Obituaries

Margaret Christopher Schmitz

Margaret Christopher Schmitz, 52, of Joliet, Ill., passed away peacefully Wednesday, April 25, 2012, at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center, with her family by her side and attended to by her loving husband. She was born April 30, 1959, to John H. and Margaret D. Horrigan in Joliet, Ill. She attended St. Paul the Apostle grade school, St. Francis Academy, and William Woods College in Fulton. While living in Missouri, her greatest joy was in raising her three children. Tommy, Gabe and Courtney provided her with unending inspiration, and enough stories and precious memories to last a lifetime. She also developed a mastery of Southern cooking, which, after returning to Joliet, Ill., in 2002, she brought to her work at her sister Kate Mohundro's restaurant, Truth, where she earned a well-deserved reputation as an elegant and inventive "master of soup." Her innate gift for effortlessly gracious hospitality is cherished by all who knew her, especially in her traditional Christmas Eve gatherings at her and Karl's home in Minooks, Ill. The sixth of eight children, she grew up in a large Irish-American household surrounded by siblings and close cousins, which instilled in her the value of deeply nurturing warm and welcoming family ties, values she's passed on to her children and for which her entire surviving family will eternally and gratefully remember her. "Margy," as she was known to those who loved her, is survived by: her husband Karl A. Schmitz, who brought joy and contentment to their eight years together in Minooka, Ill.; her three adored children, Thomas G. Christopher of Columbia, John Gabriel Christopher of Joliet, Ill. and Margaret Courtney Christopher of Las Vegas, Nev.; her father, John H. Horrigan of Joliet, Ill.; her bereaving sisters, Anne Horrigan (Amy Sczcepaniak), Betsey Carlin (Tim), and Kate Mohundro (Doug) all of Joliet, Ill.; her brothers, Peter and Stephen Horrigan of Joliet, Ill., and Bill Horrigan of Columbus, Ohio. Also surviving are: her father and mother-in-law, Clarence F. and Brenda Schmitz of Joliet, Ill.; sisters-in-law, Karol (Fred) Herink and Kristin Schmitz of Minooka, Ill.; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by: her mother, Margaret; her uncles, William Dailey and James Horrigan; her brother, Patrick; and her nephew, Eliot Horrigan. A Memorial Mass for Margaret Christopher Schmitz will be celebrated on Saturday, April 28, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Paul the Apostle Church. Her remains will be laid to rest at Resurrection Cemetery, alongside those of her maternal grandfather, Aloysius P. Dailey. Memorial visitation will be at 8:30 a.m. preceding the service at St. Paul's.

Published April 26, 2012