The clock read 8:30 a.m. on April 20, 2026. Frances C. Marada took her last breath. She was 90 years old. Her family gathered around her. She had lived through nearly a full century of American life, from the Great Depression to the age of smartphones. But the constants for her were not technologies or trends. They were faith and family.
Frances was born in Riverton, Illinois, on February 25, 1936. Her parents were Paul C. Marada and Mary Hruska Marada. She grew up in that small town, attended its schools, and graduated from Riverton High School in 1955. The place never left her. Even when she traveled or worked elsewhere, she carried Riverton with her.
She spent nearly 32 years at Unocal Corporation. Her role was in the Schaumburg Communications Department. That is a long time to stay with one company. She did it by showing up every day, doing her job well, and helping coworkers without being asked. People who worked alongside her remember a woman who did not crave attention but deserved it.
Faith, however, was the engine. She did not just attend church. She built her days around it. She belonged to St. Aloysius Church in Springfield and visited St. James Church in Riverton almost daily. Fellow parishioners noticed her consistency. She was not loud about her beliefs. She simply lived them. When someone needed a meal, a ride, or a prayer, Frances was there before anyone had to ask.
Her family has planned a visitation on Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at St. James Catholic Church in Riverton. A Funeral Mass will follow at 10:00 a.m. The Reverend Christudasan Kurisadima will officiate. After the service, burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery.
Frances leaves behind relatives and friends who will continue to tell stories about her. A woman who worked three decades in corporate communications but found her true voice in prayer. A woman who grew up in a small town and never forgot that the people around her were the only legacy that mattered. Riverton and Springfield have lost someone steady. But steady people, as she proved, leave marks that do not fade quickly.
