Linda E. Nork
Linda E. Nork nee Phillippi. December 6, 1941 - March 10, 2022
Beloved wife of Kenneth A. Nork.
Loving mother of Kenneth P. (Nancy) Nork, & Nicolette (James) Prepura.
Cherished grandmother of John (Ashley), Jessica (Andy), Kendall (Chris), Kenneth II, & Kaila.
Proud great grandmother of Avery, Noah, Logan, Tyler, Beau & Luke.
Dear sister of Peg (Pat) Guerra, & Jeanne (John) Norberg.
Fond aunt of many nieces, nephews, cousins, and a dear friend to all.
Visitation Tuesday from 3:00 pm until 8:00 pm.
Funeral Wednesday March 16, 9:15 am from Thompson & Kuenster Funeral Home, 5570 W. 95th St. in Oak Lawn to St. Gerald Church for Mass at 10:00 am.
Entombment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
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Linda Elizabeth Phillippi Nork
Linda had just passed her 80th birthday when she left us on Thursday, March 10, 2022. She died at Christ Hospital in Oaklawn, Ill. She was a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend. She was the matriarch of our family who dispensed hugs and chocolate pudding pie in equal measure. She was born to Ruth E. Hooker and Louis “Bill” Phillippi on Dec. 6, 1941, at the Lying-In Hospital, part of the University of Chicago. The next day, Pearl Harbor was bombed. She was her grandparents ’first” grandchild. To hear their stories, you wouldn’t have been surprised if she could read before she could even walk. She grew up Catholic in the Englewood Neighborhood on Chicago ’s Southside, living near 63 rd and Halsted, at 6425 and then 6455 S. Peoria St. The latter was a two-flat in which Linda and her family lived on first floor and her Grammy and Pa Hooker lived upstairs. She attended: William G. Beale Elementary School for kindergarten. St. Stephen's (Lutheran), 64th and Peoria, 1st grade. Our Lady of Solace (Catholic), 60th & Sangamon, 2nd-4th grades. St. Bernard's (Catholic), 4th -7th grades, where she was confirmed in the Catholic faith. St. Brendan's (Catholic), 8th grade. In the spring of 1955, when she was 13, Linda and her family moved near Midway Airport to 6331 S. Keeler, and she attended Maria High School on Marquette Blvd. She started working at age 14, first at a dress shop, then a candy store, and finally at Ed ’ s Pizza on 63rd Street. That’ s where she met her husband-to-be, Ken Nork. She was just shy of 19 when she married Ken Nork on Nov. 14, 1960, and after their parents found out they had to do it all over again in a church. Linda and Ken then moved nearby to rent the upstairs of a two-flat building at 6224 S. Kolmar. Linda worked in the Chicago Heights office for the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (C&EI) until her son Kenneth Patrick was born Feb. 26, 1965. A year later, Ken and Linda bought their first and only house and moved to 9630 S. Natoma. Their daughter Nicolette was born soon after, on Sept. 6, 1968. By then, Linda was driving a school bus, often taking Nicky with her on the runs when she was small. Linda drove those buses until she retired. It wasn’t easy. It was often cold or hot. It was hard on her body. But she kept at it until her body wore out. So did her kidney, requiring exhausting dialysis treatments and finally a donated kidney. A lot of her free time was spent with her children and then with their families. She also enjoyed beating her sisters at Scrabble and playing cards with very special friends. Vacations were spent at lakes, often in Minocqua, Wisconsin. And any time you stopped by, she would want to feed you. What a good cook she was! She like to write poetry and penned heartfelt verses for many of us.
Here is one she wrote titled “ Mothers.”
A Mother is Love
A Mother is Caring
A Mother is Hope
A Mother is Sharing
A Mother is Joy
A Mother is Giving
A Mother is a Family’s Reason for Being
Linda built a strong, loving family. She is survived by her husband Ken, son Kenneth P. (Nancy P.), and daughter Nicolette (James) Prepura; grandchildren Kendall, Kenneth and Kaila Nork; John (Ashley) Prepura; and Jessica (Andy) Prepura Knowles. She was the great-grandmother of Avery, Noah, Logan and Beau Prepura and Tyler and Luke Knowles. Her sisters, Margaret “ Peg” (Pat Hendrickse) Phillippi Guerra and Jeanne Phillippi (John) Norberg also survive.