Alice Obmascik, loving wife, mother, grandmother, baker, master gardener, gift-giver, and big-hearted whirlwind of fun and family, died Saturday June 21. She was 84.

With John, her beloved husband of 61 years, she and her family moved to Bolingbrook in 1971 when their new home was surrounded by cornfields. She planted the saplings that grew into the oak, spruce, maple, and birch that now stretch high above the neighborhood. In the yard below she cultivated the allium, hydrangea, tulips, and parade of other flowers that took turns bursting with color throughout the growing season. She volunteered for years at the Morton Arboretum and helped plant and maintain landscaping at her church of six decades, St. Peter and St. Paul Orthodox Church. It could not have been a coincidence that the certified master gardener died on summer solstice, the day with the most sunshine of the year.

She combated insomnia by embracing post-midnight baking, meaning her family, as well as neighborhood children walking to school, woke up to fresh cookies, brownies, cheesecake, pies, and, every Christmas, Buche de Noel.

She worked sales jobs at Osco Drug and Homemakers Furniture to help put her three children, Mark, Todd, and Jill, through college. She never missed a kid or grandchild game of baseball, softball, basketball, football, soccer, or lacrosse. She organized family car camping trips to Wisconsin Dells, the Great Smoky Mountains, Walt Disney World, Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Grand Tetons. She sent hundreds of presents and care packages to family, friends, acquaintances, and people who just needed a lift. She spent lots of time on the feelings of others and little time considering the personal emotional toll that came with her endless well of empathy.

She loved to laugh, giggle, and inspire, and, especially, she loved to talk. Her favorite subject was her eight grandchildren, who learned from her that there were few problems that couldn't be solved by a trip to Gertie's or Oberweis for ice cream.

She was bad at relaxing. She was good at joy.

Her husband, John, died in 2022. She is survived by her son Mark (Merrill), son Todd (Debra), and daughter Jill (Mike) Obmascik Gray; her grandchildren Cass, Max, Wesley, Mason, Brock, Hannan, Jackson, and Casey; and her sister Dorothy Adler (the late Bill).

Visitation Friday 9 a.m. until time of service 10 a.m. at St. Peter & St. Paul Orthodox Church, 6980 S. County Line Road, Burr Ridge. Interment Evergreen Cemetery. Arrangements by Hultgren Funeral Home of Wheaton.

Memorial donations to Morton Arboretum or the Les Turner ALS Foundation .