‘Extremely committed to the community’: Kristen Graack was a teacher, library board member and more

Over the course of her life, Des Plaines resident Kristen Graack was a mapmaker for the U.S. government, a restaurateur and a teacher.

She was a Des Plaines Public Library board member, too. She loved the outdoors, the Chicago Blackhawks and dive bars.

Graack, 70, died Aug. 18, surrounded by family. She had cancer.

Born Kristen Halwax in Chicago, Graack attended Notre Dame High School for Girls and then Western Illinois University, where she earned a geography degree. She subsequently earned a master’s degree in cartography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a teaching degree.

Graack made maps for the U.S. State Department before moving to Wisconsin and opening a restaurant with her husband, Bob. Relocation to Illinois and a teaching career here followed.

Graack’s sense of volunteerism took her in several directions. She helped care for babies born to mothers struggling with addiction, volunteered at a homeless shelter and was an election judge.

“She was extremely committed to the community,” Mayor Andrew Goczkowski said.

Graack gave to many charities but never sought recognition, said her eldest son, Henry.

“It was only about doing what she thought was morally right,” he said.

While Graack served on the library board for more than a decade, her time as its president was short. She was named to the leadership post in July, following the death of longtime board President Gregory Sarlo.

Officials knew Graack was ill when she became board president, Goczkowski said.

Graack thought the library “was the gem of Des Plaines,” Henry Graack said. “She also believed that the library was a place for the community to come together.”

In addition to public service, Graack enjoyed camping and other outdoor activities from a young age.

Visitation is scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 10 at St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church, 320 S. Washington Ave., Park Ridge. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. that day. A memorial luncheon will follow at Moretti's Ristorante and Pizzeria, 6727 N. Olmsted Ave., Chicago.

Graack’s survivors include her husband, Robert; sons Henry, Zachary and Samuel; five grandchildren; and two sisters.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur via sndden.org.

Seats on the library board are filled by appointment, not election. People interested in serving on the panel should email cover letters and resumes to agoczkowski@desplainesil.gov.

rlissau@dailyherald.com