Mary Walgenbach Lawlor

Mary Walgenbach Lawlor, 87, of East Peoria, formerly of La Salle-Peru, passed away on October 30, 2022.

Private services will be held at the Hurst Funeral Home in La Salle at a later date.

Mary was born on August 28, 1935 in Peru to Herman and Pearl (DeGroot) Yanke. Angela Yanke became her much-loved stepmother when Herman remarried. She married John (Jack) Walgenbach on February 19, 1955 and had three children: Gail (Andrew) Krmenec, Susan (Anton) Jensen, and Martin (Julie) Walgenbach, all of whom survive her. After Jack’s death in 1984, she later married Dale Lawlor of Laramie, Wyoming, who also preceded her in death. In addition to her children, she is survived by siblings Patricia (Owen) Siebert of Utica, and Dale Yanke of Bonfield; grandchildren Rachel (Connor) Legorreta, and Madeline Krmenec, Shanell (Rico) Reed, Jordan Jensen, and great grandchildren Charles Legorreta and Scarlet Reed.

In addition to her husbands, Mary was preceded in death by her parents, brother Ronald Yanke, and her beloved sister Bette Barker.

Mary loved gardening, shopping, and creating fabric arts.  She was an accomplished seamstress, quilter, and needlepointer, with formal recognition of her creative fabric skills by several organizations.  She also enjoyed doting on her dearly-loved, extremely fat cat Bella. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Jude’s Hospital.

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