Mary V. Andrejack, 50, of Lombard, an agent for the Internal Revenue Service and co-founder of Lombard-based PALS (People Actively Lending Support) died Monday in Elmhurst Memorial Hospital.
Born in Ashland, Ky., Mrs. Andrejack was a 1968 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in sociology and anthropology.
For the past seven years, Mrs. Andrejack worked for the IRS as a congressional contact and later as a revenue agent. As a congressional contact, she acted as a liaison in tax matters concerning taxpayers and their congressman. Later, she took a position as a collections officer.
“My mom was very good with people, especially when it came to explaining things,” said Mrs. Andrejack’s daughter, Kate. “She helped people understand the system and see their way through financial matters that impacted their lives greatly.”
In the early 1980s, Mrs. Andrejack co-founded PALS, a program aimed at developing the talents of gifted elementary students through special field trips and activities.
Mrs. Andrejack was an active volunteer with PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) at local churches, performing laundry and cooking duties.
“As we got older, my mom found herself with more time and channeled her energies into helping others,” Kate Andrejack said.
A lover of the outdoors, Mrs. Andrejack also was a frequent visitor and member of the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.
“She loved the arboretum so much she actually forced me to get a job there in the restaurant,” Kate Andrejack said.
Other survivors include her husband, Robert; her son, Tom; her father, Willard Gillen; a brother; and many nephews and nieces.
Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday in Brust Funeral Home, 135 South Main St., Lombard. Funeral services will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday in Christ The King Catholic Church, 1501 S. Main St., Lombard.
