Cooney Funeral Home

John V. Vogelsberg Obituary June 13, 2026 - Cooney Funeral Home View John V. Vogelsberg's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

Luis Angel Valle Obituary June 3, 2026 - Cooney Funeral Home View Luis Angel Valle's obituary, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18bLBDwxWd/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🕯️ The Irish wake is one of the most misunderstood traditions in Irish culture — and one of the most psychologically wise things the Irish ever invented. From the outside, it looks strange. You have just lost someone. You are exhausted with grief. And yet your house fills up with people, and the tea is made, and the whiskey comes out, and by midnight someone is telling a story about the deceased that makes the whole room laugh until they cry — and then they are crying, and then laughing again, and at some point in the small hours you cannot always be sure which is which.

That is not disrespect. That is not Irish irreverence toward death. That is a community holding one of its members through the worst night of their life by filling the dark with human warmth and refusing to let grief exist in silence and isolation.

The tradition of the wake — from the Irish "faire," meaning to watch over — is ancient, pre-Christian in its roots, though the Catholic rituals of the rosary and the mass cards were layered over it so thoroughly that the two became inseparable. The dead were never left alone from the moment of death until burial — someone was always present, watching, keeping the vigil. Neighbours came immediately, without being asked, and kept coming. The family did not have to cook, did not have to make decisions, did not have to be alone with their loss. The community simply arrived and took over and stayed.

The stories told at a wake were not accidental. They were the beginning of the process by which a person becomes an ancestor — the moment the community starts to construct the narrative of a life, deciding what to remember, what to honour, what to pass forward. The laughter was not despite the grief but because of it — the relief of remembering who the person actually was, complicated and human and funny and flawed, rather than the flattened saint that formal mourning sometimes produces.

The Irish did not invent the wake to make death easier. They invented it to make it survivable. 🌿

🥣 a bowl of cereal can fill an belly! Thank you to our community to support the efforts of Together Park Ridge. ❤️

Together Park Ridge: Calling All Our “Cereal” Supporters!

Why did the cereal get invited to every community event?
Because it was always willing to bowl people over with kindness.

One thing that has become clear over the first six months of Together Park Ridge is this: when our community sees a need, it responds. Month after month, residents have donated soup, socks, diapers, wipes, cleaning supplies, personal care items, and so much more. Time and again, you have demonstrated what makes Park Ridge such a special place—a willingness to look out for one another and lend a helping hand.
This month, we are celebrating all of our “cereal” supporters with a collection focused on breakfast and grab-and-go food items.

We are collecting:
• Cereal
• Oatmeal and instant oatmeal packets
• Cereal bars and breakfast bars
• Granola bars and energy bars
• Individual snack packs
• Other grab-and-go food items

Why these items? Because they are convenient, nutritious, and easy for busy families, students, seniors, and individuals facing food insecurity to take with them throughout the day.

Food pantries and community organizations across the country continue to report increased demand for assistance, and many are preparing for additional pressure as changes to SNAP benefits and funding impact vulnerable households. At the same time, the cost of groceries remains a challenge for many families. A simple box of cereal or package of granola bars may seem small, but for someone struggling to make ends meet, it can make a meaningful difference.

Donations can be dropped off at:
• City Hall
• Our screened-in porch
• Park Ridge Presbyterian Church
• Cooney Funeral Home
• Ordered off of our Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1QRVPYM6RA8VM?ref_=wl_share

Here is our challenge to the community: the next time you are at the grocery store, pick up just one extra item. One box of cereal. One package of oatmeal. One box of granola bars. If every family reading this added just one item to their cart, together we could make a tremendous impact.

That is how communities like ours work. Not through one grand gesture, but through hundreds of small acts of kindness that add up to something extraordinary.

Thank you for continuing to show up for one another. Thank you for being such incredible "cereal" supporters. And thank you for helping ensure that no neighbor has to face hunger alone.

Together, we are building a stronger, more caring Park Ridge

Geno Cooney will be calling Bingo tonight at the Irish American Heritage Center!

🎱 BINGO NIGHT IS TONIGHT! 🎉

Your midweek plans are officially covered — join us tonight, Wednesday, June 10, at the Fifth Province Pub for an evening of BINGO, pints, prizes, and plenty of laughs ☘️

Whether you're feeling lucky or just looking for a great night out, gather your friends and enjoy some friendly competition and classic pub craic with us 👀

📅 Wednesday, June 10
🚪 Doors: 6:00 PM | 🎱 First Call: 7:00 PM
🎟️ $10 per card (purchase at the door) | 21+

🍻 The Fifth Province Pub will be open with food and drinks available all night long.

Bring your lucky charm — we'll see you tonight! ☘️

☘️ 🇮🇪 Rest in eternal peace Mr. Doran.

Lawrence "Larry" W. Scafide Obituary June 6, 2026 - Cooney Funeral Home View Lawrence "Larry" W. Scafide's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.