Maria Teresa White, Beloved mother, devoted wife, involved grandmother, Maria White (nee Schegg), passed away peacefully at home at 87 years of age. Daughter of Simon and Antonia, she grew up in Buffalo with her dear sisters Toni, Gretchen and Lisa with whom she stayed close throughout their lives. She married her college sweetheart, James L. White, and raised three children Kim (Joe), Todd and Tim (Sonia) in western Pennsylvania. A homemaker with widely appreciated cooking and baking skills, she treasured her role as mother.
Moving to Wheaton, Illinois in the 70s, she enjoyed “small town” living, developing friendships with families on her street; joining the local health club; frequenting the library; attending summer farmers markets, music performances, plant sales, house walks and festivals; and working at the Wheaton Eye Clinic. She was a longtime member of the Wheaton Sports Center and Morton Arboretum. She enjoyed traveling the US, especially the national parks, visiting relatives, learning the history and discovering new foods and recipes along the way. She traveled to Germany, her parents’ homeland, many times with various family members, connecting with extended family and learning about her genealogy and history. She had a deep appreciation of nature - birds, bugs, blooms and bees – and especially enjoyed walks and hiking in the forest. She was a keen observer of people, birds, and nature, often being the first to spot a hummingbird, owl, new plant or other hidden natural treasures.
She enjoyed “getting her hands dirty” in the garden growing herbs, vegetables and flowers. She savored, reread, and memorized various poems, resonating strongly with Mary Oliver’s writings about birds and nature in “Owls and Other Fantasies” (2003). She retired from the eye clinic in the 90s as she welcomed grandchildren into her life – Alyeska, Colton, Simone, Max and Sofia – with whom she enjoyed sharing holidays, birthday celebrations, weekend meals, and summer activities in their early years. She enjoyed taking them for activities at various local parks, for walks and bike rides on the Prairie Path, and to experience the seasons at Morton Arboretum. She hosted many picnics, cookouts, family meals and celebrations at her home.
She later started a second career at Marshall Field’s (later Macy’s) working in women’s ready-to-wear, from which she retired in 2016 as the Stratford location was closing. She was the perfect blend of a well-mannered lady with a dash of spunk and playfulness. A quiet listener, with affirming words, who never felt compelled to share her opinion with vehemence or frequency despite her insights and wisdom. She held onto her Christian upbringing as a guide in her approach to life. She was deeply loved by her family and friends and will be missed.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Morton Arboretum at www.mortonarb.org
GUESTBOOK
I want to share how much I respected and loved Maria. I met her at Macys in Stratford Mall. I always loved working with Maria as she was kind and went along with the flow of things. She was so pleasant to talk with. We exchanged small talk on Facebook as she always loved seeing my posts with my 9 grandchildren. I bonded with her because she had lost a son which she never really spoke about. My son had a car accident in 2010 and survived and is doing well. She always asked about him. I was very sad to hear she had passed. Sending my love and prayers to her family. -Cindy Reilly
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I am so sorry for your loss. Maria was such a sweet person and good friend to me. She had a beautiful heart. I have snowflake flowers from her in my garden. Each spring when they pop up I will think of her. Sending love, -Margaret Gotfryd
