Natalie Braden Fredrick Hector, age 91, of Burr Ridge, IL, died peacefully on May 31, 2024. She was preceded in death by her husband, Louis G. Hector, Sr., Esq., her son Joseph F. Hector, her brother Lawrence T. Fredrick, and her parents Theodore C. Fredrick and Ingeborg J. Fredrick. Natalie is survived by her children Louis G. (Janet) Hector, Jr., Ph.D., Valerie Hector, Charles (Kari) Hector, and Christina (Ravi) Mohil; by 10 grandchildren: Alaina Hector, Christopher Hector, Kristiaan (Ashley) Hector, Robert Hector, Andrew Hector, Jacqueline Hector, Allison Hector, Aric Hector, Hari Mohil, Olivia Mohil; and by four great-grandchildren: Logan Hector, William Hector, Jackson Wolf and Vanessa Wolf.  

Born in Evanston, IL, Natalie graduated from Evanston Township High School before attending Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Having majored in Spanish, quickly achieving full fluency, Natalie later worked as a bilingual Spanish-English secretary at Baker & McKenzie law firm in Chicago, IL. Thanks to a certain elevator operator, she was introduced to Lou Hector, a Northwestern Law School graduate and attorney for the Smith & Munson law firm. Their first date, which took place in a coffee shop, lasted three hours. In July 1957 Natalie and Lou were married at St. Jerome’s Catholic Church in Chicago. After living in Roger’s Park and Park Ridge, IL, they moved their young family to Wilmette, IL in 1968.

In addition to raising her five children, Natalie began working from home as a manuscript editor and typist whose clients included professors and Ph.D. candidates at Northwestern University, as well as physicians at Evanston Hospital. Among Natalie’s proudest professional achievements were the words of appreciation bestowed by her clients for her editing and manuscript formatting skills. In fact, Natalie is thanked in the Acknowledgments sections of many books. She always went above and beyond. When a certain professor needed a book typed in Russian, although Natalie knew hardly one word, she did not hesitate to accept. After purchasing a Cyrillic typewriter font ball, she taught herself the Cyrillic alphabet and learned enough Russian grammar to type the entire book without a single error. The professor was astonished. 

Natalie will always be remembered for her intellectual curiosity, love of books, and appreciation of proper grammar and classical music. She instilled these qualities in her children in ways too numerous to mention, teaching them to count in both Spanish and French; playing Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin on the piano for them; encouraging them in their own piano lessons; taking them to museums, Shakespeare plays, Tchaikovsky ballets and other cultural events. When her childrens’ high school and college papers were due, Natalie not only typed them to perfection but edited them on occasion, guaranteeing grades of A+. 

An avid collector of antique decorative arts, Natalie enjoyed browsing various North Shore antique shops in search of compelling pieces. She especially admired Chinese objects made of cinnabar, cloisonné, or carved rosewood inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Along the way, she made many friends, among them, Bernice Ai, former proprietor of the Golden Dragon antique shop in Glenview. An archivist and curator at heart, Natalie researched object histories, had broken objects restored and framed, and displayed each to beautiful effect in the family home.

Natalie also enjoyed genealogical research and spent several decades compiling archival photos and documents for each of her ancestors in Sweden and Germany, as well as her husband’s ancestors in Germany, Ireland, France and Canada. In the pre-internet age, such research required mailing old-fashioned letters to distant lands, hiring translators specializing in old Swedish, Irish, French and German handwritten texts, and waiting weeks or months for responses to arrive in the mail. Gradually, Natalie compiled some two dozen massive 3-ring genealogy binders, each devoted to a particular ancestor and each weighing twenty-plus pounds. 

In later years, Natalie loved babysitting her beloved grandchildren, hosting family parties, and caring for her dogs, cats and parakeets, as well as traveling with her husband on trips to Sweden, Spain, France, China, Turkey and Pearl Harbor. She also attended events hosted by the Women’s Club of Wilmette. 

Natalie spent the last five years of her life at Harvester Place, an Anthem Memory Care community in Burr Ridge, IL, where she received more than excellent care - she received genuine love.  

Services will take place at Saint Isaac Jogues Catholic Church in Hinsdale, IL with a visitation at 9 am on Monday, June 10th followed by a funeral mass at 10am. Entombment will take place at Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie. In lieu of flowers, please consider a small donation to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America or a similar group.