Marion Catherine Morkes

Marion Morkes (nee Gance), age 85, of Chicago, Illinois, passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 25, 2025. She lived in the Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhoods for more than 60 years. Marion was born on July 28, 1940, in Evanston, Illinois, to the late Dorothy and Philip Gance. She grew up in Kenilworth, Illinois, and had two brothers, Bernard and Philip. Marion is now reunited with her beloved husband George. They were married for 35 years. Marion was a homemaker, and she also worked for more than 20 years as an assistant head cook at Hope Lutheran School, which her children attended. She was a loving mother to Anthony and Andrew, a proud grandmother to Liam, and a loving mother-in-law to Kim and Amy. She loved spending time with her family and beloved friends. Marion loved baking—chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, magic cookie bars, Irish soda bread, potato chip cookies . . . the list goes on. She enjoyed sharing her baking delights with friends and family. Marion was an avid gardener. Some of her favorite flowers were canna lilies, foxtail amaranth, roses, hostas, and sawtooth sunflowers. At one time, she was gardening the yards in her own house and, as a volunteer, the greenery at the Metra train station next door, and at the grocery store, cleaners, and coffee shop across the train tracks. Marion also loved growing tomatoes, beans, carrots, and other vegetables. In 1989, she received an Honorable Mention in the City of Chicago’s Annual Garden & Block Contest. She loved writing and sending letters and birthday and holiday cards to her many friends and family members. Marion will be remembered as a woman of faith who was kind, loving, hard-working, and supportive. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and she was almost always in a good mood (even when life was challenging), which serves as a good lesson for us all. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, from 3:00–8:00 p.m. at Kosary Funeral Home, 9837 S. Kedzie Avenue, Evergreen Park, IL 60805. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, October 1st  at Kosary Funeral Home. Guests may arrive for visitation at 9:30 a.m., with the service to follow at 10:30 a.m. Interment will take place at Bethania Cemetery in Justice, Illinois.