Carol A. Whyzmuzis - January 14, 2001

HEYWORTH -- A Mass of Christian burial for Carol A. Whyzmuzis, 58, of Heyworth will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Bloomington. Father Ric Schneider will officiate. Burial will be in Bethany Cemetery, Wenona. She died at 5:35 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 14, 2001) at her residence.

Memorials may be made to St. Mary's Catholic Church, Bloomington; or OSF St. Joseph Hospice, Bloomington.

Mrs. Whyzmuzis was born Oct. 27, 1942, at Streator, a daughter of Carl and Emily Renken Halberg. She married Paul D. Whyzmuzis on June 21, 1969, at Kankakee. He died Nov. 16, 1995.

Survivors include her mother, Emily Holt, Minonk; two daughters, Anne M. (Craig) Morgan, Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Judith C. (Jeff) Cummings, Quaker Town, Pa.; two sons, Daniel P. Whyzmuzis, Heyworth; and Joseph A. Whyzmuzis, Appleton, Wis.; and two brothers, Randy (Heidi) Halberg, Oshkosh, Wis.; and Rick (Melinda) Halberg, Heyworth. Also surviving is a granddaughter, Alexandra Cummings, Quaker Town, Pa. Her father preceded her in death.

Mrs. Whyzmuzis was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Bloomington. She was the principal of St. Mary's Grade School, Bloomington.

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Note: The following article was taken from the Bloomington Pantagraph.

Parochial school mourns principal

Wednesday, January 17, 2001 By REBECCA LODA Pantagraph staff

Carol Whyzmuzis was tirelessly devoted to St. Mary's Elementary School in Bloomington. With a contagious spirit, she increased enrollment and spearheaded a building expansion. Whyzmuzis, 58, died Sunday at her Heyworth home. "She was dynamic," acting principal Tina Boettcher said Tuesday. "She brought in a breath of fresh air here. She will be missed." Whyzmuzis began battling cancer before the school year began. Despite the rapidly spreading disease, she continued to work as often as possible. "She was ill a lot and kept coming back whenever she could," Boettcher said. Whyzmuzis stopped working in December. Students, regularly praying for her recovery, were told then that their principal likely would not recover. Certified grief counselors were brought to St. Mary's last week to prepare faculty members to minister to grieving students. Every family received a telephone call after Whyzmuzis' death Sunday, Boettcher said. A letter also is being sent to parents. School will be canceled Thursday to allow faculty and students the opportunity to attend Whyzmuzis' funeral.

A Mass to celebrate her life will be held Jan. 29. A $1 million building expansion that will add eight classrooms to the school will serve as a tribute to Whyzmuzis and her spirit, Boettcher said. The addition is scheduled to open in the fall. A memorial to "Mrs. W." will be placed in the new wing. The school's Boy Scout troop also is planning a project. Whyzmuzis, hired as principal in June 1999 and previously a volunteer teacher in the religious education program, also is credited with increasing enrollment at St. Mary's. In 1998, just 90 students were enrolled, compared to the current 144. "She turned this school around," Boettcher said. Whyzmuzis led the school each day in a rosary and brought back other traditional ceremonies, such as the May Crowning, which honors the Virgin Mary. "The children just loved her," said St. Mary's pastor, the Rev. Ric Schneider. "She just had that joy about her that is contagious."