Mrs. Irene P. (Hession) O’Neil, 78, of LaPorte, died at 12:21 p.m. on Monday, June 29, 2009, at LaPorte Hospital.

   She was born March 17, 1931, in Jackson, MI, to John and Mary (Arenz) Hession. She had lived in LaPorte since 1962.

   Mrs. O’Neil was a member of St. Peter Catholic Church in LaPorte. She was a secretary/bookkeeper for Catholic Churches. She was a secretary for St. Peter Catholic Church in LaPorte, St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Merrillville and St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Lake Station, IN, with a total of 33 years of service in the Diocese of Gary. She was an avid sports fan and especially a fan of games with her children and grandchildren participating.

   She leaves behind one daughter, Colleen (Steve) Wright of Tipton, IN; four sons, Tim “Chip” (Linda) O’Neil of Granger, IN, Kevin “Kip” (Terry) O’Neil of LaPorte, Pat O’Neil of Brownsburg, IN, and Mike O’Neil of LaPorte; eight grandchildren; four stepgrandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one sister, Kathleen (Steve) Schuler of Newark, OH; and several nieces and nephews.

   She was preceded in death by her parents and three brothers, George, John and Dick Hession.

   A funeral Mass will be held Thursday, July 2, at 10 a.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church, LaPorte, with Rev. Charles Niblick officiating. A rosary service will be held Wednesday, July 1, at 4 p.m. at Essling Funeral Home, LaPorte, with Rev. Niblick officiating. Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. and continuing Thursday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Burial will be in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, LaPorte, at a later time.

   Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association, 300 N. Michigan St., Suite 414, South Bend, IN 46601.

   Family and friends may send their condolences to www.esslingfuneralhome.com.