Fritzie Fritzshall, the president of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center who widely shared her harrowing story of surviving the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, has died at 91, according to the museum.
The Skokie museum announced Fritzshall's death on social media Saturday afternoon, adding the Holocaust survivor "devoted her life to combatting hatred & prejudice, inspiring thousands of people to become Upstanders instead of bystanders, and speaking out to make a difference."
As a girl, Fritzshall, her mother and two brothers were sent to Auschwitz, according to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's website. Fritzshall survived by pretending to be older than her age and thus a stronger worker, the museum explained.
Fritzshall ran into a forest on a death march from Auschwitz and was later liberated.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted about Fritzshall's passing, saying she "embodied the decency and kindness she implored from others. She was strong, faithful & caring."
"A fundamentally good person is gone today," the governor added. "I miss her already & will never forget her."
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