Posts Written ByMarya Gibbons

Maria Rita Prangen, 88, passed away peacefully on December 13, 2024, surrounded by her loving family. Born on September 7, 1936, in Hennersdorf, Czech Republic, to Josef Cersovsky and Rosa Lehmann, Maria lived a remarkable life defined by resilience, kindness, and devotion to her family. A WWII survivor, Maria was…

Fred Lorenzen, known to the racing world as “Fast Freddie,” “Fearless Freddie,” and the “Golden Boy,” was a man of extraordinary talent and an even greater heart. Born on December 30, 1934, in Elmhurst, Illinois, to Frederick Sr. and Dorothy Kasmark, Fred lived a life filled with passion, from the…

Dorothy A. “Dodo” Connell, nee Brown, age 92, longtime resident of Elmhurst; die hard Cubs fan, former music teacher and teacher’s aid at Immaculate Conception Grade School, former Brookfield Zoo volunteer, former paraprofessional for Butler School District in Oak Brook, IL, former music director at Immaculate Conception Parish and founding…

Mattie M. Harris, formerly of Atlanta, GA, currently of Bellwood; beloved family member and dedicated Goodwill shopper and DIY enthusiast; mother of Shannon Royal; grandmother of Brandon, Candice and Kourtine Haywood; sister of Ethel Robinson, Ella Harris, Maggie Harris, Mary Lee Bridges, Milton Harris and the late Lanzy Harris, Jr.,…

Charlotte R. Schmidgall, nee Rodlund, age 86, resident of Villa Park, beloved wife of the late Walter J. Shalitis and the late Rolf Schmidgall; loving mother of Steven and David Shalitis, Wendy Hanson and Sharon Shalitis; cherished grandmother of Brian, David, Crystal, Ryan, Tyler and Michael and great-grandmother of Alexis…

Judith F. DeMars, age 87, longtime resident of Elmhurst; beloved wife of the late James; loving mother of Douglas (Susan) and Gregory DeMars and Dawn (Fred) Castro; cherished grandmother of Derek (Dresden Glover) and Thomas DeMars, Thomas (Gerri) Castro and Frances (Paul) Castro-Hill and great-grandmother of Ellie, Addie and Olivia…

Lillian Marzano, dear sister of the late Anthony T. (the late Stella) Marzano; fond aunt of Viola D’Amore, Rico and Andrew (Carrie) D’Amore and great-aunt of Ella, Isabella, Lia, Domenick and Drew D’Amore; Visitation Saturday, November 30, 2024, 9:00 a.m. until time of Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 a.m. at…

Debra Ann Cassidy, age 68, of Berkeley; passed away at her home surrounded and supported by family and friends following her courageous battle with Cancer; Debbie was the devoted sister of James (Delores), Richard (Barbara), Kenneth (Diane) and the late Thomas and Denise Cassidy; cherished daughter of the late Dorothy…

Eraldo J. LaPietra, age 50, passed away suddenly on November 16, 2024. Graduate of St. Alexander’s, Willowbrook High School, & former student at Illinois State University; Film Producer in the Los Angeles area for over 25 years; beloved Father of Enzo and Gia; cherished Son of Dorothy, nee Lindhorst and…

Edwin Villariny, Sr., age 58, longtime resident of Chicago, former student at Lakeview High School; longtime loving companion of the late Doslisca Ruiz; proud father of Edwin Jr., Jessica (Giovanni Lopez), Justin (Christina Valdez) and Alieah Villariny; cherished grandfather of Xaxvier, Evan, Vinny and Gianna Lopez and Justin, Jr., Naythaniel…

Jeannette C. Slamp, nee Hamilton, age 74, of Riverside; beloved wife of Richard E. Slamp; loving mother of Amy (Tim) Fodorski, Gina (Steve) Tess, Rick Slamp and the late Jennifer Straka; proud grandmother of Jason, Brendan, Meghan, Charlie, Emma, Hayley, Will, Caitlyn and Brynn; dear sister of Cheryl (Roger) Albert…

Freeman “Pete” Thomas, age 79, of Bensenville, passed away November 12, 2024,  Retired Pace Bus Driver, West Division with over 36 years of service; beloved husband of Sherry, nee Passarella; proud father of Justin (Rossella), Niccole and Jennifer (Rashid Amusa) Passarella and Kylin Thomas; cherished grandad of Nico, Maggio, Luciano,…

Nijole Boguta Dedinas, born June 29, 1936 in Krakės, Lithuania, died in Elmhurst on October 19, 2024. Her husband Jonas predeceased her as does her brother Jonas Boguta; she leaves a daughter Vilia Dedinas (Chris Gair), two sisters Vitalija Keblys and Birute Flick, grandchildren Aleksandras Dedinas Geoly, Tomas Dedinas Geoly…

John S. “Jack” Boyke, Sr., lifelong Elmhurst Resident, USMC Veteran, Retired Semi-Truck Driver for over 32 years with Celli Trucking Co, Schiller Park, IL originally hauling sand and gravel, later hauling bulk cement.  Jack was proud of his accident-free driving record during his career and his accomplishment of driving more…

Michael Edward Regole, age 65, passed away peacefully on October 10, 2024 surrounded by his family and loved ones after a hard fought battle with cancer. He was born on September 24, 1959 in St. Charles, Illinois to Donald and Mary (Diehl) Regole. He later raised his family in Naperville,…

Kevin Cronin, Age 70, passed away suddenly on October 24, 2024 in Dallas, TX. Beloved Husband of Phuong; Loving Father of Kyle, Erin, Meghan, Emily & Chloe, Step-father of Jeffrey, Kaitlyn, & Kelly; Proud Grandfather of Devon, Kylie, Paxton, Emmitt, Weston, Zora, Gia & Aiden; Dear Brother of Terry, Carol,…

Julie Ann Steik, nee Olsen, age 68, lifetime resident of Westchester, beloved wife of Paul Sr.; loving mother of Adam Campos and step-mother of Tobias (Valerie) and Paul Steik Jr.; step-grandmother of Isabella Steik, Felicia (Jon) Wagner, Jacob (fiancé Kaylee Marie Huber) and step-great-grandmother of Julian Wagner; dear sister of…

Timothy R. Dunne, age 68, lifetime resident of Elmhurst, graduate of Immaculate Conception High School, Class of 1974. Received his Bachelor’s Degree from St. Ambrose University, Iowa and his MBA from Lewis University; retired employee at MetLife with 38 years of service; Pro shop manager at White Pines, Bensenville; beloved…

Robert John LeGere, age 91, passed peacefully on Oct. 27, 2024, Bob will be remembered for having a great sense of humor and being a source of great knowledge. Bob was a fixture at hundreds of his 12 grandchildren’s baseball, soccer, football and basketball games, along with volleyball, gymnastics and…

Leopold Rivera, age 91, founder of Quality Bags in Addison, Est. 1978; longtime Chicago Bears fan and devoted family man; cherished husband of Gloria R., nee Piane for over 71 years; loving father of Glenn (Regina), Eugene (Donna) and Ronald (Lisa) Rivera and Debra (Bob) Spahn; proud grandfather of Lani…

Joseph W. Tully of Chicago passed away at the age of 75, surrounded by his wife and daughters while listening to his favorite oldies. He leaves behind a profound legacy of love and commitment to his family and friends. A fiercely devoted husband to Karen Sakash, he cherished their life…

Brian A. Carlson, age 56, proud resident of Orland Park, former employee at GES/McCormick Place and longtime area bartender; beloved father of Sophie; loving brother of Mary Beth (Matthew Haugh) Carlson, Kara (Tom) Harding and Andrew (Jennifer Hatke) Carlson; proud uncle of Jaycey, Thomas, Ty, Karly, Sasha, Michaela and Zoey;…

Dean J. “Jerry” Sletten, age 96, longtime resident of Elmhurst and parishioner and volunteer at Immaculate Conception Parish; beloved husband of the late June M., nee Vietzen; loving father of Richard (Madeleine) Sletten, Mary (Michael) Fergus, Michael (Rebecca) and Tom (Margaret) Sletten; proud grandfather of Samuel and Andrew Sletten, Kaitlin…

Ellen M. Wanzung, age 79, 50 year resident of Elmhurst and proud Adirondack Mountain native of Dannemora, NY; former President of York High School Athletic Booster Club and former RE teacher at Immaculate Conception Parish. Ellen worked 20 years for Chrysler Financial as well as many years for Elmhurst College.…

Gianni Cramer, age 94, Native of Italy, longtime resident of Bensenville, beloved husband of Josephine, nee Petronio, since 1958; loving father of Gianfranco (Ruth) Cramer and Laila (James) Jandick; cherished grandfather of Sara and Faith Cramer and Steven (Jamilee), Alex (Madison) and Nicole (Avery Hutton) Jandick and great-grandfather of Sonny…

Teacher. Caregiver. Volunteer. Mother. Wife. Grandma. Mary M. Costello, nee McTigue, fully embraced a life of service in every way before she passed abruptly following a battle with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare form of cancer. Mary was born on May 15, 1941 on the South Side of Chicago to parents Bridget…

Michael G. Ross, age 74, Graduate of Fenwick High School and recipient of his Bachelor’s Degree from NIU, MBA from DePaul University and MS from Dominican University; longtime AP Econ teacher at Addison Trail High School; beloved husband of Kathy, nee Mulligan; loving brother of John, George (Lisa), Terry (Hope),…

Charles A. Tarpey, age 88, Native of Chicago, longtime resident of Lombard; former bartender at Jonathan’s in Lombard and Hillside Bowling; beloved husband of Harriet, nee Toblesky; loving father of Deborah Tarpey, Charles A. (Karen) Tarpey, Jr., Michael (Thais) Tarpey and Richard (Myra) Tarpey; cherished grandfather of Eddie Michael, Nicolle,…

Lemyle Paape, passed away in her 82nd year, Native of Vietnam, longtime resident of Elmhurst, retired employee of Elmhurst Memorial Hospital; beloved wife of Charles; loving mother of Anson, Cristina (Richard) Henderson and Dorothy Kotscha; cherished grandmother of Anthony, Jonathan, Natasha, Genesis, Amanda, Sarah, Samantha, Ashley, Mary, Charlie, Everett, Sierra…

Alan J. Bacher, beloved son of the late Carl and Hilda (Gilles) Bacher, was born in Elyria, Ohio on October 17, 1942. He attended DeVry Institute (class of 1961), and DePaul University (class of 1970). Al proudly served our country in the Army and was stationed in Korea. Alan brought…

John J. Conroy, Jr., of the greater Chicagoland area and most recently Elmhurst, Illinois, passed away peacefully and entered his eternal home on September 23, 2024. John was born on June 5, 1953 in Dixon, Illinois to John Conroy and Phyllis Jean, nee Stump, Conroy. John spent his childhood years…

Mark A.  Converse, Loving husband of Erin Converse, nee Allison; Devoted father of Claire and Meredith Converse; Cherished son of Patricia Parisi and Bert (Pat) Converse; Adored brother of Angela (Sam) Margelos and Nancy (Darryl)Schlegel; Dear son in law of Richard (Carolyn) Allison. Fond uncle of many nieces and nephews. …

Brendan James Murtaugh, Age 25, suddenly, Beloved son of Dennis and Ann Murtaugh, nee Evans; Devoted brother of Patrick Michael Murtaugh; Cherished grandson of William & Patricia Evans and the late James & Jeanne Murtaugh; Adored nephew, cousin and friend of many.  Visitation Sunday, September 15, 2024, 2:00 p.m. until…

William E. “Bill” Grob, age 77, of Elmhurst, longtime resident of Chicago; former driver with Gonnella Bread and Old Style Brewery; beloved husband of Cinda, nee White; loving father of William (Laura) and Matthew (Laura) Grob and Marcy (Jack) Kraus; cherished grandfather of Benjamin, Chloe, Jayden, Sabrina, Brianna, Samantha and…

Samantha Nicole Daniels, age 36, went to be with the Lord suddenly on August 23, 2024; lifetime resident of Chicago, employee at Weiss Memorial in the Nutrition/Food Service department; devoted mother of Brynn; cherished daughter of Louis Daniels and the late Barbara Jean Cobbs; beloved sister of Sylvia (James) Roe,…

George Christopher O’Brien, age 72, Native of Jersey City, NJ, longtime resident of Elmhurst, beloved brother of Gabrielle (Bill Troyak and the late Byron) Evans, Sharon O’Brien, Bernadette O’Brien and the late Jean (Ernesto) Alvarez; loving uncle of Megan and Kathleen Alvarez, James Evans and Christopher O’Brien; cherished son of…

Geraldine M. “Gerry” Ward, age 81, nee Griffin; longtime resident of Elmhurst; beloved wife of the late William Louis Ward;  loving mother of Maggie (the late Paul) Kossak, Mike, Katie (Matt) McDonough and Annie (Bobby) Rowland; proud grandmother of Gracie, Jack, Frankie, Doug, Lola, Kelsey, Joe, Lily, Sean, Bobby and…

Donna J. Castro, nee Jensen, age 80, of Ottawa, formerly of Wheaton; beloved wife of the late Ricardo J. Castro; loving mother of Michael (Tracy) Maciejewski and Robert (Karen) Maciejewski and the late Ricardo J. Castro Jr.; cherished grandmother of Maya and Emilio Castro, Edward, Sarah and Anna Maciejewski and…

Margaret Lynn (Kraegel) Nolan, age 80 of Addison, IL,  was called to glory at the heavenly banquet of our Lord on August 10, 2024, surrounded by her children; loving wife of the late William R. “Bill”; beloved mother of four children: Mary M. Nolan-Pleckham (Michael  R. Pleckham); William P. (Leslie…

Diane J. DuBois, nee Shea, age 62, devoted Catholic, fun-loving friend to many, avid walker and bike rider, pickleball player, golfer, card player, teacher at Madison School in Lombard; beloved wife of Steve; loving mother of Matt (fiancé Shelby Hamilton), Tom (Courtney Trunk) and Jason; dear sister of Nancy (Antonio)…