Julia Mischanko, 86, Retired to Forest Park
Julia Mischanko, 86, died May 21, 2009, at Rush-Oak Park Hospital.
Born in Flint, Mich., Mischanko grew up in Gary, Ind., during the Depression. During WWII, she worked in the steel mills and after the war, became active in the Russian Orthodox Church. She was an editor of The Midwesterner, a regional church publication.
After a failed marriage, Mischanko turned to education, attending a Chicago community college and then receiving scholarships from both the University of Chicago and Roosevelt University, earning her bachelor’s degree. She became a teacher for the Chicago Public Schools, where she worked for 30 years. Mischanko went on to earn a master’s degree in education from Northeastern University.
She retired to Forest Park in 1993, but battled poor health and cancer until her death.
She was the mother of Julianna Summers.
The youngest of six children born to Simone and Anna Mischanko, her parents and siblings, Anna, Alex, Frederick, Mary and Katie, all predeceased her. A private cremation was held June 1 at the Parkwyn Funeral Home in Berwyn.
