Idella L. Chino

Idella Louise Chino, nee Graves, of Chicago, and formerly of Seneca, passed away May 21, 2019, at Sunrise at Fountain Square in Lombard. She was 90.

Her memorial service will be 11:00 Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at the First United Methodist Church in Seneca. Visitation will be 10:30 - 11:00, thirty minutes prior to services, on Tuesday at the church. She will be buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery.

Idella was born July 11, 1928, in Morris, Illinois, to Forrest and Grace Graves. During her youth, she lived in Seneca, where she and her family were members of the United Methodist Church. She graduated from Seneca High School and received her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, where she was the business manager for the yearbook and a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. She was an enthusiastic student and was tapped for Mortar Board, a national honor society for college seniors.

Idella went on to earn her doctorate in physical education from Ohio State University and taught physical education at a number of schools, including Streator High School, Ohio State, the University of Illinois and Wright Junior College in Chicago, where she taught for a number of years. In 1973, she married Isao Chino, and not long after, they moved to Tokyo. For 25 years, she lived and taught English in Japan. During her time there, she became an admirer and collector of Japanese art and ceramics. Idella loved to socialize, and because she didn’t have a car, she walked several miles every day to meet with students and visit friends. She also adopted the Japanese custom, known as temiyage, of bringing small thank-you gifts when she called on friends, a habit she remained devoted to even after she moved back to the United States. In her later years, Idella lived in Chicago and spent her summers in Sun Valley, Idaho, where she enjoyed walking in the mountain air.

She is survived by four siblings: Jean Walker, Bill (Char Spiess) Graves, Marilyn (Bernie) Aumann, Lester “Bud” (Carolyn) Minion, and eight nieces and nephews, as well as 13 grandnieces and nephews and two great nephews.

Idella was preceded in death by her parents, Forrest Graves and Grace Graves Minion, as well as her stepfather, Lester Minion.

Memorials may be directed to First United Methodist Church in Seneca or the Alzheimer's Association.