Mrs. Rebecca Dunham Kartalia

REBECCA (nee DUNHAM), on July 31, 2015 at home in Washington, D.C. She was 99. She will be remembered and admired for her kind heart, generous spirit, diverse intellectual interests, and devotion to civic engagement. Becky was born on January 12th, 1916 to struggling parents on their small farm homestead in Lebanon, Ohio, and lifted herself from poverty using a special combination of determination, education and multiple intellectual pursuits. Upon completion of high school in King’s Mill where she made a life-long friend Mary Fox (Maxson), she quickly advanced to receiving her RN degree at the University of Cincinnati. During her experience as a staff nurse at the Cincinnati General Hospital, she met a patient who became her devoted husband of 72 years, Mitchell P. Kartalia. During the late stages of the Great Depression, Becky and Mitch moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to pursue better economic opportunities and to start their family. Over their 72-year marriage, they built a family that expanded from five children and four spouses, to 12 grandchildren and 9 spouses, and 19 great-grandchildren. As wife to the CEO of the Square D Company, Becky travelled the world with Mitch and wrote essays about their experiences. While nurturing her ever-growing family, she also became a noted genealogist, doggedly tracing her family lineage with the creativity and resourcefulness required in the pre-internet era. Becky was a storyteller and writer at her core and graced her family and friends with tales of her life’s adventures. She authored three books. The first, Slagle Trails and Descendants of Jacob Slagle (Ca 1740’s--1800, in VA) received the 2002 Heart of America Genealogical Society and Library, Inc. Anna Ford Family Book contest Award of Excellence. She also authored: Mom! The Threshers are Coming! Farm Life in the 1920’s, and the Just Ask Baba Cookbook. In her 90s, she embraced storytelling using social media and the internet and authored a blog entitled “That Reminds Me Too.” Always the nurse, she took great initiative to instill healthy habits in all of her family members. She was an original “foodie” learning Serbian cooking from her in-laws and mastering many recipes as well as becoming a food and nutrition essayist. Her influence is wide ranging as her children, grandchildren and her friends followed her cooking interest. She was a resident of Biltmore estates in North Barrington, Illinois for over 50 years where she was involved in multiple local activities including scouting, The Garden Club of Barrington, Barrington Women’s Club, The Mayflower Society, The Daughters of the American Revolution, Signal Hill Chapter, The Barrington Presbyterian Church and The Biltmore Country Club. Rebecca Kartalia is survived by two children, Diane Kartalia (Theodore Hoppock) and Peter James Kartalia (Dennielle); daughter-in-law, Jill Kartalia; grandchildren, Stephen Kartalia (Natalie), Sarah Kartalia (Dominique Pozzo), Anna Ferguson (Paul), John Stewart (Jennifer), David Stewart (Kimberly Karr), Mitchell Stewart (Pathamaphone), Rebecca Stewart Agoglia (Daniel), Richard Hoppock (Eileen), Susan Torzilli (Paul), Julia Hoppock, Christopher Kartalia, and Andrea Kartalia; great-grandchildren, Clément Pozzo, Emma Kartalia, Annie Kartalia, Jack Ferguson, Charlie Ferguson, Samuel Ferguson, Olivia Stewart, Claire Stewart, John E. Stewart, Gavin Stewart, Max Stewart, Sebastian Stewart, Gwendolyn Stewart, Juliette Stewart, James Agoglia, Lucy Agoglia, Cecelia Hoppock, Fiona Hoppock, and Elizabeth Torzilli; nephews Richard Sheehan (Mildred) and Warren Sheehan (Marta) and several great-nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Mitchell P. Kartalia, daughter Janet Stewart and sons David Kartalia and Mitchell Kartalia. She also joins her parents, Raymond and Ethel Slagle Dunham, and her sister and brother-in-law, Mildred and Walter Sheehan. Her legacy will be most remembered in her ardent devotion to her husband and family. She and Mitch taught us that family is the most important thing in life. She will be missed but her impact will be forever. Visitation will be held Sunday, August 16, 2015 10:00 AM followed by Memorial Service at 11:00 AM Haight Funeral Home, 6416 Sykesville Road, Sykesville, Maryland. Private interment. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to University of the Cumberlands, Williamsburg, Kentucky http://www.ucumberlands.edu/give or the Barrington Area Library (http://www.balibrary.org/).

Mrs. Rebecca Dunham Kartalia

January 12, 1916 - July 31, 2015