Ilona Weber passed away on January 17, 2023 at the age of 83. Beloved mother of Vanessa (Edward), Myles (Karen), and Celeste, and stepmother of Phyllis. Proud grandmother of Liam, Everett, Evan, Cameron and Nathan. She was preceded in death by her devoted husband, John, her parents, Alma and William Hopkins, and her brothers, Horatio and Brockman.

Ilona was a faithful member of St. Benedict Parish and a steadfast volunteer at St. Benedict Elementary School for decades. She cherished her time as the school's librarian and also running the book fair, instilling a love of reading for countless students. In 2009, she was presented a stewardship award in recognition of her dedicated volunteer service to St. Benedict Parish and Schools.

In her early life, she was a wonderful employee of The Hoover Company. During her nearly 17 years with the company, she made many great memories and developed cherished friendships. She was close with those friends all her life.

From a very young age and throughout her life, Ilona loved and cared for animals of all kinds, sometimes aiding injured animals and birds back to health. She marked life's milestones without fail and always celebrated the birthdays of those she loved with cards and calls.

Ilona was proud of her Finnish heritage and held dear her connections to relatives everywhere, including the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, southern Illinois and Finland. A devoted mother and grandmother, Ilona was infinitely proud of her beautiful grandsons and loved spending time with them sharing stories and meals. She was also an in-demand bedtime storyteller.

Ilona was a determined, strong-willed, strong-minded, thoughtful woman with a great sense of humor and strong work ethic.

Her kindness, quiet generosity and loving spirit will be missed and treasured by so many family members and friends.

Ilona's memorial visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 25 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Grein Funeral Home, 2114 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago, Illinois.  Her Memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, January 26 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Benedict Church, 2215 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago, Illinois.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of Ilona to St. Benedict Elementary School or PAWS Chicago, where she adopted Lucy. https://www.pawschicago.org/how-to-help/donate