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Former legislator, Bremen Township supervisor Maggie Crotty dies at 72

Mary Margaret “Maggie” Crotty, most recently Bremen Township supervisor and a former longtime state legislator representing the south suburbs, died Thursday at the age of 72.

Crotty in September stepped down from her elected post as supervisor for health reasons. She had served as supervisor since 2005.

She previously held elected positions as a state senator, state representative and Democratic Party committeeman for Bremen Township. Crotty lived in Oak Forest.

Survivors include her three sons. Crotty was a grandmother of seven, according to an obituary posted by the Brady Gill Funeral Home in Tinley Park.

Visitation will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. Monday at the home, 16600 Oak Park Ave. In lieu of flowers, her family is asking for memorials to the Les Turner ALS foundation.

Kathryn Straniero, a township trustee named to replace Crotty as supervisor, said that she and Crotty had a decadeslong friendship that began when both served on the Arbor Park School District 145 Board in Oak Forest.

She said Crotty was a strong leader, steering the township through several critical periods of program development.

“Maggie always did what was right, even if it was difficult,” Straniero said. “She showed me how being firm and truthful was always the best approach to take during conflict.”

Crotty is credited with leveraging her political connections and influence in Springfield to benefit local communities after she retired from the General Assembly.

Crotty helped secure $2.5 million in grants that helped pay for a new Metra station that opened at 159th Street and Cicero Avenue in Oak Forest days before Christmas in 2013.

Crotty served three terms in the Illinois House, from 1997 to 2002. She represented the 19th District in the Illinois Senate from 2002 to 2012. She was known for her work on health care and education legislation.

She was named Legislator of the Year by the Illinois Association of Park Districts in 2000 and Outstanding Freshman Legislator by the Illinois Health Care Association in 1997, according to a biography on the General Assembly website.

State Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort, who in 2013 succeeded Crotty as 19th District senator, said in a Facebook post Thursday that Crotty was a “true giant for the Southland.”

“Maggie Crotty was a dedicated and committed public servant and even better person,” Hastings wrote. “She might have come across as the nice, sweet grandmother and treated strangers as if they had been friends for years. But make no mistake, she was a skilled politician who had an instinct like no other.”

“She worked tirelessly to help lift up others, from local social service agencies serving the homeless to our senior citizens,” he wrote.

Crotty served on the board of Together We Cope, a Tinley Park-based organization that provides food, shelter and other resources to families in crisis in 27 south and southwest suburban communities. Straniero is executive director.

“Maggie worked behind the scenes for many years to keep TWC thriving in its mission to assist our neighbors in need,” Straniero said.

As supervisor, Crotty expanded services for senior citizens by providing more resources for meals, transportation and programming.

Through Together We Cope she helped the township expand food assistance to those in need through the nonprofit’s food pantry, and Together We Cope joined as sponsor of the township’s food assistance program, Straniero said.

Hazel Crest Mayor Vernard Alsberry called Crotty “a phenomenal public servant” and said he had known her for more than 20 years.

“Our birthdays are on the same day, Oct. 16,” he said.

Alsberry succeeded Crotty as Democratic Party committeeman for Bremen Township in 2017.

He said that as a legislator and supervisor, Crotty worked selflessly for her constituents.

“It wasn’t about her, it was about what she could do for others,” Alsberry said.

mnolan@tribpub.com