Gilda Wrenn welcomed everyone, whether it meant setting an extra place at the table or hosting monthly hair-cutting sessions at her North Side home that brought relatives and friends together to refresh their look — and renew family ties — for close to 40 years.
Mrs. Wrenn died Aug. 23 at her Rogers Park home at 97, according to her daughters, Christine Long and Rita Wrenn.
She was born in Santiago in the Dominican Republic, the oldest of three daughters of Emilia and Federico Paulino. Her father was governor of San Cristóbal province from approximately 1943 to 1945. During the early days of World War II, he helped resettle Jewish refugees from Germany who sought haven in the Dominican Republic, her daughters said.
Later, he served as the Dominican consul general in Chicago.
He also was a baseball umpire in the Dominican Republic. That led to a memorable gathering at the Wrenn home that thrilled the kids in her neighborhood. In the late 1960s, Mrs. Wrenn had three Dominican Major League players over for a home-cooked meal. Two of them were brothers, first basemen and outfielders: Felipe Alou of the Atlanta Braves and Matty Alou of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as then-San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal.
“There was always room at the table, an open-door policy,” said her daughter, Christine. “We always had company on Sunday, whether it was the parish priest, people down on their luck — or relatives visiting from out of town.”
Mrs. Wrenn would shop at La Unica and Bornhofen meat market on Devon Avenue for the ingredients to make delicious Dominican dishes, including black beans and rice, a stew called sancocho, arroz con pollo and plantains.
As a teenager in 1939, she enjoyed a visit to New York City for the World’s Fair. She returned to New York in 1944 and moved in with aunts living in Spanish Harlem.
Her family said she came to the U.S. for education and opportunity — and also because her parents wanted to shield her from the attention of military dictator Rafael Trujillo, the nation’s president, who was widely reputed to prey on young women.
“He had his eye on our mother,” said her daughter, Rita.
When her father became consul general, young Gilda moved to Chicago to join her parents and her sisters, Sara and Enilda. She worked as a secretary for Popular Mechanics magazine.
She met Leo F. Wrenn through a mutual friend. They married in 1952 at St. Jerome’s Church and honeymooned in New Orleans. He became a Cook County Circuit Court judge and they used to enjoy dinners out at the Glenway Inn on Devon, now Uncommon Ground.
Sometimes she worried about the speed of his driving. He put a piece of paper over the speedometer that said: “MYOB.”
“She was always worried about everyone else’s comfort,” said Rita Wrenn. “If she had them over for dinner, she’d ask, ‘Did you have enough?’ ”
“She was very steadfast and loyal, kind and generous. Softspoken and exceptionally considerate,” Christine Long said. “She was elegant and graceful.”
When her kids were small, she enjoyed taking them to Albion Beach. When they attended St. Ignatius grade school, she volunteered to teach Spanish there. She gave them cod liver oil but softened the taste by blending it with her sweetened Spanish coffee.
Later, Mrs. Wrenn worked in the admissions and registrar’s office at Loyola University.
Every month, she invited relatives and neighbors to visit when her hairstylist friend Jo Ann Kearns Gryzwa dropped in. They’d all catch up on family news while they got haircuts or color.
Mrs. Wrenn believed in the power of prayer and lighting a holy candle whenever there was a need, according to Christine Long: “It was, ‘Oh, you’re going to have your wisdom teeth pulled? I’ll light the candle.’ ‘You’re going into surgery?’ ‘You’re closing on a house? I’ll light the candle.’ ” She’d encourage people by telling them the flame had burned bright and strong.
Mrs. Wrenn followed the Cubs and Bulls. She did fundraising and played bridge with the Glenola women’s club at St. Ignatius. Every Thanksgiving, she made her homemade cranberry sauce and gave jars to friends.
In addition to her daughters, Rita and Christine, Mrs. Wrenn is survived by her sons, Fred, Kevin and William, her sister, Enilda Jaramillo, 16 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Visitation is planned starting at 9 a.m. Thursday until the start of an 11 a.m. funeral Mass at St. Ignatius Church.
