Mary Kristine - 72

Flossmoor, Illinois

Mary Kristine ("Kris") Peters (née Umbaugh).  Age 72.  Recent Western Springs resident, formerly of Flossmoor and Chicago Heights.  Raised in Plymouth, Indiana.  Graduate of Plymouth High School.  Received her Bachelor's degree in psychology from Purdue University.  Wife for 49 years of Kenneth Peters.  Mother of Nick (Allison) Peters and Katie (Steve) Schaefer.  Grandmother of Michael, Sara Beth, Anna Claire, and Joseph Peters; Mary Elise and Luke Schaefer.  Daughter of the late Mary Ann (née Cox) and Merlyn ("Mike") Dean Umbaugh.  Sister of John and Joseph Umbaugh.  Sister-in-law of Janet Sons, Nancy Wojack, and the late Charles Peters.  Aunt and friend of many.

Kris was born in Indiana on June 2, 1951, to parents Mike and Mary Ann.  From Mike, she learned an appreciation of the outside world — and how to see through artifice.  From Mary Ann, she learned independence — and how to let go of societal norms.  When her parents divorced, Kris went to live with her Mawmaw and Pawpaw, where she learned how to listen for the Spirit all around her — and how to see with artistic eyes.  With two younger, rambunctious brothers, John and Joe, the role of mother often fell to her, and she began to dream of the life she would create.

At Purdue University, she studied her two passions — child development and interior design, eventually receiving her Bachelor's degree in Psychology — but she knew in the first weekend on campus why she was there:  she met a handsome, young engineering student named Ken Peters at a social dance and knew where life was leading her.  She was a little bit country (in a pacifist, Flower Child kind of way), and he was a little bit Rock and Roll (a fan of The Rolling Stones, specifically). Ken and Kris shared the same vision for their future life together, and after Ken's law school graduation in Chicago, they married on May 18, 1974.  

They moved into a little house, nearby Ken's parents, in Chicago Heights, Illinois, and welcomed two children, the lights of their lives, Nick and Katie.  After running into gunfire to rescue a strong-willed, four-year-old Katie in the front yard sandbox during a drug raid across the street, Kris stuck to her own guns, insisting that they move to nearby Flossmoor to put down roots.  Kris leaned even farther into her role as a mother there, especially in the St. Veronica (formerly Infant Jesus of Prague) and Marian Catholic communities where she helped plan fundraising fashion shows and volunteered in the schools.  She coached Katie's cheerleading team and regularly hosted Nick and Katie's friends for movie nights and sleepovers. She became a confidante to those same friends, as well as to her nieces and nephews.  Young people sought her insight on everything from relationship troubles to dorm room decor.  Her opinions in these situations were always given with kindness and compassion, and she excelled at making youth feel valued and heard.  

While in Flossmoor, she had her share of adventures, most notably being rescued from a house fire by her cat, Chelsea.  That particular adventure landed her on the front page of the local newspaper under the headline, "Cat Saves Owner's Life." While Chelsea was known to the neighborhood as the meanest cat to walk the earth, she was completely devoted to Kris, who had a way of connecting with animals.  Following Chelsea's death, Kris raised Mack and Millie, cat siblings found on her brother's farm in Indiana, and, a few years after they crossed the Rainbow Bridge, she rescued Mugsy and Milo, two orphaned kittens found on the street, bottle-feeding them as newborns.  Beyond cats, all animals (but notably horses, cows, and dogs), seemed to be drawn to her, which later made for some awe-inspired gasps by her grandchildren.  She listened to the birds, paid attention to the insects, and laughed at the foxes playing in her yard.  Her life in Flossmoor was also filled with joyful memories, from upside-down margaritas with good friends to close relationships with her in-laws who lived nearby.  She was particularly close to her sisters-in-law, Jan and Nancy, as they raised their families together, forging true friendships among the cousins that continue to this day.  While her life in Flossmoor was what she had envisioned for herself, she and Ken regularly loaded the kids into the car to make pilgrimages to Maine and Indiana so that the kids could get to know her side of the family as well.  Her nieces and nephews from both sides — Brenna, Art, Andy, Alison, Alec, Jessica, Emily, Madison, Lisa, and Johnny — were always welcome with hugs and an open ear.  

While her children grew into adults, Kris grew to love home design.  She had always been one to decorate for every holiday — multiple trees sparkling for Christmas, garlands of fall foliage for Thanksgiving, glittering shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day — and she was meticulous about keeping an orderly house.  Even with multiple cats, a single cat hair was rarely seen (and, if it was, immediately vacuumed).  Indeed, her home was her domain, and she ensured that everything glimmered with warmth and love, even while always looking out for the newest trends in design.  The advent of HGTV brought the world to her and confirmed what she'd always known:  beauty from around the world has a place in every home.  She studied Fung Shui and seamlessly incorporated heirlooms from Grandpa Mike's travels to the Far East into her living space.  She generously helped others with their own home makeovers and was always at the ready with her Benjamin Moore color wheels.  While Nick encouraged her to hang up her shingle to turn her talents into a business, she was content to volunteer her time and talents for nothing in return but the joy of helping others.  

As she watched her family grow — Nick married Allison; Katie married Steve — she dreamed of grandchildren and rejoiced when each of her six grandchildren was eventually born.  Michael, Sara Beth, Elise, Luke, Anna Claire, and Joe were the absolute joys of her life, and she constantly delighted in their antics.  She and Ken moved to Western Springs to be near them all. Kris had special names for each of them, and they all felt fully loved when they were with their Grammy.  This largely extended to her great-nephews and great-nieces as well:  Nick, Isabelle, Lily, Gianna, Mia, Chase, Vinny, William, and Christopher.  To her grandchildren, she leaves a legacy of thoughtful gift-giving, enjoying quiet moments together, and creativity through crafts (usually involving glue guns).  The example she set for her children through prioritizing family will continue to be a guidepost long after she is gone.  

She was welcomed to the next life on September 28, 2023, by those who went before her, especially her parents and grandparents, Mike Umbaugh, Mary Ann and Floyd Barnett, Harold and Eva Cox, and her in-laws, Don and Geri Peters, and brother-in-law, Chuck Peters.  

As Kris was never one for organized religion, the family will host a Celebration of Life in lieu of a funeral at their home on Saturday, October 7, in the style that she loved best:  anyone and everyone welcome anytime after 3:00 p.m.  (Please contact the family for the private address or Panozzo Bros. Funeral Home, Chicago Heights, 708-481-9230, panozzobros.com.)  While she loved flowers, she loved helping people more.  If you'd like to make a donation in her honor, please consider the Make-a-Wish Foundation (wish.org), an organization that was close to her heart.