Lisa P. Kalamaras, 64, of Aurora, Illinois, passed away on October 28, 2026, after a brief battle with cancer.

Born and raised in Chicago, Lisa lived a life defined less by milestones and more by her relationships. She had an enormous capacity to love, and nowhere was that more evident than in the extraordinary number of friendships she maintained throughout her life. Many of Lisa's closest friends had been part of her life for decades. She loved her friends fiercely, and they loved her right back.

Lisa did very little quietly. She had one volume - loud, and a personality to match. She loved to laugh, dance, listen to music, entertain, and talk to people. She could learn someone's life story within hours of meeting them, and she had a way of making people feel immediately welcome in her home. She was fun, sentimental, big-hearted, and always ready to tell the people she cared about just how much they meant to her.

She graduated from Culver Girls Academy and Hillsdale College, forming many lasting friendships along the way.

For more than 20 years, Lisa worked in foreign exchange settlements, where she continued to build the lasting friendships, she treasured throughout her life. In 2019, she followed her love of animals and opened Hippie Hound Dog Walking & Pet Care, a business she continued to operate until her illness.

Animals held a special place in Lisa's heart. Over the years, she shared her life with several beloved fur babies, but no animal was more precious to her than Jax, her rescue pit bull mix. Jax was her constant companion and her true love. His untimely death broke her heart. It is fitting that Lisa and Jax will now rest together.

Lisa loved cooking, particularly spicy foods and ethnic dishes. She never quite mastered the concept of cooking for the actual number of people in attendance. If Lisa was feeding you, there was going to be enough for an army.

She loved music of all kinds, and most weekends it could be heard wafting out her windows into the neighborhood. She was a devoted Chicago sports fan and enjoyed visiting Memphis, where the music and energy of Beale Street were a perfect fit. She also treasured the memories of a special trip to Thailand.

And then there was Halloween. No holiday came close for her. Halloween was Lisa's holiday, and anyone who knew her knew it.

Lisa was preceded in death by her parents, Shirley and Bill Kalamaras, and by her beloved grandparents, Patricia and Vincent Ciorba, who helped raise her.

She is survived by her sister, Stacey Kalamaras; her brothers, Vince Kalamaras and Chris Kalamaras; her niece, Cassidy Kalamaras; her nephews, Dominic Kalamaras, Nicholas Kalamaras, and Brandon Kalamaras; numerous cousins; and an extraordinary circle of friends who were, in every meaningful sense, Lisa's family.

The measure of Lisa's life cannot be found in the number of years she lived, but in the relationships she built and sustained across those years. She loved deeply, sometimes extravagantly, and with her whole heart. The many people who loved Lisa in return are perhaps the best testament to a life that was unmistakably, exuberantly her own.

A Memorial Visitation celebrating Lisa's life will take place on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at Nelson Funeral Home, 820 Talcott Road, Park Ridge, IL 60068 from 4:00 p.m. until the Prayer Service begins at 7:00 p.m. On Thursday, November 19, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., the family will gather, and anyone who would like to join, for her inurnment at All Saints Cemetery, 700 N River Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60016. Please gather at the cemetery office by 10:45 a.m.  All who wish to join Lisa’s family in laying her to rest are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Lisa's memory to the American Cancer Society or to A.D.O.P.T. pet shelter in Naperville, IL.

For information, Nelson Funeral Home at 847-823-5122 or www.nelsonfunerals.com