Mary Corby Empfield, age 77, of Chicago, IL, passed away in Skokie, IL, after her second battle with cancer, on May 3, 2018, while in the attentive care of her cherished and dearly loved life partner, Richard J. Bunn. Mary was born on November 2, 1940, in Pittsburgh, PA, and moved to Evanston, IL, asContinue Reading
Mary Corby Empfield, age 77, of Chicago, IL, passed away in Skokie, IL, after her second battle with cancer, on May 3, 2018, while in the attentive care of her cherished and dearly loved life partner, Richard J. Bunn. Mary was born on November 2, 1940, in Pittsburgh, PA, and moved to Evanston, IL, as a child with her family, where she grew up and resided for many years. Mary was a lifelong learner, avid reader and movie buff, and she also loved to crochet, knit and sew. Mary was socially conscious and passionate about civil rights and earned a Master of Social Work in ‘93 from the Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago, where she majored in gerontology. In addition to working at the Council for Jewish Elderly for over 15 years, she also volunteered to deliver meals to seniors in her free time. Mary managed patient care for United Healthcare, worked with dialysis patients and the mentally ill in other positions, and volunteered to work with AIDs patients at a time when many others would not. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Fort Dearborn Chapter, Evanston, and was a proud mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents, James and Helen, nee Walker; brother, William Empfield; daughter, Celia (Marcus); grandson, Logan Bethard; and good friend, Cheryl Gardner. Mary is survived by her life partner and dear friend, Richard J. Bunn, and his daughter, Shara Phillips, and grandson, Max Phillips-Freeman; her daughters, Holly (Dan) Kemble and Nancy McLaughlin (Joel Schwartz); grandchildren, Lauren McLaughlin (David Quinn), Jillian (Adam) Gross, and Alexandra, Tyler (Taylor Rae), Dillon, Madeline, Natalie, Francesca, Josephine, Hayden, and Isabel Bethard; great-grandchildren, Rosslyn Gross, Christian Quinn, and Logan Ray Bethard; brothers, John (Mary), David, and Bruce Empfield; nephews, David Calle, Daimon, James and John (Claire) Empfield; cousins, Michael and Thomas (Emily) Rogers, Anne and Ian Nesbitt; Cheryl Gardner’s daughter, Jennifer Lowe; Daimon’s mother, Maureen Empfield; and good friend, Donna Fairbanks.
She stayed connected with, and cared very much about, all the friends she made where she worked over the years, and those who knew her are not surprised that her favorite song was Frank Sinatra’s My Way.
Services are private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Council for Jewish Elderly, 3003 W. Touhy Ave., Chicago, IL, 60645; Advocate Charitable Foundation, 3075 Highland Pkwy., Suite 600, Downers Grove, IL, 60515; or a breast cancer organization of your choice.
Info: 847.673.6111.
Nancy Schultz
left a message on May 7, 2018:
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Nancy Schultz
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