The funeral Mass for Chicago’s former first lady has ended today November 28 in Chicago with mourners and political dignitaries greeting one another on the steps of Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. The church was filled to capacity by 10:20 a.m. Hundreds gathered inside , while others stood outside, listening to the service over a loudspeaker.
During the service, Maggie Daley’s children remembered her as full of passion and someone who led by example. Nora Daley Conroy, Patrick Daley and Lally Daley Hotchkiss stood together as Patrick Daley spoke. He says his mother loved Chicago and was devoted to causes including the arts and children. But he also says Maggie Daley always had time to just be their mom.
As Maggie Daley’s casket passed Chicago City Hall, many city workers came outside. Bystanders, many of whom never met Maggie Daley, stood in silence, paying their respects to the woman who was Chicago’s first lady for 22 years.
The wife of former Mayor Richard Daley, Maggie Daley died Thursday (Thanksgiving day) after a 9-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. She was 68.
Born Margaret Corbett, she earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Dayton and held honorary degrees from Columbia College in Chicago and the Catholic Theological Union.
Vice President Joe Biden, his wife Jill and First Lady Michelle Obama were among those paying their respects. Mourners included current Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, filmmaker George Lucas and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.
People who stood along the funeral procession route remembered Maggie Daley as a warm and generous woman who took the city to her heart.
