Obituary of Sr. M. Margaret Rose Sczesniak
Died at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home, Joliet, Illinois, on September 5, 2020. She was the daughter of the late Sabina (Ptaskziewicz) and Walter Sczesniak. She is survived by her sister, Susan Pearson, and her nephew William Scott Pearson, who resides in Greeneville, Tennessee. Sister Margaret Rose was a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, Joliet for 67 years.
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she attended W.K. Sullivan grade school and graduated from SS Peter and Paul High School. She received her B.A. in Education from the College of St. Francis (now University) Joliet, IL, and her M.A. in History from DePaul University Chicago. She continued her education in the field of Educational Administration and Adult Education at various institutions in Ohio and Illinois.
Sister Margaret Rose’s educational ministry encompassed 26 years in elementary education as a teacher and/or principal and 21 years in the area of adult education as a teacher in the ESL and GED programs. She served as an Instructor at the College of Du Page in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and was Coordinator of the “People Educating People” Program. She also taught at the Illinois Chinese Cultural Center in Westmont, Illinois.
In 1995, Sister Margaret Rose ministered to her Congregation at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home in Joliet, IL, as the Local Coordinator of the Sisters residing there. In 1999, she returned to the education field and served as an instructor at Joliet Junior College in the Division of Adult and Family Services where she assisted foreign students in acquiring the necessary language skills to meet their personal and professional goals.
In 2010, Sister Margaret Rose returned to Our Lady of Angels as a resident. She ministered for ten years by being and praying with our elderly and infirm Sisters and lay residents there. At OLA she shared her gifts of humor and spontaneity by visiting residents and performing at parties as “Blossom” the clown.
Due to the restrictions of the COVID Virus, there was no wake for Sister Margaret Rose. She was interred in the Congregation’s plot at Resurrection Cemetery in Romeoville, IL. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated for Sister Margaret Rose at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home in Joliet at a future date.
Memorials may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, 1433 Essington Road, Joliet, IL 60435.
Funeral Arrangements under the care and coordination of Fred C. Dames Funeral Home. For more information, please call 815-741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com where you may leave an online condolence or share a favorite memory.
