Mary E. Phillips, 86, of River Forest, died peacefully on March 21, 2024 at Rush Medical Center after a brief illness. Born on Aug. 29, 1937, she was the owner of the former Mary’s Place restaurant in Oak Park. Prior to that, she worked for more than 20 years in the restaurant industry, both for Stouffer’s Restaurants and Golden Bear Family Restaurants. She was devoted to her faith, her family, and her friends, and was a 66-year member of St. Giles Parish. She loved being with her family and spending time with all her nieces, nephews and great-nieces and -nephews, especially during summers at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. And she treasured her time at her condo in Venice, Florida. She loved hosting dinners and having parties, and was often the catalyst for many memorable family events. She had a wide variety of friends, including her neighbors in Centennial House and Brookwood, her Florida neighbors in Bella Costa, her golf buddies at Country Club Estates, Abbey Springs, and Venice Lakes golf courses, and her former co-workers at Elmcrest Banquets. She had a generous nature and was always willing to offer help to others. She loved golf and achieved the distinction of two holes-in-one in her lifetime. She loved to travel and visited most of the countries in the world. She was loved by her family and friends and will be missed by all who knew her.
Mary was the daughter of the late Walter and Lucille; the sister of Luanne (the late Douglas) Peterson and Margaret (the late J. Thomas) Kenny; the aunt of Scott Peterson, Craig (Heather) Peterson, Mary (Kevin) Gibbons, Anne Sullivan, Timothy (Jamee) Kenny, and Kevin Kenny; the great-aunt of Joe, Sean, and Colin Sullivan, Clare, Patrick, Timothy, and Eddie Gibbons, Grace, Thomas, Matthew, Ryan, and Owen Peterson, and Hunter, Oliver, and River Kenny; the aunt and great-aunt of Yvonne and Tristan LeBourhis and David, Ainsley and Alec Edstrom; the cousin of Jim McGuire; and the neighbor and friend of many.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to St. Giles School in her memory would be appreciated (St. Giles School, Development Office, 1034 Linden Ave., Oak Park IL 60302 in memory of Mary Phillips).
Visitation was held on April 8 at St. Giles Church in Oak Park followed by Mass. Interment graveside took place at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.
