Loretta Cecelia Maher

Loretta Cecelia Maher passed away on Monday, September 23, 2024, at her home in Brookfield, IL.  

A centenarian who lived 36,741 days! 

You could always count on Aunt Loretta to include you in her prayer intentions and now we have her as a guardian angel.

She was born Wednesday, February 20, 1924 in Chicago, the second of four children, to Donald Philip Maher and Loretta Cecelia Lawler. She graduated from Bowen High School, South Chicago, and is an alumna of the DePaul Secretarial School.

A lifelong Chicago resident, Loretta used her secretarial skills as an administrative assistant to many Chicago Public School principals. Several summers she worked in the office at Robert Lindblom Technical High School. And known as Miss Maher, she retired in 1991, from the Chicago Board of Education while on staff at the Mark Twain Elementary School. 

She enjoyed movies, reading mystery novels, bowling, volleyball, swimming, traveling, trivia, Bunco and the finer things like chocolate, ice cream,Notre Dame football, family and friends. Two of her favorite performances and soundtracks were The Phantom of the Opera and The Sound of Music. She loved the color purple which had nothing to do with the book/movie, but it is her birthstone.

Loretta learned to drive in 1966 after inheriting her father’s American Rambler and in 1973, she finally got her first apartment, at the fairly new Ford City Village, with views of the Chicago skyline and the fireworks from Sox park. 

She was an active member of the St. Denis Church parish, until she moved to Brookfield, IL, in 2016. She enjoyed the community fellowship at daily masses and the annual White Sox game, parish picnic and the Taste of St. Denis, just to name a few. And she is one of the last surviving members of the Lateran Club from St. Sabina’s parish.

In Brookfield, Loretta lived at Cantata's Wye Valley where she met wonderful people. We will be forever grateful for the loving care she received from her personal caregiver, Torunn Hanson.

Loretta is survived by 14 nieces/nephews, Donald (Toni) Maher, Patricia (Richard) O’Keefe, Tom Maher, Linda (David) Osowski, Jennifer Maher, Rose Messina Lehne, Tony (Marian) Messina, John (Theresa) Messina, Al (Cynthia) Messina, Peg (Mike) Heenan, Terry Maher, Dan (Jen) Maher, Maureen (Mark) Kasper, Trish (Ashley) Gloster, 23 great nieces/nephews and 29 great-great nieces/nephews.

 She is preceded in death by her parents, Loretta (1896-1948) and Donald (1896-1966), her sister Mary June Messina (Alfonso) and her brothers Don (Dorothy) and Jack (Kay).