Lilian Dreiser Obituary

Lilian Hauser Dreiser, 92, long time resident of Downers Grove, died on April 28, 2009 in Lisle, IL. Born in Chicago in 1916, Lilian graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1932 and married the late Harry Dreiser in 1933. Out of money and work in the Depression, Harry and Lil hopped a freight train for Chicago to the east coast for their honeymoon. They later found work in Washington D.C. in Roosevelt's New Deal programs, until the U.S. entered World War II. In 1942 Harry enlisted in the Army Air Corps, and Lillian followed him base to base, working as a clerk-typist, until they returned to D.C. where Harry was stationed for most of the war. Lilian worked as an administrator in various federal agencies, until her daughter, the late Elizabeth Dreiser Johnson, was born in 1945. A son, Daniel, was born in 1947. After the war, they returned to the Chicago area and Lilian had a second son, Richard, in 1951. During a long and varied career, Lilian worked in many jobs, including for the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce; at Roosevelt University, where she attended classes; as a hospital consultant; at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (now Midwestern University in Downers Grove); and at the University of Chicago Cancer Foundation. Lilian was an avid reader and her favorite authors included Nikos Kazantzakis, Jorge Luis Borges, Charles Baxter and Lillian Moats. Ms. Moats' latest book, "The Letter from Death, " due to be released in August, has been dedicated to her. Lilian was the proud and loving grandmother of Sara Dreiser and David Dreiser, of Downers Grove; and of Ruth Johnson Miller, of Elko, Nevada; and the great-grandmother of Johnathan Miller, and she is survived by many loving nieces and nephews. She will be greatly missed by her family and her many friends. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to Adventist St. Thomas Hospice, 8230 S. Madison, Burr Ridge, IL 60527