Mitchell Kartalia

Mitchell P. Kartalia, who was born to immigrant parents in a Pennsylvania coal-mining camp and rose to prominence in the electrical manufacturing industry, died at home in Barrington, Illinois on December 5, 2011.  He was 98.

 During the Great Depression, Mr. Kartalia left his hometown of Avella, Pennsylvania, to study engineering at the University of Cincinnati.  There, in a “co-op” program, alternating time on campus with periods of work in a steel mill, he earned his way through school and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering.  There also, he met and married Rebecca Adelaide Dunham, a registered nurse on the staff of Cincinnati General Hospital.  As a graduate engineer, he accepted an offer from the Square D Company, an electrical control and switchgear manufacturer.

 Mr. Kartalia had a 40-year career with Square D, entering as an application engineer and working his way steadily higher to the top management of the firm.  At retirement he was Square D’s President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board of Directors.  Under his leadership Square D’s sales and profits grew tenfold.  He always spoke proudly of the company’s good reputation and leadership in this field, and he strove to preserve those intangible corporate assets.  He also aggressively pursued new business opportunities, notably in the establishment of overseas operations.

 He was active in the manufacturing community, serving a term as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and also a term as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Illinois Manufacturers Association.

 The University of Cincinnati awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his career achievements.

 His parents, Petar and Andjelja Juras Kartalija, were Serbian villagers from Sjenicak in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now part of Croatia.  Mr. Kartalia was a proud Serb and in his later years especially enjoyed opportunities to speak Serbo-Croatian, the language of his parents’ home.  He visited Sjenicak several times and renewed ties with his surviving kinfolks, who knew him as their American uncle.

 A resident of Barrington for over fifty years, he was active in the Barrington area community.  Some of the groups he served include the Board of Education for District 220, Good Shepherd Hospital and the Buehler YMCA, Palatine.

 Mr. Kartalia is survived by his wife Rebecca, who has shared the adventure of his life for more than 72 years.  Mr. Kartalia was a devoted father and grandfather.  He is also survived by three children, David E. Kartalia (Jill Kartalia), Diane S. Kartalia (Theodore Hoppock) and Peter James Kartalia (Dennielle Kartalia), twelve grandchildren; nine spouses of grandchildren; and fifteen great-grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by daughter Janet K. Stewart and son Mitchell J. Kartalia.

 Visitation, Friday, December 9th from 4PM to 8PM at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 W. Main Street (Lake Cook Road), Barrington

Funeral services at Davenport Family Funeral Home, Saturday, December 10th at 10:00 AM.  Internment Private.

 In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his honor to the Barrington Area Council on Aging, Good Shepherd Hospital, or the Presbyterian Church of Barrington.

Visitation: Friday, December 9th from 4PM to 8PM at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 W. Main Street (Lake Cook Road), Barrington

Funeral: Saturday, December 10th, 10:00 AM at Davenport Family Funeral Home. 

Internment Private.

 In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his honor to the Barrington Area Council on Aging, Good Shepherd Hospital, or the Presbyterian Church of Barrington.