Mercita DeMuynck (stage spelling DeMonk, née Vesely), 93, a longtime Oak Parker, died on March 26, 2026. Born in Blue Island, Illinois on Oct. 1, 1932 to Joseph and Marguerite Vesely (née O’Connor). With her late brothers — Joe (Doris), Bill (Bobbie), and Bob (Pat) Veseley — she grew up in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood.
While attending Caldwell Elementary Academy of Math and Science, a teacher asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up. She said she wanted to be on the radio, telling stories like the ones she heard on Friday afternoons, broadcast to schools through the Board of Education on WBEZ. Her teacher saw a spark in her and helped her make a connection to WBEZ, launching her career.
As the television medium expanded, Mercita and a friend could sing and dance and were booked on a new television show, Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Later, they appeared on Super Circus, featuring Mary Hartline.
After graduating from South Shore High School, she became a chorus girl, touring the Midwest as part of a dance group for state and county fairs. She earned enough money touring to pay for acting classes at DePaul University. She was cast in local theater productions and radio spots and became part of the Chevy Chase Summer Theater ensemble in Wheeling.
It was through her work that she met the love of her life, Frank DeMuynck, a trumpet player from Kansas City, Missouri. Over their 65+ years of marriage, they had four children, Nina (Paul) Gegenheimer, Christopher DeMuynck, Lisa (Paul) Chernyshev, and Aimee (Dean) DeGroot; nine grandchildren, Eric Gegenheimer (Rachel Short), Ian Gegenheimer (Mary Kroeck), Allison Gegenheimer Malhiot (Chase Malhiot), Brett DeMuynck, Andrew DeGroot (Jenny Bond), Courtney DeGroot, Mercita Chernyshev (Zack Bruce), Oliva Chernyshev (Jon Ward), and Nina Chernyshev Morrow (Jack Morrow); great-grandchildren Noah, Miles, and Wren Gegenheimer; and Ellie DeGroot; the aunt and great-aunt to many nieces and nephews; and a lifetime of special friends, among them Heather Hinds, to whom the family is extremely grateful for her care and devotion.
From 1970 into the 2000s, Mercita continued to work in television, radio, theater and print advertisements and was a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and the Actor’s Equity Association. A voiceover talent, one of her most recognizable roles was that of Mrs. Butterworth in commercials that aired in the late 1980s/early 1990s. She was a founding member of the SAG-AFTRA Seniors Committee and acted and directed in productions with the SAG-AFTRA Senior Radio Players for decades. She also performed in productions at Drury Lane, Goodman, and Chicago Dramatists theaters, among others. She was an early company member of Village Players (known today as Madison Street Theatre) in Oak Park, a building she and others helped renovate when they moved from their location on South Boulevard to Madison Street. It was with Village Players that she starred in one of her favorite roles, Mama Rose in Gypsy. She also performed one-woman shows, most notably, The Angel of Halsted Street, a show about Jane Addams, which toured around Illinois. She took tap dance classes into her 80s and landed guest roles on Chicago Fire and Chicago Med at the age of 90. Her final theatrical performance was last October with The Free Readers Ensemble (a company she helped found), at the age of 93, “Life is a Cabaret!” a musical variety show about her incredible life and career in the arts.
Mercita took her final bow late in the evening of March 26, just in time to step into the afterlife on March 27, which is World Theatre Day.
Per her wishes, a celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, for those who wish, donations can be made in her memory to the following organizations related to the arts: The Free Readers Ensemble, www.freereadersensemble.com; WLCB 101.5 FM, www.lakesradio.org; or purchase artwork created by Mouth & Foot Painting Artists, MFPAUSA.com.