Mary Theresa Conlon

Mary Theresa Conlon, known as “Theresa,” died of heart failure on Jan. 4, 2025. A visitation will be held on May 31st at 9 am, and a Memorial Service will follow at 10 am at St. Edna's Church, 2525 N. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights, IL. She will be interred at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on September 20th, 2025.

Theresa was born December 27, 1940, in Belfast, the eldest daughter of eight children. Reaching the working age of fourteen, the sisters at the Convent of Mercy School, Joy Street, Belfast, asked if she could continue her education, but she was needed at home. The sisters found her a position as an apprentice seamstress of fine children’s clothing. She mended and made clothes for her siblings and neighborhood children in the evenings. Theresa married the love of her life, Bernard Joseph Conlon, on August 16, 1958. After becoming a mother, she continued to work as a seamstress and later as a waitress. Seeking a life away from Northern Ireland’s “Troubles,” Theresa emigrated, with her family, to the U.S. in 1982, settling in Wheeling, IL. Learning to drive at age forty-two, she worked for various drapery workhouses and eventually started her own drapery business, Tres Joli Designs, in Wheeling. She ran her business successfully for decades and was proud to provide excellent working conditions and compensation for her employees. She did not lay anyone off during the 2008 economic downturn. In retirement, she loved to spend time with her family and friends at her homes in Door County, WI, and Sarasota, FL. She was a proud grandmother and treasured time with her adoring grandchildren, especially the yearly performances they enacted for her amusement. Theresa enjoyed visiting family in Ireland, Canada, and New York. An expert seamstress, she sewed masks during the pandemic and designed custom pillows and bags for family and friends. A doer, she looked forward, never allowing adversity to dictate her life. She will be remembered for her beautiful singing voice–recalling every Irish song she ever heard–and her loving, joyful presence.

Mary “Theresa” (McGovern): was the beloved wife of Bernard “Joe” Conlon; loving mother of Martin Conlon (Tracy), Kathleen Conlon Wasik (John), and Stephen Conlon (Maria); grandchildren Maria, Sarah, Helena, Patrick, Julia, and Maeve. Theresa was preceded in death by her husband, “Joe” Conlon, her brother, Jimmy McGovern, and sister, Roseleen McGovern. She is survived by her sisters Kathleen, Betty, Sadie, and Ena, brother Tommy, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Instead of flowers, donations can be sent to St. Jude Children’s Hospital c/o Donations, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38015, or via https://www.stjude.org.

Life is fleeting. Make it beautiful