Marguerite D'Arcy Obituary

Marguerite H. D'Arcy of St. Charles, IL, formerly of Geneva, passed away on December 8, 2010, at the age of 88. She died of complications of Parkinson's disease from which she had suffered for the past several years. Meg was born May 7, 1922 to Elizabeth and Levi Helmantoler in Sterling, IL. While quite young, her family moved to Peoria Hts, IL where Meg grew up. Meg loved to sing, starting her public career in Peoria. After high school she came to Chicago to study voice with Donna and Maestro Harrison at the American Conservatory of Music. She sang with the Lyric Opera Chorus during the 1954-55 season. On November 11, 1955, Meg married John D'Arcy, Jr. of Geneva, becoming a wife as well as mother to three young children, John, Nan, and David. Three years later, she gave birth to their son Tom. Singing was still a joy for Meg. For many years she sang as a soprano soloist with the St. Mark's Church choir in Geneva. She also sang with Harry Swanson in the Playmaker's production of "Oklahoma". During these years, Meg and her good friend, Catherine McMurray, sang programs for organizations throughout Chicagoland. They sang several Sunday concerts at Cantigny in Wheaton. Meg was a subscriber to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for over 40 years, attending concerts regularly. She and her husband, John, traveled to Europe with the CSO in the 1960's. Meg loved to play tennis, playing on travel teams and with friends. But most of all, she loved playing tennis at their home on Foxford Lane in Geneva with her husband, John. They enjoyed traveling with friends and family, especially to the Holy Land. They had a keen interest in Astronomy and had travelled with the Adler Planetarium to view solar and lunar eclipses. Meg loved to fish and ride in Wyoming. Above all, Meg loved her husband of 55 years, John D'Arcy, Jr. The key to their successful marriage was doing the important things in life together and developing a warm and loving home where they welcomed and entertained their many friends and family. Meg loved the Lord, her family, and particularly her grandchildren, Elizabeth, Morgan and Meredith D'Arcy of Wilmette, IL; Matthew, Justin and Arlen D'Arcy of Evanston, IL; Carolyn (Sam) Nedeau of North Muskegon, MI, Nicole D'Arcy of North Muskegon, MI, and Jacqueline (Dean) Hoff of Sunland, CA; and Hayes Gunderson of Medford, OR; Eric Gunderson of Portland, OR and William Gunderson of New Orleans, LA. Meg is survived by her husband, John; and by her four children, John (Flora) D'Arcy of Salt Lake City, UT; Nan (Tom) Gunderson of Ashland, Oregon; David (Judy Freitag) D'Arcy of Evanston, IL, and Tom (Sharon) D'Arcy of Wilmette, IL; her neice, Julie (Oldham) Lucas of Dunlap, IL ; her nephew, Jim Oldham of Peoria, IL; 12 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held in honor of Meg D'Arcy on Saturday, January 8, 2011, at St. Mark's Church in Geneva, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Contributions may be made in Meg's memory to St. Mark's Church, 320 Franklin St., P.O. Box 126, Geneva, Il 60134. Arrangements were made by Yurs Funeral Home of St. Charles. For info call 630-584-0060 or at yursfuneralhomes.com.