The Oaks Funeral Home

09/06/2025

Guilt and jealousy are all a part of the grief journey

09/05/2025

Peter Anwar, age 63, Beloved son of Lillian and the late Hamid (Harry) Anwar; Dearest father of Elizabeth “Lizzy” and Paul; Loving brother of Haroon, Hussein “Andy” and Hamid Jr “Moe”; Captain of Double Trouble; President of Advanced Metalcraft, Inc. Arrangements entrusted to The Oaks Funeral Home. For funeral info 630-250-8588 or oaksfh.com

09/05/2025

You are stronger than you think 💮

09/04/2025

Give yourself permission to rest 🌸

09/03/2025

Betty J. Nielsen (nee Felke), age 97, Beloved wife of the late Glenn; dearest mother of Janet (Rod) Harlander, Loving grandmother of Jamie (Mike) Espinosa and Brett Harlander. Visitation will take place on Monday, September 8th from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M. at The Oaks Funeral Home, 1201 E Irving Park Road (at Prospect), Itasca. The Funeral Service will begin at 7:00 P.M. Interment private. For funeral info 630-250-8588 or oaksfh.com.

09/03/2025

Thomas Victor Sepka age 88; Beloved husband of Anne nee Cascio for 66 years; Loving father of Anna Marie (Steve) Dorner, Thomas J. (Jeanie), Mary Nummer, William (Effie) and Lisa (Craig) Harris; Cherished grandfather of Chrissy (Josh) Slavin, Gina (Kyle) Fenwrick, Alicia (Michael) Cahill, Joseph (Rosanne) Sepka, Michael Nummer, Anthony Sepka, Kathryn (Cory) Rakes, Annalisa Calendo, Jackson Sepka, Michael Sepka and cherished great-grandfather of Jacob Fenwrick, Michael Cahill, Mackenzie Cahill, Arthur Sepka and Ellis Sepka; Loving brother of the late Juliana (the late Patrick) Calendo, the late John (Philomena) Sepka and loving brother-in-law of June Hinz. Family and friends will meet on Monday, Sept. 8th for a Visitation from 9:00 AM until the Celebration of the Funeral Mass, 11:00 AM at Saint Peter the Apostle Church 551 N. Rush Street, Itasca. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Itasca Food Pantry, https://www.itascacares.org/donate, Mayo Clinic, https://www.mayoclinic.org or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, https://www.stjude.org would be appreciated. Arrangements were entrusted to The Oaks Funeral Home 630-250-8588 or www.oaksfh.com

09/03/2025

All I want is for her to know
how much I miss her

The best decision
that I ever made
was to marry her
Even death cannot stop me
from loving her

09/02/2025

Sandra Claudine Meade, age 74, Beloved wife of the late Robert “Bob” William Meade, Loving wife of Vernon Jadrich; Loving mother of Heather Marie (Patrick) Hafner and Kristen Joy (Daniel) Allen; Cherished grandma of Alejandra, Declan, Jayce, and Leah; mother to Honorary daughter of Mina Brandon.

Sandra was a former volleyball coach for an adult league at the Wood Dale Park District. Her capacity for nurturing talent and fostering camaraderie extended into her role as a trustee of the Wood Dale Fire Protection District, where she worked diligently to ensure the safety and well-being of her fellow residents.

For 34 years, Sandy ran an in-home daycare, turning her house into a safe haven for children, where they were embraced by her warmth and kindness. Throughout her life, she regularly attended church at Lombard Assembly of God and most recently a current member of Bethel Assembly, where her faith and passion touched the lives of many.

Sandy was not just defined by her volunteer work; she was a creative spirit who found joy in crocheting, playing the piano, and dancing. She cherished moments spent traveling and loved retreating to her lake house, where laughter and relaxation filled the air.

Sandy’s warmth, generosity, and love for life will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all those whose lives she touched. Visitation Saturday, September 6th 8:00 am until time of Service, 11:30 am at The Oaks Funeral Home, 1201 E Irving Park Road (at Prospect) Itasca. Interment Acacia Park Cemetery. For funeral info: 630-250-8588 or oaksfh.com

09/02/2025

I was not ready for you to leave! 🦋

09/02/2025

This brings warmth to my grief 🤗🥰❤️

Leo Buscaglia once said that I know for certain we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought, and decision we make. Their love leaves indelible imprints on our memories.
We find comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared their love.

09/01/2025

As we begin a new month, I thought we could start with a little Monday Motivation.
May health & happiness come to us all

08/31/2025

"I think ‘widowed’ needs to be less like a scarlet letter and more like a quiet way of saying: Yes, I loved. And yes, I’m still here, learning how to go on."❤️‍🩹

The First Time I Had To Check ‘Widowed’

There are moments in grief that hit like a bolt of lightning. You see them coming from miles away. And then there are the ambushes. For me, one of those ambushes came the first time I had to fill out a form and check that little box: ‘Widowed.’

I was sitting in the branch manager’s office at the bank in one of those chairs that feels like it was designed by someone who hates comfort, with a clipboard balanced on my knee. Just paperwork, I told myself. Just fill in the blanks. Name, address, date of birth.

Easy enough.

And then I saw it: Marital Status: Single – Married – Divorced - Widowed

My pen stopped. “Widowed.’ That word looked ancient, like something from a Victorian-era novel. I half-expected someone in a top hat to walk by and hand me a pocket watch. It didn’t feel like me. It felt like a label that belonged to some other man, decades older, wearing all black.

But there it was. My box. My reality.

Checking it felt so horribly painful. I wasn’t just asserting a fact; I was acknowledging, in black ink, that my person was gone.

All I really wanted to do was write…This box doesn’t tell you the whole story. It doesn’t tell you how much the person you’re asking me to delete from my life mattered!

Here’s the thing…I’m not ‘just’ widowed. I’m a husband who loved deeply enough that the loss still sits heavy in my heart.

That box might reduce my life into a single checked line, but in truth, it points to something bigger: there was real love in my story. A love worth grieving, worth carrying forward, even if the way I carry it now looks different.

I think ‘widowed’ needs to be less like a scarlet letter and more like a quiet way of saying: Yes, I loved. And yes, I’m still here, learning how to go on.

Because most of us aren’t just widowed…we’re still living, still loving, and still just trying to figure it all out.

Gary Sturgis - Surviving Grief