Mary Catherine "Mary Kate" (Lohman) Hedstrom

Mary Catherine “Mary Kate” Hedstrom (Lohman) passed away on May 16, 2018 at the age of 95 years, at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home after a brief illness.

Mary Kate’s family were longtime Joliet and Lemont area residents. She was born in Warren, Ohio and raised on Western Avenue in Joliet.  She was a lifelong member of the Cathedral of St. Raymond and there attended grade school.  She graduated from Saint Francis Academy (1941) and attended the College of Saint Francis.  Mary Kate worked for the Joliet Weather Bureau before marrying  Louis in 1944 at March Field in Riverside, California where Louis was stationed with the US Army Air Corp. They returned to Joliet after the war, raised their family, and remained there until their deaths.  Mary Kate was a founding member of Holy Family Catholic Church in 1960, and was active in many programs there. For many years she was a volunteer for the Shepherd’s Table and Daybreak Women’s Shelter. Mary Kate discovered the love and satisfaction of quilting years ago and blessed her family and friends with her beautiful handmade creations.  She donated many quilts to various auctions and charities, including Project Linus. Her quilting skill was matched by her extraordinary gift of gardening. She spent countless hours cultivating seeds for spectacular flowers and vegetables. Friends and neighbors were often gifted with the fruits of her labors.

Mary Kate is survived by four daughters, Judy Ferguson from Pittsburg, CA, Carol (Peter) Brooks from Marietta, GA, Mary Anne (Chuck) Macier from Plainfield, IL and Jan (John) Wyatt from Bloomfield Hills, MI; eight grandchildren, Michael, Patrick and Mary Ferguson, Michelle (Matt) Stell, Allison and Alex (Kim) Macier, Blaire (Connor) Banks and Jack Wyatt; eight great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; sister-in-law, Marilyn Hedstrom Clever from Aurora, IL; and many nieces and nephews.

Mary Kate is preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Louis Hedstrom (1998); her mother, Maude Hennebry Lohman; her father, Francis Lohman;  two brothers, John “Jack” Lohman (Margie), Littleton, CO and Robert “Shaver” Lohman (Betty Lou), Mt. Lebanon, PA; nephew, Kevin Lohman; dear aunts, Mary G. Hennebry, Elizabeth Hennebry and Gertrude Hennebry, Joliet, IL.

Mary Kate and Louis were long-time members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Friends and family will hold wonderful memories of time spent in Mary Kate’s loving and generous company.

The family of Mary Kate wishes to thank the nurses and aides Leanne, Sr. Pat and Sr. Joy of OLA for their dedication, love and kindness - most especially the compassionate care of Dr. Karl Szafranski whose extraordinary efforts were gifts to our mother.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests support of Joliet Area Community Hospice, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee; and MorningStar Mission in Joliet.

A celebration of Mary Catherine’s life will begin on Friday, May 18, 2018 with a visitation at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home (1201 Wyoming Ave., Joliet) from 9:00 a.m. until the time for Mass of Christian burial at 11:00 a.m. Recitation of the Rosary at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, Romeoville.

There will be no services at the funeral home.

Obituary and Tribute Wall for Mary Catherine “Kate” Hedstrom at www.tezakfuneralhome.com or for information, 815-722-0524.

Funeral services and arrangements entrusted to the direction of Tezak's Home to Celebrate Life.