Virginia Mary Ertle, nee Gleason, 81, passed away in her Hinsdale home on July 18, 2023.
Virginia was born in 1942 in Chicago. She graduated from the Academy of Our Lady High School in Beverly and obtained her R.N. degree from Holy Cross Nursing School. After raising her two children, she returned to school and earned her bachelor's degree from the University of St. Francis. She knew she wanted an advanced degree and valued the opportunities a law degree would afford her, so she enrolled and graduated from John Marshall Law School in Chicago. She practiced general law and estate planning and valued the legal assistance she was able to provide to women through the DuPage County battered women's shelter.
Virginia was actively involved in her local community and beyond. She spent many hours providing well-baby checks for mothers at Rockwell Gardens housing project on the west side of Chicago, providing care to children residing in orphanages in the countryside of Haiti and serving on the board of directors for Hinsdale Hospital women's auxiliary. She was involved in her children's parent-teacher organization, including serving as president. She and her husband also sponsored educational pursuits for a number of children in Guatemala, El Salvador and India.
With her husband, Virginia visited every corner of the world and all seven continents. She was an avid music lover who enjoyed the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as well as taking in a Broadway show in Chicago, New York or London.
Her family and friends were the beneficiaries of her cooking. She was a self-taught gourmet chef who could whip up a fancy French meal, a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner and the best Beef Wellington.
She loved to knit and sew and made many of her own clothes as well as baptismal gowns for her nieces and nephews. Virginia took so much joy from her gardening. A Renaissance woman, she was also a prolific reader and an accomplished painter, whose works hang in some of the finest homes in the country.
She was a lifelong member of the Roman Catholic church who never missed a Sunday Mass and was frequently at daily Mass.
Virginia was devoted to her family, supporting her husband in his professional activities. She was very proud of her children and their accomplishments and never failed to brag about them to friends and family.
She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Dr. James O. Ertle; her son, James O. Ertle Jr.; her daughter, Elise Ann (Brendan) Quealy; her brother, Dennis (Annie) Gleason; her sister, Mary (Bruce) Andrews; her grandchildren, Ben Ertle and Brendan, Tess, Amanda and James Quealy; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father, Wilbur Gleason; her mother, Mary Gleason; and her brothers, Stephen and Jim Gleason.
Visitation is from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 29, at St. John of the Cross Church, 5005 Wolf Road, Western Springs.
A memorial Mass will follow at the church at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Saint Sabina Catholic Church, 1210 W. 78th Place, Chicago, IL 60620.
Sullivan Funeral Home in Hinsdale handled the arrangements.
