Patricia Ann (Petkus) Kralik

Patricia Ann Kralik (nee Petkus), age 75, passed away on July 7 th , 2024. She was born May 7 th 1949 in Chicago, Illinois to Edward and Geraldine (nee Simana) Petkus who raised Patricia and her three brothers in the suburb of Berwyn. As a young person, Patricia created and performed plays for family and neighbors with her cousin Diane. She enjoyed skiing and horseback riding (despite being bitten by a horse). She wasn’t squeamish about baiting hooks for her brother Glenn and out-fished all the guys while on vacation with her childhood friend Linda. She was hard to beat at Monopoly and Life. As an honor student at Morton West High School (class of ’67) she excelled at everything from dissecting frogs on the kitchen table to crafting beautiful pottery. She played the acoustic guitar and was a fan of the Beatles. In her college years, Patricia would get long-distance visits from her husband-to-be, Ivan Kralik, who drove a Volkswagen Beetle from Berwyn (where they met at a dance) to the University of Colorado in Boulder where she was completing a B.S. in Physical Therapy. Patricia graduated and got married in 1972. Upon returning to Illinois, Patricia and Ivan started a family and raised their four boys in Riverside, Illinois. She worked as a physical therapist at Elmhurst, McNeal, and Loyola University hospitals as well as West Suburban Medical Center. As a working-mom, wife, St. Mary’s parishioner, soccer coach, caregiver, and volunteer, Patricia lived an exemplary life of boundless kindness, dedication, and generosity and welcomed all people with her disarming, loving, and gentle personality. These attributes would remain with Patricia through her retirement in Hamilton, Montana where she continued to share her time and talents by volunteering at Bitterroot Hospital; fundraising for Special Olympics; measuring blood pressure readings for parishioners after church; and even lending a hand with equine therapy in Corvallis, Montana. Patricia cherished vacations on Sanibel Island, Florida. She was an unparalleled holiday decorator. She had a knack for gardening. Most importantly, she was a friend to all and an enemy to none (except knapweed). Patricia was the beloved wife of Ivan for 52 years; loving mother of Chris, Tim, Dan, and Keith Kralik; dearest sister of Larry, Gary, and Glenn Petkus; dedicated cousin of Diane Phillips; devoted grandmother of Collin and Cameron Kralik, and dear aunt of Lauren and Catherine Babjak as well as Michael, Melanie, Jennifer, and Sarah Petkus. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Patricia to Doctors Without Borders ( Help save lives. Donate now. | Doctors Without Borders ) or Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ( Give | MSK Giving (mskcc.org) ). Memorial services for Patricia will be held Monday, July 15 th , at 11 AM at the Daly-Leach Chapel in Hamilton. Please join us in remembering Patricia.