Mary O. Monical Obituary (1931

Mary Octavia (Hartwick) Monical, of Pontiac, IL passed away peacefully on January 14, 2026, at her home in Pontiac, IL. A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on March 2nd at 11 am. There will be a receiving line for visitors from 10 am -11 am. Memorials in Mary’s name may be made to St. Mary’s Church in Pontiac or the Legion of Mary. Mary was born March 2, 1931, in Blue Earth, MN, daughter of George Adam and Olivia Elizabeth Bartel Hartwick. Her parents and six siblings preceded her in death. She is survived by her 17 children, 41 grandchildren, and 24 greatgrandchildren, an extended family of nieces and nephews and their descendants. Mary graduated from the College of St. Theresa in Winona, MN. She continued her studies as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Munich, Germany. In 1954, she married George Dale Monical, former corporal of the US Army, who served in Korea. George and Mary Monical resided in Minnesota and Kansas before settling in Pontiac in 1964. Mary attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church, joined her husband in the CPA practice in 1967, and continued her studies in accounting at LaSalle Extension University, ISU, U of I and Heartland College. She became a CPA herself in 1988, and continued running the accounting firm after her husband’s death in 1990. Mary held membership in various organizations including the Illinois and Minnesota poetry societies, Legion of Mary, Daughters of Isabella, Peoria Diocese Women in the Church and in Society and the VFW auxiliary. She was awarded the Pro Ecclesia medal from Pope John Paul II. She enjoyed reading, gardening, making rosaries, playing the viola, writing poems, and family get-togethers, whether in person, by correspondence, telephone, zoom, google meet, dinners, or celebrations.