1931
Valerie
2025
Valerie Gorski
June 6, 1931 — June 6, 2025
Valerie Hope Forster Gorski decided that her 94th birthday was the day to leave her earthly space. Ignoring all other variables, the odds of this happening are one in 133,225, so clearly this was intentional. She was born June 6, 1931, to Thelma Janette Allen and Joseph Harold Forster in Malta, Montana. She peacefully passed away June 6, 2025, at River Bluff Nursing Home in Rockford, Illinois, with her son, Paul, and her daughter, Valerie, by her side.
To say that Valerie Hope was a typical mother of her generation wouldn't be exactly accurate. But then again, neither was her mother, Thelma Allen Forster. Valerie's mom married later in life compared to her peers, and when Valerie's father died unexpectedly from a ruptured appendix in 1934, she didn't remarry until 1947, raising Valerie and her half sister, Frances Elizabeth Jo on her own in Malta, Montana, later moving to Helena.
Growing up in Malta and Helena, Valerie Hope loved her cats, learned to play violin and piano, was a baton twirler for the marching band, as well as being a member of the orchestra and choir. She shared stories of the chaos that Orson Welle's infamous "War of the Worlds" broadcast of 1938 had on the town of Malta, the bombing of Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, and the invasion of Normandy, D-Day, which occurred on her 13th birthday, June 6, 1944. She and her mother and half-sister traveled quite a bit, including Hawaii, Texas, and Florida. Valerie claimed to have visited every state west of the Mississippi. When Valerie contracted hepatitis, her mother sent her to a resort in Florida to recuperate and would share her stories of water shows and hanging out with movie stars. Somewhere in all of this, she also had been a leg model. She spoke proudly of her family's history and that her mother's family was from Norway, and her father's, Scotland (by way of Ontario, Canada). After the family moved to Helena, her mother married Hubert E. (H.E.) Nutt in 1947 and soon after moved to Chicago. H.E., a well-known music educator and marching band conductor, and Thelma helped found, and then worked and lived at Vandercook College of Music. From 1945-1949, Valerie attended Kemper Hall High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin-an Episcopal girls' preparatory school that is situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. At the suggestion of her mother, her daughter, Valerie, would hold her wedding at the chapel in 1992, a simple Gothic revival church built in 1875, on the former campus, as her mom had dreamed of having wedding pictures taken on the spiral staircase in the hall.
Valerie Forster married Gregory C. Gorski in 1955 in Chicago after meeting while Greg was a student at Vandercook. They bought a house in the town of Northbrook, then a newly developing suburb of Chicago. They welcomed their first child, Mark Matthew, in 1959 and later Paul Gregory in 1963 and Valerie Allen in 1964. She continued to live in Northbrook after the divorce and the surrounding area until she moved to Rockford in 2004.
Growing up the daughter of a single mother, she took on this role herself after the
divorce. Raising three teenagers in the 1970's and 1980's practically on her own was not without challenges as you can imagine. Although she had worked at Carson Pirie Scott in Skokie, Illinois after getting married, she didn't work largely during her marriage. She later found employment at various businesses including a furniture store in Northbrook, Manpower of Northbrook, and later Labelmaster of Chicago. At Labelmaster, Valerie made her way to a marketing manager position until she retired. Additionally, during this period, she was an active member of Toastmasters in Deerfield. Valerie also attended adult continuing education courses at Northeastern University in Chicago, studying gerontology, a subject she gained interest in as she supported her parents in their declining years and subsequent deaths. She received recognition for her work in this field and even appeared on the Phil Donahue Show to discuss this research.
In her sixties, she traveled as much as she could. She cultured her love of opera with many trips to Italy and other countries, which were often opera themed. She was an active member of several opera societies in the North Shore and was a dedicated patron of the Lyric Opera in Chicago. She often treated her children, and later grandchildren, with various live performances to share her love of music and theatre with them. She also treated her children, spouses, and grandchildren to weekend visits to the Embassy Suites in Deerfield, Illinois on many occasions. So many, that some of the grandchildren believed their grandmother lived there.
Valerie valued being "pulled together" as she'd tell her daughter. Hair, make-up, and clothes were styled in a way that made her feel good about herself and her tastes were classic. She would say clothing was an investment, some pieces never go out of style, so pay for the good stuff. She even came back to this version of herself in the last few months of her life, enjoying coordinating her outfits (black and white) with jewelry and makeup to compliment and pull it all together.
In her later years, as physical things became challenging for her, she became an avid reader and note taker to keep her mind sharp. She had piles of notebooks with all her thoughts, but her handwriting was notoriously illegible so deciphering it was left to a select few. She collected books, including library books. She would often have several books checked out of the library at once and many were obscenely overdue. She enjoyed all sorts of fiction and non-fiction and would sometimes read 3 or 4 books a day. She believed in keeping her mind as active as possible and this continued when she moved to River Bluff in Rockford. Paul was asked to provide notebooks and pens on a consistent basis so she could record all of her observations, and she kept folks busy with getting her library books.
Valerie lived her life on her terms, always preferring dessert first. She worked to stay engaged and active even as her body wouldn't let her travel as she wished. She looked forward to her physical therapy and would tell her daughter on her visits everything she had been doing, because she believed we all need to keep moving somehow to live a version of life we're comfortable with. She was tenacious and bossy in what she wanted and how she wanted it.
Many of the staff at River Bluff will confirm this, hopefully with a smile on their face. When she first became a resident of River Bluff, her daughter had brought her chocolates for Halloween. She insisted that they be put away, but her daughter informed her that they were also for any staff that were caring for her so that they would be enticed to return in the event their experience was less than pleasant. At her heart and soul, she was a kind, caring, and giving person. She provided support to her kids as she could and wanted what was best for them. She wasn't the type of person to interfere or pass judgement on your decisions but would be there if you needed help.
Paul, Valerie and the family are forever grateful for her care over the years at River Bluff. She spoke kindly of so many, and we thank you for all the ways you made her last years more comfortable. We also are grateful for the care that Hospice provided in the last year. She was able to paint, get more books, and just have some kind words and regular visits which enriched her end of life in so many ways.
Valerie Hope was preceded in death by her father, Joseph Forster, her stepfather, H.E. Nutt; her mother, Thelma Allen Forster Nutt; her half-sister Frances Elizabeth Jo Cariglino; a son in law, Skip Kegeris; and recently, her son, Mark Matthew Gorski. She is survived by a son, Paul Gorski and daughter in law, Denise Gorski; a daughter, Valerie Kegeris; and four grandchildren: Haley Gorski, Matthew Gorski, Meghan Kegeris, and John Kegeris.
Any memorial contributions can be made to the American Alzheimer's Association or the American Diabetes Association. While she was not affected by these diseases herself, she would appreciate the support for family who has.
The Memorial Service will be private. Stateline Cremations is assisting the family, 6204 Forest Hills Rd. Loves Park, IL 61111. www.statelinecremations.com
To say that Valerie Hope was a typical mother of her generation wouldn't be exactly accurate. But then again, neither was her mother, Thelma Allen Forster. Valerie's mom married later in life compared to her peers, and when Valerie's father died unexpectedly from a ruptured appendix in 1934, she didn't remarry until 1947, raising Valerie and her half sister, Frances Elizabeth Jo on her own in Malta, Montana, later moving to Helena.
Growing up in Malta and Helena, Valerie Hope loved her cats, learned to play violin and piano, was a baton twirler for the marching band, as well as being a member of the orchestra and choir. She shared stories of the chaos that Orson Welle's infamous "War of the Worlds" broadcast of 1938 had on the town of Malta, the bombing of Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, and the invasion of Normandy, D-Day, which occurred on her 13th birthday, June 6, 1944. She and her mother and half-sister traveled quite a bit, including Hawaii, Texas, and Florida. Valerie claimed to have visited every state west of the Mississippi. When Valerie contracted hepatitis, her mother sent her to a resort in Florida to recuperate and would share her stories of water shows and hanging out with movie stars. Somewhere in all of this, she also had been a leg model. She spoke proudly of her family's history and that her mother's family was from Norway, and her father's, Scotland (by way of Ontario, Canada). After the family moved to Helena, her mother married Hubert E. (H.E.) Nutt in 1947 and soon after moved to Chicago. H.E., a well-known music educator and marching band conductor, and Thelma helped found, and then worked and lived at Vandercook College of Music. From 1945-1949, Valerie attended Kemper Hall High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin-an Episcopal girls' preparatory school that is situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. At the suggestion of her mother, her daughter, Valerie, would hold her wedding at the chapel in 1992, a simple Gothic revival church built in 1875, on the former campus, as her mom had dreamed of having wedding pictures taken on the spiral staircase in the hall.
Valerie Forster married Gregory C. Gorski in 1955 in Chicago after meeting while Greg was a student at Vandercook. They bought a house in the town of Northbrook, then a newly developing suburb of Chicago. They welcomed their first child, Mark Matthew, in 1959 and later Paul Gregory in 1963 and Valerie Allen in 1964. She continued to live in Northbrook after the divorce and the surrounding area until she moved to Rockford in 2004.
Growing up the daughter of a single mother, she took on this role herself after the
divorce. Raising three teenagers in the 1970's and 1980's practically on her own was not without challenges as you can imagine. Although she had worked at Carson Pirie Scott in Skokie, Illinois after getting married, she didn't work largely during her marriage. She later found employment at various businesses including a furniture store in Northbrook, Manpower of Northbrook, and later Labelmaster of Chicago. At Labelmaster, Valerie made her way to a marketing manager position until she retired. Additionally, during this period, she was an active member of Toastmasters in Deerfield. Valerie also attended adult continuing education courses at Northeastern University in Chicago, studying gerontology, a subject she gained interest in as she supported her parents in their declining years and subsequent deaths. She received recognition for her work in this field and even appeared on the Phil Donahue Show to discuss this research.
In her sixties, she traveled as much as she could. She cultured her love of opera with many trips to Italy and other countries, which were often opera themed. She was an active member of several opera societies in the North Shore and was a dedicated patron of the Lyric Opera in Chicago. She often treated her children, and later grandchildren, with various live performances to share her love of music and theatre with them. She also treated her children, spouses, and grandchildren to weekend visits to the Embassy Suites in Deerfield, Illinois on many occasions. So many, that some of the grandchildren believed their grandmother lived there.
Valerie valued being "pulled together" as she'd tell her daughter. Hair, make-up, and clothes were styled in a way that made her feel good about herself and her tastes were classic. She would say clothing was an investment, some pieces never go out of style, so pay for the good stuff. She even came back to this version of herself in the last few months of her life, enjoying coordinating her outfits (black and white) with jewelry and makeup to compliment and pull it all together.
In her later years, as physical things became challenging for her, she became an avid reader and note taker to keep her mind sharp. She had piles of notebooks with all her thoughts, but her handwriting was notoriously illegible so deciphering it was left to a select few. She collected books, including library books. She would often have several books checked out of the library at once and many were obscenely overdue. She enjoyed all sorts of fiction and non-fiction and would sometimes read 3 or 4 books a day. She believed in keeping her mind as active as possible and this continued when she moved to River Bluff in Rockford. Paul was asked to provide notebooks and pens on a consistent basis so she could record all of her observations, and she kept folks busy with getting her library books.
Valerie lived her life on her terms, always preferring dessert first. She worked to stay engaged and active even as her body wouldn't let her travel as she wished. She looked forward to her physical therapy and would tell her daughter on her visits everything she had been doing, because she believed we all need to keep moving somehow to live a version of life we're comfortable with. She was tenacious and bossy in what she wanted and how she wanted it.
Many of the staff at River Bluff will confirm this, hopefully with a smile on their face. When she first became a resident of River Bluff, her daughter had brought her chocolates for Halloween. She insisted that they be put away, but her daughter informed her that they were also for any staff that were caring for her so that they would be enticed to return in the event their experience was less than pleasant. At her heart and soul, she was a kind, caring, and giving person. She provided support to her kids as she could and wanted what was best for them. She wasn't the type of person to interfere or pass judgement on your decisions but would be there if you needed help.
Paul, Valerie and the family are forever grateful for her care over the years at River Bluff. She spoke kindly of so many, and we thank you for all the ways you made her last years more comfortable. We also are grateful for the care that Hospice provided in the last year. She was able to paint, get more books, and just have some kind words and regular visits which enriched her end of life in so many ways.
Valerie Hope was preceded in death by her father, Joseph Forster, her stepfather, H.E. Nutt; her mother, Thelma Allen Forster Nutt; her half-sister Frances Elizabeth Jo Cariglino; a son in law, Skip Kegeris; and recently, her son, Mark Matthew Gorski. She is survived by a son, Paul Gorski and daughter in law, Denise Gorski; a daughter, Valerie Kegeris; and four grandchildren: Haley Gorski, Matthew Gorski, Meghan Kegeris, and John Kegeris.
Any memorial contributions can be made to the American Alzheimer's Association or the American Diabetes Association. While she was not affected by these diseases herself, she would appreciate the support for family who has.
The Memorial Service will be private. Stateline Cremations is assisting the family, 6204 Forest Hills Rd. Loves Park, IL 61111. www.statelinecremations.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Valerie Gorski, please visit our flower store.
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