Mary Ann McGovern

1935 - 2017

Mary Ann McGovern
Mary Ann McGovern, age 82, of Plainfield, Illinois, left this life for a brighter one on the beautiful, sunny morning of Saturday, April 29, after a long struggle with lung disease and COPD. She had recently come to Fairfield to spend her last days in the company and care of her daughter and her family and friends. Mare, as she was known by her loved ones, graduated from Washington-Clay High School in South Bend, IN in 1953. After working as a secretary in the insurance industry, she met her late husband, Keith A. McGovern, originally of Darlington, PA, while he was attending TriState University in Angola, IN. They married in 1958, and soon afterwards began an exciting life together, criss-crossing the United States with the Boeing Corporation, working on various engineering installations and raising four children along the way. They settled in the Chicagoland area about ten years later. Devoted to her family, friends and her Roman Catholic faith, Mary Ann spent 25 years as the Plant Secretary at the Rexnord Corporation in Downers Grove, IL. She and her husband retired to the Carillon senior living community in Plainfield, IL, where she joined the St. Andrew the Apostle parish and became active in the community. For many years, she volunteered in the Sewing Club at Carillon, where she made lap quilts and wheel-chair saddle bags for the elderly. She enjoyed playing cards, board games and Mah Jongg, and was a regular in the back row of Carillon's stretch and exercise classes in the clubhouse. Her grandchildren loved visiting her because the fun never stopped and there was an endless supply of homemade cupcakes and oatmeal raisin cookies. She was a sweet, sweet woman who wanted nothing more than to take care of anyone who crossed her threshold; indeed her visitors knew they would never leave her home with an empty stomach or without a brown bag for their refrigerators. She was quick to ask about others and never sought the spotlight for herself, and in so doing, became a beacon of light for her loved ones. In addition to her husband, Mary Ann is predeceased by her mother and father Violet (Dlugosz) and Joseph Kush, and her beloved older sister, Leona (Kush) Reed. She is survived by her sister, Patricia (Kush) Roberts, her sister and brother-in-law Carryl (McGovern) and Pat Fisher, and her four children: Michael McGovern of Bridgeport, and his children Jonathan and Ryan of NY; Jeffrey and Kristine (Henken) McGovern of Collbran, CO, and their three children Erin Moyer (husband Zack and their two boys Luke and Beau) of Carrollton, OH, Ethan, currently serving in the US Navy, and Adam of Grand Junction, CO; Kelly McGovern and Steven Hurst and their three children Rachel, Tom and Olivia of Fairfield; and Douglas McGovern, of Plainfield, IL. The family would like to thank the Vitas Hospice Agency of Norwalk, Connecticut and the Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services of Fairfield, for their help in caring for Mary Ann. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to support the Palliative Care experts at Bridgeport Hospital. Contributions may be sent to the Bridgeport Hospital Foundation at 267 Grant Street, Bridgeport, CT, 06610, or online at foundation@bpthosp.org. For more information about their services, please call 203-384-3522. A memorial mass will take place later in the summer in Illinois. For information or to offer an online condolence please visit www.SpearMillerFuneralHome.com