Grace B. D'Hooge

Visitation

Feb 7, 2022 to Feb 8, 2022

Biography

Grace Barbara (Sorce) D’Hooge February 16, 1940 - February 1, 2022 Visitation: Monday, February 7th from 4 – 8 p.m. at The Oaks Funeral Home 1201 Irving Park Road Itasca, IL 60143 (630) 250-8588. Family and friends will meet for the celebration of Grace's Funeral Mass on Tuesday, February 8th 10 a.m. at Holy Ghost Church 254 N. Wood Dale Road, Wood Dale, IL 60191 (630) 860-2975. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks that you consider making a donation to the American Cancer Society in memory of their beautiful mother – Grace D’Hooge. Long before Google Maps, there were telephone booths, which is a good thing because when Grace D’Hooge got lost, she would find the nearest telephone booth and call her husband, Rich. The conversation was always the same. He would ask where she was; she would tell him the name of cross roads; and, then, he would ask exactly which corner of the intersection she was calling from – Northwest? Southeast? Grace’s response was peppered with words that weren’t pertinent to the answer, but necessary to express her complete and utter frustration. She would then describe the closest landmark such as a gas station or bank – never once did she provide Rich with the information he really needed. Finally, one day, Rich bought her a compass. Grace looked at him with complete disdain and reminded him that since compasses always point north, it would only be helpful if she needed to drive north. No one knows what ever happened to that compass, but somehow she always found her way home. Thankfully, Grace didn’t need a compass to get to Heaven and when the Lord called her Home Tuesday afternoon, she knew exactly where as her daughters held her hands and kissed her peaceful face. The Younger Years: Grace was born in Chicago on February 16th, 1940, to Frank and Lottie Sorce. She had an older brother, Angelo, and a much younger sister, Saundra, who she adored. Her mother passed away when she was barely 10 years old. Her father remarried and together, Frank and Mabel, raised Grace and her siblings. In her younger years, Grace drove a convertible and was always dressed to perfection. She believed that if you didn’t have to get dressed up, the destination probably wasn’t worth considering. And although she was a ‘city girl,’ she really enjoyed horseback riding – so much, in fact, that her father bought Grace a stallion of her own. Her love of horses followed her well into her adult life. Motherhood: Grace met Rich through mutual friends when they were in high school and married about 8 years later. They had two children – Dawn and Denise - and lived in Wood Dale for more than 50 years. Grace was deeply devoted to her children and subscribed to the belief that a mother was only ‘as happy as her unhappiest child.’ While she volunteered at school, hosted birthday parties and performed many other typical motherly duties while her daughters where young, Grace’s role as a mother to her adult children is somewhat legendary. Case in point: When Dawn, her then-46-year-old daughter, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Grace dropped everything and moved to Dallas, Texas to help Dawn’s husband, Jon, take care of her daughter and her two grandchildren, Andrew (14) and Erica (12). Grace ran carpool; went to all of her grandson’s sporting events; all of her granddaughter’s dance rehearsals and performances; and very quickly endeared herself to everyone she came to know. More than a decade later, Andrew’s and Erica’s friends still fondly remember how excited they were when Grammie Grace called to invite them over for her famous ‘hamburger and noodles.’ Grace was as equally devoted to her younger daughter, Denise. She always dropped whatever was going on in her life to take care of Denise in times of need. She looked forward to their daily phone calls and always had a funny story about work or one of her crazy dreams from the night before. Grace was always up for a good Home Goods run or a field trip to Russel’s, where she and Denise were easily able to down a full bottle of BBQ sauce in one sitting. Grace also loved sitting outside on Denise’s deck with her Grand-dogs talking about everything and anything – she enjoyed the simple times together. In fact, Grace cherished any and all time that she spent with her children. Grammie: When asked about their grandmother – ‘Grammie’ – Andrew says, ‘She always cheered me up when I was down and was a good role model for the whole family because of her compassion and love.’ And Erica says, ‘She really showed her dedication and loyalty to her daughter and our entire family when she stayed with us while my mom was sick. She was sweet and patient, a little spacey sometimes, but that’s part of the reason we love her so much.’ She was looking forward to Andrew’s wedding to his fiancé, Mariah, in May. A Wood Dale Fixture: Grace was a permanent fixture of the Wood Dale Community dating back to her active involvement in the Junior Women’s Club in the 1970s. She worked in restaurant management at Castlewood (now Bentley’s) as well as the Itasca Country Club and Brookwood Country Club. She was a member of Holy Ghost Catholic Church; a regular at Christy’s Restaurant; and shopped at ‘The Jewel’ her entire life. Sweets & Scrabble: Grace’s loved a good cup of coffee and anything containing sugar – primarily Dots, Swedish Fish and donuts. She was a wicked Scrabble player, often beating her opponents by tens, if not hundreds of points. Grace also had a green thumb - her yard was always filled with a colorful variety of seasonal blooms and rose bushes. But, her favorite flowers were purple orchids. She also loved to dance. Her daughters would often find their parents dancing in the house to the likes of Englebert Humperdink, The Platters and Tom Jones. She and her friends ‘went dancing’ when she was well into her 60s and her favorite program was, of course, ‘Dancing With The Stars.’ True Grace: Those who knew Grace lovingly referred to her as Grammie, Gracie, Spacey Gracie, Sassy Gracie or Gracie Girl. But, no matter which nickname her friends and family preferred, there’s one thing everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her would agree upon: She had a strong and beautiful spirit. In fact, it was that very spirit upon which many life-long friendships were built and which prompted new friends to immediately trust and confide in her. Old or new, her friends were her family, too. It was the simple things in life that made her happy, but she was far from a simple person. Her sometimes difficult life experiences gave her the ability to relate to many people who found refuge in her sage advice. Grace loved the Lord and firmly believed in Jesus Christ as Her Savior. She learned long ago that material things come and go, but family is forever. She lived her life according to that philosophy; she always put the needs of her friends and family before those of her own; and valued her family above all else. Grace was not only her name, it was her state of being. Please join Grace’s family in celebrating her incredible life.