Clara-Marie Mahoney

Clara-Marie Mahoney, age 83 of Springfield, died Saturday, November 11, 2006 at St. John’s Hospice. Clara-Marie was born on July 29, 1923 in Springfield, the daughter of Gerald R. and Clara G. Reilly Norcross. She married Edward Joseph Mahoney, Jr. on June 21, 1947 at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Springfield. She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, A. Edward Norcross. Clara-Marie spent most of her life in Springfield and Havana, and graduated from Havana High School in 1941. She studied vocal music in her teens and twenties and was a professional singer, a coloratura soprano, and performed throughout Illinois. She worked for Federated Funeral Directors from 1941 to 1948. Clara-Marie was a member of Little Flower Parish since 1952 and the St. Therese Guild, where she served on numerous committees. She was a performing member of Amateur Music Club. Her love of Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright led her to become a volunteer and interpreter at the Dana-Thomas House for over eight years. She was also the founding president of the Dana Thomas-House Foundation, serving from 1983 to 1985. She was a member of the Brinkerhoff Home Foundation and participated for many years delivering Meals on Wheels. Clara-Marie was a dedicated wife and mother, raising six children while maintaining a lovely home and yard. Clara-Marie was always chauffeuring kids to lessons of some sort and still able to volunteer her time to a variety of groups. She was an avid card player, and enjoyed playing bridge and pinochle with all her friends. Clara-Marie loved to read and instilled her love of books, as well as her love of music, in all of her children. She always had a garden in the summer and a variety of flowers in her yard. Her favorite flower was the daisy. She enjoyed canning the vegetables from her garden and was always the first to fix a meal for a friend in need. Clara-Marie is survived by her husband, Ed; three sons: Ed (wife, Sue) Mahoney, III of Springfield; Dennis (wife, Mary} Mahoney of Naperville and Tim Mahoney of Bedford, TX; three daughters: Maureen (husband, Bob) Best of Chatham, Bridget (husband, Ollie) DePriest of Springfield and Cecilia (husband, Brian) Sugrue of Crystal Lake; thirteen grandchildren: Kiersten (husband, John) Pagani, Katie Best, Rose DePriest, Molly, Peter, Michael, Alison and Van Mahoney, Brendan, Ian, and Christina Sugrue and Stuart and Sean Patterson; two great-grandchildren: Nathaniel and Elizabeth Pagani; one brother: Gerald (wife, Leona) Norcross of Joliet; one sister-in-law: Margaret Norcross of Joliet; one sister: Celene (husband, David) Easson of Davenport, IA and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at Kirlin-Egan and Butler Funeral Home, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield. Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at Church of the Little Flower, 800 Adlai Stevenson Dr., Springfield, with Rev. Chuck Edwards, celebrant. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to: Sacred Heart Griffin, 1200 W. Washington St., Springfield, IL 62704 or Church of the Little Flower, 800 Adlai Stevenson Dr., Springfield, IL 62703. The family of Clara-Marie Mahoney is being served by Kirlin-Egan and Butler Funeral Home, 900 S. 6th St. Springfield.