Mary Ann Sartorelli

Mary Ann Sartorelli, age 91, died peacefully on October 22, 2017 at Sunny Hill Nursing Home in Joliet.

Mary Ann attended Providence High School, something she was very proud of.  She had a deep respect for education, something she retained throughout her life.  She was a very loving, kind-hearted and sociable person with an infectious and welcoming smile.  She was involved in numerous charitable activities, including being a volunteer at the Rialto for many years.  Also, for many years, she was a volunteer at Provena St. Joseph's Medical Center, and she particularly loved knitting small head warmers for the tiny newborn babies.  She often wondered about how the babies looked in them and how they would fare in their later lives.

Mary Ann had many hobbies and pastimes.  She was accomplished at hair styling, sewing, knitting and crocheting, and happily passed those skills on to others who were interested.  She loved music and she especially loved to dance.  She loved to play cards too, and spent many hours with bridge clubs and playing various other card games with friends and relatives.  She was an avid reader, and she prided herself, early on, in being a good student. She put a high value on the importance of education and took a great interest in the education of her sons.  She was a member of the mothers' clubs at their various elementary and high schools.  She served as a model and source of encouragement for her family to do what she could not: go on to higher education, earning college and advanced degrees, even to the level of doctorate and university professor.

Mary Ann also loved to travel.  She visited numerous states, east to west and north to south, as well as Canada and Alaska.  She went on several cruises, including one through the Panama Canal.  But the trips to Europe were the ones she treasured most, especially her visits to England, and, most of all, to Italy, where she appreciated the art and culture as well as the historic significance of her ancestry.

She is survived by her two loving sons, Charles (Anne) and Joseph; two grandchildren, Brian (Michelle) Sartorelli and Melissa (Chadd) Grevengoed; and five great grandchildren, Ashley and Allison Sartorelli, Ava, Luke, and Lexie Grevengoed. She is also survived by numerous friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles; her mother, Theresa; her father, John; her sister, Elva; her nephew, Richard; and her niece, Marlene.  She was also preceded in death by her close friends and neighbors, Marie Palya and Betty Dwyer.

The family wishes to express their deep gratitude to the staff at Sunny Hill for the loving and attentive care they gave Mary Ann in her last months.  She was very fond of them, as they were of her.

A celebration of Mary Ann's life will begin on Monday, October 30, 2017, with a visitation at Tezak Funeral Home (1211 Plainfield Road, Joliet, IL) from 9:30 a.m. until the time of chapel prayers at 10:30 a.m. then driving in procession to the Church of St. Anthony (100 North Scott Street, Joliet, IL) for a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. She will be laid to rest at Woodlawn Memorial Park (23060 W Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL).

Visit Mary Ann's memorial page at:

www.tezakfuneralhome.com/notices/MaryAnn-Sartorelli

or for information, call (815) 722-0524

Arrangements lovingly entrusted to Tezak's Home to Celebrate Life.