Obituary of Valerie Grace Grau

Valerie Grace Grau, age 71, of Beach Park, IL, passed to heaven on June 14, 2018, at Vista Medical Center in
Waukegan, IL.  

Val was born on March 14, 1947, in Waukegan, IL, to the late James and Thelma (Petersen) Cox.  She
attended Waukegan Public Schools, graduated in 1965, married, and had a son and a daughter.  She
worked in various clerical positions over the years for companies including Johnson Motors and Dexter
Midland. She became a hairstylist for a period of time, worked many years at ComEd as an Outage Planner,
and worked as a Realtor for Century 21 Maki. She later worked for Selective Service in Waukegan then on
to Waukegan Color Supply before retiring.  She was also one of the founding owners of Stateline Storage,
Inc. in Winthrop Harbor, IL, from its inception to 2008.  Val was diversified in her capabilities and love of
work.  Some of her favorite hobbies were feeding birds, planting flowers, listening to music, reading the
newspaper daily, watching forensic TV shows, and keeping up on national news events.

Val will be most remembered for her ability to make others feel special, her generosity, desire to help
others, and her sense of humor.  She had a strong love for birds, animals, and Mother Nature. She was a
wonderful daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother.  If anyone needed a shoulder to cry on, she was
always there, even when she didn’t feel well. 

She will be sadly missed by her husband Denis Grau; her brother, Ward (Mary) Cox of Gurnee, IL; her son,
Gary (Flora) Ekdahl of Boise, ID; her daughter, Jennifer Bittner of Kenosha, WI; and her grandchildren,
Matthew, Grant, Chase, and Hope.

A memorial gathering will be held for her on Friday, June 22, 2018 from 5-7 p.m. at the Congdon Funeral
Home, 3012 Sheridan Rd., Zion, IL. Her cremains will be buried at Northshore Garden of Memories in North
Chicago, IL.