Mary Rita (Kinsella) Powers, 90, of Wapella, formerly of Merna and Bloomington, died peacefully at 11:25 AM Wednesday (February 27, 2019) in her home due to complications of old age.
Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 PM, Friday, March 8, 2019, at Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton, Illinois, with rosary at 4:30 PM. Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:00 AM Saturday, March 9, 2019, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Wapella with Rev. Fr. Robert Hoffman, celebrant, and the assistance of the St. Patrick’s community. Burial will be at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Wapella. A luncheon will follow at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall.
Memorials may be made payable to Riordan Brothers Lawncare for maintenance and landscaping at the Wapella Park, and addressed to Calvert’s Funeral Home, or any family member.
Mary Rita was born in Bloomington, Illinois, on March 19, 1928, to Arthur Michael Kinsella and Lucy Grace (Frawley) Kinsella. On September 12, 1959, she married Joseph Leo Powers in Bloomington. He died July 26, 1995.
She was also preceded in death by one sister, Helen (Kinsella) Killian, and six brothers, Paul, Kenneth, Donald, Leo (Rev. Arthur, O.P.), Martin, and Thomas. She is survived by her children Dr. Joseph Michael, South Bend, Indiana; Helen Lucy (John) Buck, Greenwood Village, Colorado; John Bernard (Darcy), Wilmette, Illinois; and Matthew Edward (Elizabeth), Glen Ellyn, Illinois, along with seven grandchildren, Dr. Sean Donovan Buck, Samuel James Buck, Rory Powers Buck, William Leo Powers, Thomas Donald Powers, Emma Marie Powers, and James Michael Powers, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Wapella.
She was first raised by her parents in Merna, Illinois. Following her mother’s 1932 death, she was raised by her aunt and uncle, Edna and Bernard Kinsella, in Bloomington. There, she attended Holy Trinity Grade School, enrolled in lessons at local dance studios and developed a lifelong love of dance. She was graduated from Holy Trinity High School in 1946. She worked as a typist for State Farm Insurance Company in Bloomington, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania, from her days in high school until she was married. Following marriage, she lived in Wapella, where she raised her children and aided in management of the family farm. Her twice-baked potatoes, apple pies, and fried chicken were especially prized. She was an avid reader, especially of mystery novels. She will be remembered for her sparkling smile, encyclopedic knowledge of family connections throughout DeWitt and McLean Counties, faithful correspondence to a worldwide network of hundreds, joy induced by her sincere interest in people, and cultivation of faith, family, and community.
Online condolences may be made at www.calvertmemorial.com
