Mary Peabody Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Mary Margaret Barry Peabody, 43, of Chicago, formerly of Kankakee, died Friday (Feb. 18, 2005) at the Bernard Mitchell Hospital of the University of Chicago.Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Friday at Clancy-Gernon-Hertz Funeral Home, 1480 W. Court St., Kankakee.A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 428 S. Indiana Ave., Kankakee.She was born March 10, 1961, in Joliet, to Clement and Joan (Youtz) Barry, the ninth of 10 children.After graduating from Kankakee Westview High School, she received a bachelor of arts degree in theatre from Illinois State University, where she performed in numerous theatrical productions.In 1990, Mary won second place on "Jeopardy!" which led to a free trip to the Bahamas.While working at the San Diego Repertory Theatre, she met Roy Peabody, a playwright. In 1989, she performed in "Out There," his first produced drama.Mary and Roy were married on his birthday, June 10, 1990, in Balboa Park, in San Diego. They moved to Chicago the following year where they were founding members of Palookaville, a professional theater company. Mary performed the lead roles in the first three Palookaville productions: "The Tip" and "Medea" in 1992 and "Flute Lessons" in 1993.She also performed at Steppenwolf in "You Can't Take It With You" and "The Rise and Fall Of Little Voice" in 1993, where she took over the role of Mari Hoff when Rondi Reed became injured. When "Little Voice" moved to Broadway in 1994, Mary accompanied the production as an understudy, where she fell in love with New York.Mary approached her battle with cancer with the same guts, grace and humor that she tackled her acting. As such, she was an inspiration to those who knew her.She is survived by her husband and son, Max, of Chicago. She is also survived by her parents of Mesa, Ariz.; five brothers and three sisters-in-law, Jeremiah of San Diego, Calif., Douglas and Judy of Canton, Ga., Leo and Janet of Prairieville, La., Daniel of Bonfield, Nicholas and Karen of Bourbonnais; three sisters and one brother-in-law, Marilyn and Len Mulcahy of Kankakee, Marian of Mesa, Ariz., Bernadette of San Diego, Calif.; numerous nieces, nephews and friends.She was preceded in death by one sister, Madonna Barry.Memorials may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or to one of Mary's favorite charities, Heifer International, which helps poor and hungry families worldwide