Agnes Pagano, née Turcato, 99, of Burr Ridge died Feb. 29, 2024.
Agnes was born in the province of Lorraine, France, in 1925. She spent her pre-teen and teenage years with her sister, cared for by local families in Nazi-occupied France in the vineyards around Bordeaux. Following World War II, she reunited with her family in Lorraine. There she married Antoine Pagano in a double wedding with Antoine's sister, Lucie, and Phil D'Agostino, an American GI from Chicago. Their family later emigrated to Chicago and raised their two children in the Kankakee area.
Agnes, was a woman of faith, demonstrated by her 30 years of volunteer service at St. Mary's Hospital in Kankakee. Agnes shared her skill in the French language and culture with the Kankakee area community as a Montessori teacher and private French instructor. She and Tony together built the family business, Tower Realty, helping others achieve their American dream of home ownership.
Known as a gourmet cook, excellent seamstress, avid gardener and exceptional hostess, Agnes infused her grace, style, charm and passion for all things French in countless venues through the Kankakee area.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Antoine "Tony" Pagano, in 2018.
She is survived by her children, Monique (Jay) Walters of Hinsdale and Jean (Rhiannon) Pagano; her grandchildren, Danielle (Robert Blunt) Walters, Aaron (Lisa) Walters, Anique (Alec) Williams and Victor (Michele Kelmer) Kaposonore; and her great-grandchildren, Simonne, Nathan and Julian Blunt, Aiden Walters, Chloe and Isaac Kaposonore and Mila Williams.
A memorial Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 29, at St. Isaac Jogues Church, 306 W. Fourth St., Hinsdale.
Interment is private at All Saints Cemetery in Bourbonnais.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Wellness House, 131 N. County Line Road, Hinsdale, IL 60521 (online at http://www.wellnesshouse.org).
Sullivan Funeral Home in Hinsdale handled the arrangements.
