Anna Maria Söderberg, 53, of Oak Park, died on Sept. 30, 2026. Raised in Västerås, Sweden, Maria graduated from Rudbeckianska Gymnasiet, and was an exchange student in Cheyenne, Wyoming. She then worked as nanny in London for one year.
In 1995, she was an exchange student at Illinois State University, where she met the man she would eventually marry. She earned her M.S. in Chemistry from Uppsala University, in 1998, and her PhD in Microbiology from Northwestern University in 2008. In 1999 she had her only child and married his father in 2008. She said her son was the best thing that ever happened to her.
Very smart and sharp, introverted and logical, not at all impulsive, she was also deeply protective and caring and often put the interests of others above her own. She had a very good sense of humor, was always appropriate and on target and was never mean. She had a strong sense of empathy. A vegetarian going back to early childhood, she valued nature and life and had a pet rabbit growing up. She also supported a young girl in India, Animal Care League in Oak Park, and Hephzibah, among other charities.
She played games like Scrabble in person and Rummikub on her phone. She made a point to take her son to museums, arcades, and always to the movies; even when the movies weren’t that interesting.
Her ducks were always in a row, right up until the end of her life, and she left very specific instructions for her family.
Maria was the spouse of Haidong “Alex” Ji; the mother of Benjamin Alexander Söderberg; the sister of Malin Söderberg and aunt of Mattias Söderberg; the daughter of the late Hans Rune Söderberg and Sonja Kristina Söderberg.
She was preceded in death by her canine friends, Bogey the black lab/border collie mix and Otter the pit bull mix.
Donations may be made in her name to the Animal Care League of Oak Park, https://www.animalcareleague.org; Hephzibah, https://www.hephzibahhome.org; or Wally’s Hearth, https://www.wallyshearth.org.
Services are being planned. Please contact Inclusive Funeral Care for information:
773-318-1305 or www.InclusiveFuneralCare.com.