.

After his retirement, Frank and Susan could be found antiquing, always bringing home that “new” antique tool or another book or piece of china.  Frank volunteered with Preservation Partners of Fox Valley, helping to restore some of the old machinery and giving tool talks to weekend visitors.  Frank spent time with his adult children, helping Lisa to build scenery for her school and helping Gil to rebuild his old barn.  Frank enjoyed visiting the farm animals with his granddaughter, Ava, and talking Legos with his grandson, Grant.

Frank leaves behind his wife, Susan, his children, Lisa (Chris) Wukitsch and Gil (Danielle),Wukitsch, his grandchildren, Ava Wukitsch and Grant Wukitsch, his brothers, Tom (Margaret) Wukitsch and Bob (Barbara) Wukitsch, his sister, Lori (Nick) D’Asta, many cousins, numerous nieces and nephews, many friends, and countless students.

Frank is preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Dorothy Wukitsch, and his stepmother, Grace Wukitsch (nee LeBanco).

All services will be private.

In honor of Frank, please consider a donation to Preservation Partners of Fox Valley or The Theatre School- DePaul University (Wukitsch Spare Sandwich) Scholarship Fund .

Arrangements entrusted to Moss Family Funeral Home St. Charles 630-584-2000 or www.mossfuneral.com

Source: Moss Funeral Home, accessed April 20, 2021

Book Club, April 7

Opinions were divided during our discussion of Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House. Some readers responded enthusiastically to the rich characterizations and family dynamics in the novel, while others found the characters’ obsessions with the house itself a puzzle or a limitation.  Our conversation started with an observation that the novel is narrated entirely by Danny Conroy, yet it is dominated by women and their concerns.  We considered the relationship of sister and brother, Maeve and Danny.  Maeve’s insistence that Danny attend medical school, to spend down the inheritance that would otherwise go to the children of Andrea, their stepmother, seems an elaborate kind of vengeance.  While the banishment of Maeve and Danny by their stepmother from the house (and Maeve’s response) seemed rather unconvincing to many of us, others saw it as one of many borrowings in the novel from fairy tales; at various points, the novel seems to echo tales of wicked stepmothers, children left to find their way in the forest, and magical castles.  

The Dutch House itself evoked a range of reflections and comments.  The role of the large front windows, both architecturally and as an ironic “transparence,” led to observations about actual Dutch houses and the odd presence of the original Dutch inhabitants through their portraits and possessions.  The servants who seem almost part of the furnishings, starting with Fluffy, were all richly drawn and interesting in themselves.  Andrea’s obsession with the house, and Maeve’s persistent return to watch the house from outside, suggested its power. Only when a party given by the new owner, Danny's daughter, celebrates new beginnings, does the house appear to have found its rightful owner.  The family, despite Maeve’s death, also appears more coherent in those final scenes, though the novel’s ending remains ambiguous.

Our next book will be The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David Mccullough. We will meet via Zoom on Wednesday, June 2. Meeting starts at 11 am Chicago time. However, the Zoom link will be open at 10:30, to make sure everyone can  establish a good connection.

Please contact Kathryn DeGraff or Helen Marlborough if you have any questions.

We enjoy catching up with our former colleagues and enjoy welcoming new members to the group. Zoom meetings have provided a great way for colleagues not in the immediate vicinity of the Lincoln Park Campus to participate.