Mary Jane Bressler, 91, of Oakbrook Terrace, formerly of River Forest, died on Oct. 17, 2025. Born on May 20, 1934 in West Reading, Pennsylvania to Herman (Jake) and Florence Bare, she attended school in nearby Shillington.
After high school, she attended the Pottstown Hospital School of Nursing, earning a degree as a Registered Nurse. She moved to the Chicago area to work at the Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, where she met her future husband, Leonard Bressler, M.D., a surgeon. The couple raised five children in their River Forest home. She then earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mundelein College and a master’s in counseling from the Alfred Adler Institute of Chicago and worked as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation counselor at the Parkside Youth Center of Lutheran General Hospital.
Her beautiful soprano could be heard for years in the choir of West Suburban Temple, where she was a member, and various other choirs, choruses and theatrical and operatic productions. She climbed mountains in Nepal, rode dogsleds in Minnesota, canoed in the Boundary Waters, walked on glaciers in Alaska and Antarctica and visited the holiest sites in Jerusalem among other destinations. A prolific knitter, she turned out beautiful sweaters, scarves and blankets along with many needlepoint creations. She authored many short stories, poems and a novel. She sewed many of her own clothes, including beautiful gowns which she wore to the many galas she and her husband attended. She even dabbled in painting and pottery and was a phenomenal cook and baker.
Mary Jane was preceded in death by her parents and her husband. She is survived by her children, Judith (Peter Weeks), Joy (Scott Klapman), David (Deanna), Joshua (Jennifer) and Stephanie (Leonard Levine); 13 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren; her sister, Barbra Toenjes; her brother, Richard Bare; her sister-in-law, Anita Robbins; and many nieces and nephews.
Private interment and celebration of life will take place at a future date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations in her name to Metropolitan Family Service (www.metrofamily.org).
