Following a fall in her home and complications in her recovery from hip replacement surgery, Margaret Ann Kanosky of Onarga, Illinois, passed away peacefully in Hospice Care at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee, Illinois, on November 23, 2021. She was in the presence of loving family members throughout her hospitalization.
Margaret Ann Scharlau Kanosky was born May 28, 1928 to William and Fannie (Soderberg) Scharlau in Villa Park, Illinois. Her mother died when she was 11 and she lived with her aunts Emma and Martha Scharlau in Chicago until she was high school age and returned to a farm in rural Buckley, Illinois to be with her father. She graduated from Buckley High School then worked for a year in a Chicago office with her aunts. She married Joseph Kanosky on February 8, 1948, in Gilman, Illinois. They lived on the Kanosky family farm in rural Buckley until they moved to Onarga in 1962 where she lived until her passing.
Margaret was a loving and devoted mother to her seven children. After her children were raised, Margaret worked for many years as a school cook at the Onarga High School.
She is survived by her children: Joe (Jennifer) of Freeport, Illinois, Tom (Debbie) of Onarga, John of Onarga, Jeff (Mickey) of Noblesville, Indiana, and Barbara Kanosky Pfingsten (Rick) of Crescent City, Illinois, and daughter-in-law, Karen Bailey of Kankakee. Margaret was the matriarch of a large family with 42 grand, great-grand, and great-great-grandchildren in Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as many nieces and nephews. She loved her family unconditionally and hosted weekly Sunday breakfasts for many years; no matter how crowded her table was, she always made an extra seat available for anyone who stopped by. In the Onarga area she was known as Grammy Kanosky, not only to her large family, but also to the friends of her children and grandchildren.
Margaret was preceded in death by her husband Joseph, sons David and James, her parents, Brother William, two aunts, several brothers and sisters-in-law, several cousins, as well as many long-time coffee klatch Onarga area pals, some of whom she maintained friendships with since her school years. She also leaves behind her beloved and very spoiled cat Boots who will be lost without her.
Cremation rights were accorded with a “Celebration of Life “ceremony to be held at the Knapp Funeral Home in Onarga on December 1, 2021 with visitation from 9-11 and service from 11-Noon with a private cemetery service after.
Margaret was a strong, humble, caring, and selfless woman who was loved by all of her many family members and will be greatly missed. The family wishes to thank the caring and dedicated nursing staff of 5th Floor East of the Riverside Medical Center and the staff of Uplifted Hospice who attended to her in her final days.
Margaret had a life-long love of reading. In lieu of flowers, donations in Margaret’s name may be made to the Onarga Public Library.
