Rita R. Schraw, 96, a resident of the DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 3, 2019.

Rita's family and friends will remember her as a loving wife and mother, wonderful "grandma", caring friend and resourceful homemaker. She loved food and cooking and had an enormous cookbook collection.  She was always happiest when she was surrounded by her large family during holiday celebrations or on frequent getaways to the family cabin in Wisconsin.

Rita was born on February 19th, 1923 in Chicago, Illinois, to Mary Domeracki Nickol and Edward Nickol. She graduated from St. Barbara's High School in Chicago on June 7, 1940. She was one of the top three contestants in the Miss 17 Chicago contest and was remembered in her high school year book for her operatic voice and her warm smile.

After graduating, Rita worked for Carson Pirie Scott in the Advertising     Department.  She loved her job, was very social and enjoyed going out with friends.

On one of those outings, she met her future husband, John, at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago and they both quickly fell in love. The couple exchanged countless love letters while John served his country during WWII from 1942-1945 as a Boatswain Mate in the South Pacific. The two married March 2, 1946 in Chicago, IL.  John used to tell stories about how when he first met his wife-to-be, he thought she was "way out of my league". Rita left such an indelible image in his mind that at 96 he remembered what she wore when they met all those years back.

Rita and John built a happy life together. Having both grown up in The Great Depression, their resilience and grit created a strong foundation for a life of hard work and raising a family of six children. Rita stayed at home to raise her family but often took part-time jobs to help make ends meet.

Both Rita and John shared many interests, like gardening, camping, fishing, cross country skiing, dancing, and of course raising a large family of children, grand-children, and great-grandchildren. They were proud of the fact that all their children were principled people who became successful in whatever they set out to accomplish.