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The family of Maureen Colasanti uploaded a photo
Friday, September 30, 2022
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Dennis Riordan posted a condolence
Thursday, December 30, 2021
One of my earliest memories of Maureen had to do with a trip I went on with my grandfather (Thomas Riordan) to a modest family cottage in Hayward, Wisconsin. I was 12 years of age a the time. At the conclusion of our trip, Gramp (Thomas Riordan) elected to continue on from Hayward to the convent in Minnesota where Maureen was just beginning her tenure as a member of the clergy, still searching for her place in the world. It was very evident then that her devotion to her religious beliefs would be a lifelong dynamic for her. I will always remember Maureen as being kind and gracious to me, both as a boy and as an adult. Several years ago, Maureen and her son Dennis were able to join us for a Riordan family summer gathering at our home in Homer Glen, IL. I am sure that she is at peace now and that her spirit lives on through her family. - Dennis M. Riordan (cousin)
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Denese Foltz posted a condolence
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
I don't know where or how to begin to express the loss I'm just now allowing myself to feel. I think about the hours we spent on the phone talking about everything under the sun, we had no secrets. I think our shortest call was at least an hour and all our calls seemed to end in tears. I know she forgives me but in my heart I'm having a hard time forgiving myself for not calling her more often but the goodbyes were getting harder as I felt helpless being so far away.
She was my mom's baby sister, but Reenie and I were not so far apart in age that she said she loved me as much as if I were her baby sister and that's why she thought it was appropriate and adoring to call me her little Butterball? You can see my 6 chins in my baby pics so I guess she had me on that one. We both had birthdays on the 23rd, we both also happen to have an identical "beauty mark" on the bottom corner of our lips and once she actually saw mine, well that just sealed our sisterhood for her from that point on.
She taught us songs like She's Coming Around the Mountain, It's Just Gravy and Bread, Dominique... we would sing Ava Maria and Edelweiss in our best Alto voices - I can't remember a time when we were in a car together that we weren't singing something.
She started my 1st bank account, and on every occasion, in her cards would tell me how much she put in my bank for me.
I was about 7 yrs old when our family went to visit her in the convent. I was not prepared for her to be in "costume" and in all honesty she scared the heck out of me. Then to be told she was Sister Dennis? What happened to my Auntie Reenie?
When I was 9, we visited AZ to go to her wedding - what? By now I was in school and was pretty sure that nuns do not get married. So this round of surprises was less scary yet still quite the shock, but at least I got my Aunt Reenie back.
Fast forward, visits were geared around weddings, births, baptisms, 100th bday, dentist appointments and the loss of loved ones.
A little more than 10 yrs ago, I was going thru a bad divorce. I packed up my things from Seattle and my 2 cats and was headed back to Chicago but decided to take the long scenic way back. I told Reenie my plans and she invited me to stay a couple days- well my little visit turned into 3 months - in all that time we laughed, prayed, played and cried. Neither of us had seen the "Notebook", when it ended, I think we cried for an hour straight before Jim finally came out of his office asking if we were going to be OK, it was only then that we realized how silly we must look and so we decided a big bowl of ice cream would make the world right again.
I wasn't contributing much since the divorce had things tied up, so I thought of ways to help around the house. I thought I would surprise her 1 day by washing her little lacey sheer curtains from the downstairs bath and even the covers from the outside stools.
When it was time to put the items into the dryer, they were no longer there, I reached in the washer only to find they were shredded to pieces - I found out the hard way that items that sit under the AZ sun all day are not items that belong in a washer, so when she came home I had to come clean and when I did I was ready for whatever scolding I was due
but to my surprise , Reenie and Jim both said don't worry about it and went on as if nothing just happened, they never made me feel bad, never asked me for money to replace them, nor the whole time I was there, never said you can pay us when you get back on your feet... nothing like that. I think it was the 1st time in my life I wasn't being criticized or judged for making a mistake.
Reenie wasn't shy about her faith, her beliefs, her walk with God, and I admired that about her. We had some healthy discussions and debates about God and heaven etc... and I enjoyed using our Bibles to help search for answers.
She had nothing but unconditional love for me, and that is a rare kind of love that I'll always remember.
We saw each other only a few more times before Jim and then Reenie got sick, then its only been phone calls.
I bet she has earned herself a pair of the most beautiful wings - she's deserving of them!! Thank you Reenie for being my wonderful, loving Aunt and big sister - I'll Love you forever!! Denny, your Butterball :-)