Mary Jane (DeReu) Boelens

Mary Jane Boelens, 94, of Atkinson, IL, passed away on October 21, 2024, at Hillcrest Home-Geneseo. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Atkinson. Reverend S. Stephen Engelbrecht will celebrate. She will be laid to rest at St. Anthony Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at Vandemore Funeral Home & Crematory-Atkinson Chapel. A Recitation of the Rosary will be held at 4:30 PM before the visitation. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Mary Jane Boelens Memorial Fund.  

Mary Jane was born on October 10, 1930, in Geneseo, the daughter of Lawrence and Mary (Doubler) DeReu. She graduated from Atkinson High School, class of 1948, and then graduated from St. Anthony’s Nursing School in Rock Island in 1951. She married Albert Boelens on September 22, 1951, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Sheffield, IL. Mary Jane was involved in many organizations including, the International Fellowship Program, Friends of the People of Haiti - helping with medical missions, a longtime volunteer of the American Red Cross, Henry County Farm Bureau, Henry County Livestock Producers, and Henry County Pork Producers. She was also very active at St. Anthony Catholic Church and served on the Altar and Rosary Society. Mary Jane loved to travel and visit Hawaii and especially loved spending time with her friends and family.

Those left to cherish her memory include her children; Dennis Boelens, Atkinson, Mark (Lois) Boelens, Atkinson, Patrick (Christine) Boelens, Geneseo; Tina Murphy, Naples, FL, and Roxanne Ryan, Greensboro, GA. She is also survived by nine grandchildren, Troy (Micki) Boelens, Dustin (Lori) Boelens, Matthew (Megan) Boelens, Curtis (Amber) Boelens, Lindy (Jake) Carlisle, Brandan (Kristen) Boelens, Christopher Ryan, Thomas Ryan, and Sean Murphy; and twelve great-grandchildren.

Mary Jane was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Albert Boelens; and siblings, Elden, Phyllis, and Janet.