Obituaries

Community Pays Respects to Julie Gorczynski

The wake of Julie Gorczynski draws hundreds who wanted to say goodbye to a friend gone too soon.

“In the end, they will always be there, mia famiglia,” words that adorned one of four photo collages of Julie Gorczynski's life.

The collages were made by her family, to celebrate in photos a life cut short, a life remembered at Julie's wake on Tuesday, June 15, at Kurt-Memorial Funeral Home in Frankfort. .

Hundreds came to the memorial, a testament to all the lives the young woman had touched in her short time. Classmates from Lincoln-Way North, coworkers from Marcus Cinema, neighbors and community members paying their respects to a friend.

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At the front of the room, Julie's casket was covered in pink flowers and with an Italian placard. As soft music played over the hushed conversations, it was clear that Julie had brought together a room one last time.

Classmates spoke of their fondest memories of Julie, as did family members and others who attended the memorial.

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On the far side of the room and curving to cover the back wall were photos of Julie from every age. Pictures from family trips, baby photos, her with her siblings and her on her recent graduation day from North. In each one, her smile beamed, a smile her brother Nick said there were no words for.

At the very rear of the room, playing on a large screen television was a slide show of Julie's photos. A slide show set to music and showing photos Julie herself had chosen. The slide show was Julie's, she had made it in the months prior to the accident.

The memorial concluded at 9 p.m. in preperation for Julie's funeral service the following morning.

The funeral service for Julie Gorczynski is Wednesday, June 15, at 10 a.m. at St. Mary's Church in Mokena.

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