Admiring, respecting 'Geo'
More than 300 people -- statesmen and constituents, lawmakers and admirers -- gathered Saturday on the shore of Lake Michigan to say goodbye to former state Sen. Adeline Geo-Karis.
Some tears were shed, but most mourners at the Zion-area state park bearing Geo-Karis' name instead shared laughs and fond memories of the woman nearly everyone called "Geo."
They also recognized her efforts to work for the people she represented in four decades of elected service, whether in the mayor's office in Zion, the state House or the state Senate, where she spent the bulk of her political career.
As the Rev. Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, said during the funeral, Geo-Karis pursued the good, the noble and the right.
"She has earned the respect and admiration of her fellow citizens," he said.
Added the Rev. Cosmas Halekakis, pastor of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Waukegan, Geo-Karis' home church: "She personified the servant leader."
Geo-Karis, 89, of Zion, died one week ago today.
She was regarded as the grandam of Lake County politics and the General Assembly. Geo-Karis also was a trailblazer for women in Lake County, as she was the first woman to serve in a variety of public posts.
"(She was) incredibly strong willed," her great-nephew, George Colis, said during a luncheon after the funeral. "She was a self-made person."
A Republican, Geo-Karis was well-regarded by lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle, and that respect was evident at the hour-long funeral. Notable guests included Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, former Gov. Jim Thompson, state senator and ranking Democrat Terry Link, state Rep. Kathy Ryg, Lake County Clerk Willard Helander and state Sen. Michael Bond, who succeeded Geo-Karis in the 31st District last year.
Link was among the lawmakers who shared tales about Geo-Karis during the luncheon. He recalled how years ago Geo-Karis, then Vernon Hills' village attorney, criticized his then-girlfriend and future wife for dating a Democrat.
"Aren't there enough Republicans in the county, you gotta be dating him?" Link recalled Geo-Karis saying.
State Sen. Pamela J. Althoff, who represents the neighboring 32nd District in McHenry County, spoke of being tutored by "Auntie Geo."
"She really taught me that you needed to work in a bipartisan fashion," Althoff said. "She was an institution."
Longtime Geo-Karis friend Louis Atsaves spoke of Geo-Karis' popularity with her constituents.
"Having lunch with her in Lake County was like having lunch with a rock star," he said. "We were constantly interrupted."
Photographs depicting Geo-Karis through the years were on display in the hall outside the luncheon, as was Geo-Karis' collection of political buttons and other mementos.
Black-and-white photographs of Geo-Karis in her U.S. Navy uniform -- she was proud to be a lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserves -- drew many comments from passersby.
So did the photos of Geo-Karis with President George W. Bush, President George H.W. Bush, former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and other noted political figures.
Burial followed the luncheon at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie.