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Miriam O'Leary
MIRIAM "MIMI" O'LEARY
Mount Vernon
Miriam "Mimi" O'Leary, 57, of Mount Vernon, died at home surrounded by her family on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015, following a long illness. A celebration of life will be 4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services in Mount Vernon (formerly Morgan Funeral Home) by Celebrant Mary Morgan. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday before the service at the funeral home. In honor of St. Patrick's Day and Mimi's favorite color, please wear something green.
Mimi will be missed by her daughters, Shannon (Justin Walsh) Kowalski of Swisher and Bridget Kowalski of Sunnyvale, Calif.; her mother, Miriam O'Leary of Cedar Rapids; her siblings, Kathy (Jim Diss) O'Leary of Reno, Nev., Sharon (Nigil Pilling) O'Leary of Longmont, Colo., Sean (Nancy) O'Leary of Clayton, N.C., and Erin O'Leary of Mount Vernon; former husband, Dorence Kowalski of Mount Vernon; "daughter," Nicole Busby; and many nieces, nephews and extended family.
Mimi was born May 4, 1957, in Chicago, the daughter of James and Miriam (O'Connell). She married Dorence Kowalski on the 12th of September 1981, and they owned and operated Racine Surgical Supply in Racine, Wis., for 10 years before selling the business and moving to Mount Vernon.
Like her daughters, Mimi had a great work ethic and took satisfaction in working with breast cancer survivors. She understood how much it meant to these women to feel like themselves again, and Mimi took great pride in being able to help put them back together after treatment.
One of the things we loved most about Mimi was the atmosphere of warmth and welcome she created around her. She made everyone who walked through her door feel like family. She never let an opportunity go by to have fun, and we will never forget the way she made us laugh with her sarcastic sense of humor. We will always miss the get-togethers we shared with her, and holidays will never be the same without her.
She was preceded in death by her father, and her best friend, John Cox.
Please share your love and support for Mimi's family on her celebration wall at www.stewart baxter.com under obituaries.
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