Obituary
Alice Shakow Piller, medical technologist, expert botanist, dedicated choir singer, and volunteer to scientific and civic organizations, passed away peacefully on Nov. 2 in Deerfield, from complications of Covid-19. She was 91. Alice’s gentle character, and her devotion to family, synagogue, and community, will be greatly missed by friends and family. Alice was born on Dec. 8, 1928, in Boston. She grew up in Worcester, Mass., where her father directed the state psychiatric hospital. She earned a degree in General Science at the University of Iowa, where she met her adoring, future spouse and lifelong companion, the late Jack H. Piller. Alice and Jack lived briefly in Boston, then moved to Chicago, and finally Highland Park, where they had four children. While raising their family, Alice became an active volunteer for the League of Woman Voters and the local Hadassah chapter. She was for many years a dedicated member of Congregation Solel, where she contributed to the synagogue’s commitment to social justice and sang in the choir - part of her lifelong passion for singing both religious music and Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. In middle age, Alice returned to school to earn a certificate in medical technology and worked until retirement at the University of Illinois hospital lab in Chicago. She also served as a volunteer botanist at the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Field Museum. Alice is survived by her loving children, daughter Janet Garren (Robert Garren); sons Simon (Carole Piller), Charles (Surry Bunnell), and Geoffrey (Karen Tiedemann); her adoring grandchildren Alicia, Nathan (Sandra Harpster), and Aaron and David Tiedemann (Lucy Newman); and devoted brother Alexander Shakow (Patricia Shakow). To keep everyone safe and healthy, the interment service will be private. Donations to Chicago Botanic Garden www.chicagobotanic.org/donate. To attend the funeral live stream, please visit our website. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals/Buffalo Grove Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com
Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals. www.chicagojewishfunerals.com