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Rena Jean Newquist - 80

3/28/1935 - 1/18/2016

South Chicago HEights

Rena Jean Newquist, age 80, died at home on January 18, 2016. She peacefully slipped away while her children were laughing together while they shared stories about her—which is exactly the way she wanted it. Opting for hospice care at home after battling multiple health issues for the past five years—while still working full-time at the job she loved—she said she wanted to die surrounded by family and friends, laughing and talking, and eating good food. The last week of her life was filled with love and laughter, including the happy sounds of her newest joy, her three-month-old great grandson. Born and raised in Steger, Illinois, Rena was the daughter of Alfred and Mary (nee Mongillo) DeAmicis. She was an only child who grew up living with one grandmother and next door to the other, which she often used to her advantage, prompting her father to affectionately refer to her for the rest of his life as “the Brat.” Her childhood was a happy one, filled with her extended Italian family, including her cousin, Phyllis “Tootsie” Paape, who lived next door, and many friends, including Rosalie Klyczek, her lifelong best friend. She went to St. Liborius School in Steger, where she was a lifelong parishioner, and to Bloom High School in Chicago Heights. Rena was a secretary at Thrall Car when she met the love of her life, Ronald A. Newquist. They married in 1955. In 2004, she wrote in a letter to God—one of several she’d write over the years—under the heading Best Memory Category: “When I was walking down the aisle to meet Big R in St. Liborius Church to get married, my hands were like ice (nervous?), but when I met him and he took my hand in his very warm paw, somehow I knew that no matter what happened in the future, it would always turn out right! Well, there were some detours along the way, but I have to admit that things were great until you decided to take him back!” Ron died in 2000. After marrying, Rena and Ron lived above a pool hall in the “Hungry Hill” neighborhood of Chicago Heights, where they had three daughters. Sherry was born in 1956 and Karen in 1957. The third, Kathleen, died the day she was born in 1959, a day Rena included in the Worst Memory Category in the same letter to God. When she was pregnant for the fourth time, Rena and Ron moved to a yellow brick house in a new subdivision in South Chicago Heights, where Colleen was born in 1961 and Ron in 1965. Rena lived in that house for the rest of her life. Rena loved to work. In the 1970s, she began working for Broadcast Advertisers Reports, later named Arbitron, quickly rising to the position of branch manager and ultimately managing 60 employees. The company monitored television commercials for advertisers, which suited Rena well. She always said she loved commercials as much if not more than TV shows. When the office closed after more than 25 years, she began her second career, working for Bloom Township, where she was transportation coordinator for 21 years, until she retired on December 1, 2015. Rena loved to be in charge, earning the nickname “the General” among the Bloom Township bus drivers. She could be bossy and demanding, and her wrath could make grown men quiver. At the same time, she was fiercely protective and an ardent defender of those who could not help themselves, especially children and animals. She believed in speaking up and speaking her mind, and had a strong sense of justice. She firmly believed that there was a place in the world for hit-men, particularly when it came to those who abused children and animals. Rena was resilient, tough, and unconventional. She cared deeply for people in her life—family, neighbors, co-workers, bus customers, and friends, including Mary Sanfratello and Linda Fox, who had many a Monday night pizza party with her, and Jolyn Bishop, who was her errand-runner, chauffer, and surrogate daughter in later years. She made sure every personal milestone and happy occasion were celebrated; every sad occasion acknowledged. She was terrific at making sure people knew she was thinking of them, keeping Hallmark and Fannie Mae candies in business with her many purchases. More than anything, Rena loved to laugh. Nothing pleased her more than sitting around a table with her family telling stories and laughing uproariously, except perhaps going to Disney World with the entire family, which she did several times. She was the first to laugh at herself and her foibles. She was who she was, with no apologies. She wrote in a letter to her family: “When I finally go down that golden road, I would like to be remembered as myself, not some ‘nice little old lady.’ I’d rather you remember the outrageous things or goofy things I did—I just couldn’t fit that picture of a sweet old thing.” Rena is survived by her children, Sherry Newquist, Karen (Mark) Gretzinger, Colleen (Michael Weiss) Newquist and Ronald E. Newquist; grandchildren Adrienne (Brian) Citta, Mook Gretzinger, and Aaron Weiss; great-grandson Tucker Citta; and two cats, Ernie and Angel. Sister-in-law of the late James (late Marge) and the late Thomas (Valeen) Newquist. Beloved niece, aunt, cousin and dear friend of many. Resting at Panozzo Bros. Funeral Home, 530 W. 14th St. (U.S. Rte. 30, 3 blks E. of Western Ave.), Chicago Heights on Friday, January 22 from 3 to 9 PM. Funeral Saturday 9:15 AM chapel prayers to St. Liborius Church, Steger. Mass 10:00 AM. Interment Calvary Cemetery, Steger. 708-481-9230 or panozzobros.com. Memorial contributions may be made to South Suburban Humane Society or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

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