Mary E. Boelen

Mary was born September 8, 1914 in Venray, The Netherlands, the daughter of Anton and Josephine (van Liebergen) Poels. She became a surgical nurse and worked in Amsterdam during World War II. During the war she was a member of the Dutch resistance (the “underground”) and saved the life of a Jewish woman by hiding her in her apartment for the duration of the war. She also survived the Dutch famine of 1944-45, known in Holland as the “Hunger Winter”.

After the war she studied at the University of Louvain, Belgium, where she met her future husband, Bernard J. Boelen. They were married in The Netherlands and started a family there. In 1950 they emigrated to the United States. Their ship arrived in New York harbor (Hoboken, NJ, docks) the day before Thanksgiving. She became a US citizen in 1959.

The family eventually settled in Mt. Prospect, IL, where Mary lived from 1968 to 2003 (35 years). In the 1970’s, at age 60, and after 30 years of tireless work as a homemaker, Mary had the courage to return to the workforce and re-enter nursing. She elected to pursue an American nursing education from scratch and successfully became a Registered Nurse in Illinois. She worked at Madden Mental Health Center, Hines, IL, until her final retirement from nursing. Mary enjoyed woodworking and gardening. She resided at Luther Village, Arlington Heights, from 2003 until her death. Mary was a faithful Roman Catholic, having most recently been a parishioner at St. Raymond Parish in Mt. Prospect.

Mary was widowed in 1995. She was also preceded in death by her brother Paul Poels; sisters Henriette Poels and Johanna (Poels) Hendricx; and an infant son, Paul Joseph Boelen. She is survived by her sister Laura (Poels) Poulisse; children Josephine (Boelen) Gould, Louis Boelen, and Miriam Boelen; and grandchildren Heidi and Joshua Gould, and Juliana and Stephen Boelen. Mary was lovingly cared for by Dee Kohring and Walter and Eva Kiminski.

Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m., Sunday, July 31st at Lauterburg-Oehler Funeral Home, 2000 E Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights.

Funeral Service Monday 10 AM at the funeral home.

Monday August 1st, Mary will be interred beside her late husband at All Saints Catholic Cemetery, Des Plaines.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Voices of Vision Talking Book Center, 127 South First Street, Geneva, IL 60134 (630-208-0398).

Arrangements by Woodlawn Funeral Directors. Info: 847-253-5423 or www.woodlawnchicago.com