A Life Full of Family, Faith, and Perseverance

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Marie Fails, who departed this world on June 19, 2025, at the age of 90.

Marie was born on March 23, 1935, in her parents' home at 11632 S. Princeton in Chicago, which was her favorite home. She grew up surrounded by a large family that included her parents, four sisters, aunts, uncles and innumerable cousins. While she had planned to be an X-ray tech, ultimately, she ended up devoting her life to her family and Catholic faith after marrying her husband Richard (Dick) Fails whom she was with for 47 years until his death in 2000.

Life wasn't always easy. By the age of 25 she had four young children to care for, including one with special needs. Their fifth and final child came six years later. Marie always fostered and instilled the values of independence, responsibility, and faith in her children. She frequently reminded them that "all the little birdies must leave the nest". As they followed her advice, the family grew to include twelve grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren.

Beyond her family, Marie was a staunch Catholic dedicated to faith and service. She prayed daily, attended Mass regularly, and was very active in her parish and organizations that were devoted to the special needs community. In her free time, she was an avid reader with a particular affinity for Dickens and loved to play games with her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. Bingo at Noni's Christmas brought us all together, and Sorry and Scrabble were favorites when the kids visited. She loved offering a sarcastic "SORRY!" as she knocked off your piece.

We will honor her values of family and faith as we come together to continue the tradition of Noni's Christmas. We celebrate the life she lived and the obstacles she overcame to provide her family with the peace, strength, and support to be happy for her new life in Christ and look forward to our reunion with her and our already departed loved ones.

Johanna Marie D'Allesandro Fails is survived by her sisters Dianna, Joan and Teresa; her children Mary Tortorello ( Robert), Catherine Behl (Sean), Dianna Nordsell (Robert), and Dominic Fails (Jennifer); her12 grandchildren as well as her 18 great-grandchildren. She is now reunited with her husband Richard (Dick), her son Richard, her parents Antonio and Yolanda, her sister Isabel, and other beloved family members too numerous to name.

A Christian Mass Service will be 10:00 AM, Monday, June 23, 2025, at Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church in Irving, TX. The rosary will be recited at 9:30 AM, Monday at the church.

Marie's family kindly requests, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in memory of Marie to the Alzheimer's Association and/or the Wounded Warriors Project

Rest in peace, Marie. We are grateful for the time we had with you and look forward to rejoining you in Heaven. You will always be remembered, loved, and deeply missed.