Ilse “Ille” Madgouranis (nee Autzen), 91, formerly a 40 year resident of Woodridge, Illinois and most recently of Lake in the Hills, Illinois, passed away at home October 11, 2020, surrounded by her loving family.
She was born December 30, 1928 in Kiel, Germany, the daughter of Heinrich and Annemarie Autzen. In 1960, she traveled to Greece on vacation where she would meet her future husband, George, an American visiting his family. After much correspondence, Ilse emigrated to the U.S. in 1961, and married the love of her life, George. They had a loving marriage, just too short in Ilse’s view, when George suddenly died in 1990. When asked about her marriage, she would reply, I was ‘only’ married 29 years. She considered herself still married, and always wore her wedding ring for the next 30 years until her death.
Ilse was a talented artist, and her oil paintings and drawings were always admired. Ilse and George both loved music, and prior to his death, they would often play together – he on the violin or mandolin, and she on the piano. She continued to play until shortly before her death. She would often send her children to bed to the melodies of Schubert or Mozart, and instilled that love of music in them as well. At Christmas, her grandchildren knew – no singing, no presents!
Ilse is survived by her daughter, Georgia Majors and her son, James Majors; her grandchildren, Alex, Stephen and Sophia; her sister, Freya (the late Rolf) Muendlein of Neumuenster, Germany, and the rest of her extended family in Germany and several nieces in the United States.
Ilse was preceded in death by her beloved husband, George Madgouranis.
A memorial visitation will be held on Sunday, October 18, 2020 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm with a memorial service and time of sharing to begin that afternoon at 4:00pm at Willow Funeral Home & Cremation Care, 1415 W. Algonquin Rd., (one mile east of Randall Rd.) Algonquin/Lake in the Hills, Illinois.
To make a lasting tribute honoring the life of Ilse, memorial contributions may be made to help others receive the same compassionate care JourneyCare provided for our family. Contributions can be sent to JourneyCare Foundation, 2050 Claire Court, Glenview, IL 60025 or online at www.journeycare.org
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