Bernadette T. McAleenan
The angels led Bernadette T. McAleenan into paradise on May 7, 2020. Bernie made her debut on May 28, 1945, on her sister Marge’s 5th Birthday. Her parents Bernard and Irene Leo provided her with much love and instilled in her a life-long love of family. She grew up on the South side of Chicago with her siblings who she adored, Thomas (the late Mary) Leo, Margaret (John) Hayes, Patricia (Robert) Houston, Rosemarie (James) Horvath and Jo Anne Leo. The Leo siblings remained very close, the epitome of a tight knit family. The younger girls snuck into Marge’s bedroom, hid under the front porch, and hung out on Garfield Boulevard. They all relished telling stories from their childhood days in St Bernard and St Basil parishes. Bernie graduated from Visitation Catholic High School and Chicago Teachers College.
She married the love of her life, Owen McAleenan, and together they had five children, Michael, Jennifer (Kelly) McMullin, the late Mary, Dennis, and Brendan (Michelle). She was a devoted daughter-in-law to Henry and Mary McAleenan, and sister- in-law to the late Henry (Karen), and Maureen (the late Joseph) Smallwood. Bernie worked as a kindergarten teacher at Visitation Catholic School until her son Michael was born, Jennifer, the late Mary, Dennis and Brendan soon followed. She let us dig a hole to China on the side of the house, invite friends over whenever we wanted, and we spent our summers traveling and building memories. Bernie later went back to college to learn about computers and worked as a teacher’s aide at Bogan High School where she ran a computer lab. She was a faithful volunteer, at St Gerald’s Mother’s Club and more recently with the Crisis Center and Neat Repeats Resale.
She welcomed Jenny’s husband Kelly and the rest of the McMullin clan as well as Brendan’s wife Michelle and the Grant and Lenz families. She was overjoyed to be an integral part of her grandchildren’s lives, Adam, Bridget and Liam McMullin, as well as Catherine and Erin McAleenan. She babysat, read stories, played games, allowed the building of “contraptions” and attended countless sports, concerts and recitals. Bernie was a fond aunt of many nieces and nephews and was lucky enough to not only be involved in their lives but also their children’s lives, whether it was in person or most recently watching their TikTok videos. Bernie gained another “Birthday Buddy” along the way, her nephew Mark.
She was blessed with kind and thoughtful neighbors no matter where she lived. She was a friend to all she met and had many friend groups who sustained her throughout her life, the “Vis girls”, “Boganites” “Neat Repeats” “Bunco”, “Lunchbunch”, and “CTC”. She was loved by all and although she couldn’t receive visitors outside immediate family due to social distancing she received an abundance of cards, calls, and things dropped at her door.
Bernie had a deep Catholic faith rooted in the principles of love and mercy. We want to thank her caregivers and medical staff of Palos Hospital and Home Care, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, especially Lana, Angela and Dr Bartuska who provided compassionate and excellent care for her. Bernie’s son, Mike, was at her side when she passed away and after we all said our goodbyes, a fire truck arrived on the scene with the words “Mac Daddy” emblazoned on the side of the rig, a sign that offered us reassurance that her soulmate had come to lead her to the promised land.
Services and burial at St Mary’s Cemetery will be private due to COVID-19 restrictions. A Celebration of Life will be held in the future. You can honor her memory by reaching out to others especially those isolated due to Covid-19, as Bernie would have done, with a card, a call or a small gift. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to
Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa (Sinsinawa.org) 585 County Rd Z, Sinsinawa, WI 53824, or Visitation Catholic School (visatationschoolchicago.net) 900 W. Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL 60609.