Marylou Jane Mayer Obituary (1950 - 2024)

Born Oct 06, 1950, Marylou Jane Mayer attended West Leyden High School in Northlake, IL. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Marylou Jane Mayer.

Graduation Year	Class of 1969
Date of Birth	Oct 06, 1950
Date of Passing	Jul 15, 2024
About	Marylou Jane Mayer-Aiello Born: October 6, 1950 in Chicago, IL Died: July 15, 2024 in Franklin Grove, IL Marylou Jane Mayer-Aiello, 73, passed from natural causes July 15th, 2024 in Franklin Grove, IL. She is survived by one daughter, Lindsay Aiello, of Dixon, and her brother, Lee Mayer, of Rosemont. She is preceded in death by her sister, Darlene Mayer, father Joseph Mayer, and mother June Schonder, the latter of which preceded her daughter's death exactly 36 years to the day. Marylou graduated from East Leyden High School in Franklin Park, where she went on to graduate from cosmetology school and developed her 17-year career as a beautician in Northlake. She was married briefly to Stephen Aiello in 1988, moved to Sterling, IL and had a daughter in 1990. She shifted career goals then and entrepreneurially established her own business specializing in chihuahuas, A-Mayer's Tinys, and went on to become a nationally renowned American Kennel Club breeder for 23 years. Over nearly two decades, Marylou received hundreds of greeting cards, letters, photos and recognitions from her customers. Marylou enjoyed bowling, hiking, traveling, jewelry-making, and taking care of stray animals. When it came to her compassion, every near-roadkill incident was an opportunity to nurture a wounded animal back to health. In addition to chihuahuas, Marylou had fish, parrots, turkeys, cats, and even the occasional raccoon. Marylou was a woman of faith and often shared her love for God with others. She was tenacious, stubborn, and made people laugh. For all her ability to make others smile, Marylou struggled for many years with depression and overcame many adversities with addictions. Her health was a repeated obstacle, but at every turn she fought like hell to beat the odds and encouraged others along the way. For anyone that would listen, she was proud of her daughter most. And this author…this daughter… acknowledges, the herculean challenge of summarizing a loved one's life in a few paragraphs. Expressing adequately in mere words all the moments that made up Marylou is an impossible task. How to capture just how BIG of a personality she was in a room, how her loquacious stories, both incredulous and inspiring, left people wide-eyed and in laughter, how for as big as her heart was, so too was her anger and ability to hold a grudge. How she loved Johnny Mathis Christmas carols and banging pots and pans to usher in the New Year. How she loved attending Bald Eagle Days in Rock Island, loved sci-fi movies and B-rated action flicks. How she overindulged in sweets, and 'I Love You's… …it is the last "I LOVE YOU" I will remember most. The most defining relationship of my life is gone. There is no way to package neatly the depth and complexity of the human soul. I know I was loved very much, and I take peace in knowing she is in the next realm with God. Regardless, she will be missed.