Alice McDonald

Alice Marie (Woodcock) McDonald, 90, of the Village of Lakewood, passed away, peacefully, surrounded by her loving family on Thursday, January 17, 2013.

She was born on November 20, 1922, to Samuel and Grace Woodcock in Beloit, Wisconsin. Upon graduation from Beloit High School, she moved to Chicago where she worked as a nursing assistant at Shriners Hospital for Children. She loved working with children, often sharing stories of her experiences with her family. For many years she was a stay at home mother and homemaker, eventually working as a waitress, event planner and chef at McGraw Wildlife Pond Cottage in Dundee. Alice joined the staff at Larkin Home for Children in Elgin, where for many years she loved cooking for and interacting with the children and staff. She retired from Larkin Center to enjoy time with family and to travel.

Alice was a wonderful mother to her three children, yet ‘Grandma’ is the title she most treasured. She was ‘the Fun Grandma’ which can be attested to by her loving grandchildren. There was always room for ‘one more grandchild’ to nestle under her wings to nurture and love. It did not matter if a child was related by blood, for her heart was pure, open and joyful, with room for all who crossed her path in life.

Alice is survived by her children, Harry (Deborah) McDonald, Patricia (Richard) Erdman, and Craig McDonald; grandchildren, Lori McDonald, John McDonald, Michael Erdman, Elizabeth (Paul) Kruger, Barbara Ready, and Michael (Brandy) Flaig; great grandchildren, Laura Kay, Obediah Ready, Jake Ready, Michael Flaig Jr., Tyler Flaig and Domanic Flaig; and nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her sister, Katherine Eggert, and brother, Russell Woodcock.

A Celebration of Alice’s Life will be held at Park Place, 406 Woodstock St., Crystal Lake, on Saturday, February16, at 11 am.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Larkin Center, 1212 Larkin Ave, Elgin IL 60123 or Family Alliance, Inc, 2028 N Seminary Ave, Woodstock IL 60098.