Mary Margaret Lucas

Passed away at Lightways Hospice Home, Thursday, July 27, 2023. Age 106 years.

Mary was born October 14, 1916, in Jordan Village, Indiana to Curtis (Curt) and Mae Wright Lucas.

She is survived by cousins Ann Carlson Weeks of Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, Carole Lucas Cassida of Lafayette, Indiana, and countless friends in the Joliet area and around the country.

Margaret was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, John H. Lucas and Margaret Perry Lucas, and maternal grandparents, Andrew S. Wright and Mary Miranda Spear Wright.

At the age of 16, Andrew Wright enlisted in the Union Army and fought for 3 ½ years in the War Between the States. She graduated from Spencer (Indiana) High School in 1934 and received her BS Degree in Business Management from Lewis University in 1972. Margaret joined the First Presbyterian Church of Joliet in 1961 and served as an Ordained Deacon and Elder and was Assistant Treasurer for more than 20 years. During her career, she worked for the US Department of Defense for more than 30 years as a fiscal accountant and budget analysis and, after her retirement, was employed by the Burr Oak Library System for more than 8 years. After retirement from the library system in 2010, she opened a small accounting business and served as the bookkeeper for several local libraries and the Troy Township Supervisor. Margaret loved traveling, reading, and attending live musical performances. A world traveler, she visited five continents and was particularly proud of being rebaptized in the Jordan River in the Holy Land – twice! She loved the British Isles and Hawaii and made multiple trips to both destinations. Her favorite book was Gone with the Wind, and her favorite musical was The Sound of Music, which she saw countless times. She was a lifetime member of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) and received a Certificate of Appreciation for her many years of service to the Joliet Chapter on her 106th birthday in October 2022. She also was a lifetime member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Bowling Green (Indiana) Chapter, and Beta Sigma Phi International Sorority.

Visitation will be held at Carlson Holmquist-Sayles Funeral Home & Crematory, 2320 Black Road, Joliet, Illinois 60435 on Friday, August 4, 2023, from 4:00-6:00 PM. Funeral services will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 805 Western Avenue, Saturday, August 5th at 11:00 AM. Interment will be with her parents in Bowling Green, Indiana.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to First Presbyterian Church, 805 Western Avenue, Joliet, Illinois 60435 or Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care, 250 Water Stone Circle, Joliet, Illinois 60431 will be appreciated.