Hillside in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 3, 2026

1. Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial

Inscription.

Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial. . Our Lady of the Angels pray for us Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them Lord and Let Perpetual Light Shine Upon Them. In devout memory of the victims of the fire December 1, 1958, at Our Lady of the Angels School, Erected by the parishioners, the priests, the sisters, and their pastor, the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph E. Cussen [Text on the left side of the center slab:} May the angels lead them into paradise. Meet them you angels of the Lord. Receive their souls and present them to the most high. May Christ who called them receive them and may the angels lead them into the bosom of Abraham. [Text on the right side of the center slab:] Behold I will send my angel who will go before them and keep them in their journey and bring them into the place that I have prepared. May the choir of angels receive them and may they have rest everlasting. Champagne, Sister Mary Clare Therese, B. V. M. . Kelley, Sister Mary Seraphica, B. V. M. . Lyng, Sister Mary St. Canice, B. V. M. . Altobell, Michele . Anglim, Robert . Baroni, Karen . Biscan, David . Bobrowicz, Richard . Burda, Beverly Ann . Buziak, Helen . Cangelosi, Peter . Cannella, George . Carr, Kathleen . Chambers, Margaret . Chiappetta, Aurelius . Chiappetta, Joanne . Chrzas, Joan . Cichocki, Bernice . Ciminello, Rosalie . Ciochon, Roseanna . Ciolino, Jo Ann . Corsiglia, Millicent . Culp, Karen Ann . De Giulio, Maria . De Santo, Nancy Mary . Drzymala, Patricia . Dunn, Lawrence J. . Edington, William R. Jr. . Fanale, Mary Ann . Filipponio, Lucille . Finnigan, Nancy Rae . Fox Ronald . Gasteier, Janet . Gazzola, Carol Ann . Grasso, Lawrence . Guzaldo. Frances . Hagerty, Kathleen . Hardy, Richard . Hobik. Karen . Hosking. Barbara . Jacobellis, Victor . Jajkowski, John . Kalinowski, Angeline . Karwacki, Diane . King, Joseph Anthony . Kompanowski, Kenneth . Kompanowski, Richard . Kucan. Margaret . Kuzma, Patricia . La Mantia, Annette . La Placa, Rose Ann . Maffiola, Joseph . Makowski, Raymond . Malinski, Linda . Manganello, Join . Mele, John Joseph . Modica, Joseph . Moravec, James . Moretti, Mary Ellen . Neubert. Charles . Nieri, Lorraine . Olechowski, Janet . Pacini, Yvonne . Patrasso, Antoinette . Pawlik, Eileen . Perry, Carolyn Marie . Pesoli, Elaine . Pettenon, Mary Ellen . Pikinski, Edward . Pilas, Nancy . Piscopo, Frank . Profita, James Joseph . Ragona, James . Ramlow, Roger Alan . Reeb, Marilyn . Riche, Nancy . Sansonetti, Margaret Anne . Santangelo, Diane Marie . Sarno, Joanne . Sarno, William . Secco, Antoinette . Schutt, Kurt . Sickels, James . Silvio, Paul . Smaldone, Susan . Smid, Nancy . Stabile, Linda . Stachura, Mark . Tamburrino, Mary Louise . Tampone, Philip . Thoma, Valerie Ann . Trotta, John David . Virgilio, Mary . Vitacco, Christine Marie . Wisz, Wayne

Our Lady of the Angels pray for us

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them Lord and Let Perpetual Light Shine Upon Them
In devout memory of the victims of the fire December 1, 1958, at Our Lady of the Angels School

Erected by the parishioners, the priests, the sisters, and their pastor, the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph E. Cussen

[Text on the left side of the center slab:}
May the angels lead them into paradise.

Meet them you angels of the Lord. Receive their souls and present them to the most high.

May Christ who called them receive them and may the angels lead them into the bosom of Abraham.

[Text on the right side of the center slab:]
Behold I will send my angel who will go before them and keep them in their journey and bring them into the place that I have prepared.

May the choir of angels receive them and may they have rest everlasting.

Champagne, Sister Mary Clare Therese, B. V. M. • Kelley, Sister Mary Seraphica, B. V. M. • Lyng, Sister Mary St. Canice, B. V. M. • Altobell, Michele • Anglim, Robert • Baroni, Karen • Biscan, David • Bobrowicz, Richard • Burda, Beverly Ann • Buziak, Helen • Cangelosi, Peter • Cannella, George • Carr, Kathleen • Chambers, Margaret • Chiappetta, Aurelius • Chiappetta, Joanne • Chrzas, Joan • Cichocki,

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Bernice • Ciminello, Rosalie • Ciochon, Roseanna • Ciolino, Jo Ann • Corsiglia, Millicent • Culp, Karen Ann • De Giulio, Maria • De Santo, Nancy Mary • Drzymala, Patricia • Dunn, Lawrence J. • Edington, William R. Jr. • Fanale, Mary Ann • Filipponio, Lucille • Finnigan, Nancy Rae • Fox Ronald • Gasteier, Janet • Gazzola, Carol Ann • Grasso, Lawrence • Guzaldo. Frances • Hagerty, Kathleen • Hardy, Richard • Hobik. Karen • Hosking. Barbara • Jacobellis, Victor • Jajkowski, John • Kalinowski, Angeline • Karwacki, Diane • King, Joseph Anthony • Kompanowski, Kenneth • Kompanowski, Richard • Kucan. Margaret • Kuzma, Patricia • La Mantia, Annette • La Placa, Rose Ann • Maffiola, Joseph • Makowski, Raymond • Malinski, Linda • Manganello, Join • Mele, John Joseph • Modica, Joseph • Moravec, James • Moretti, Mary Ellen • Neubert. Charles • Nieri, Lorraine • Olechowski, Janet • Pacini, Yvonne • Patrasso, Antoinette • Pawlik, Eileen • Perry, Carolyn Marie • Pesoli, Elaine • Pettenon, Mary Ellen • Pikinski, Edward • Pilas, Nancy • Piscopo, Frank • Profita, James Joseph • Ragona, James • Ramlow, Roger Alan • Reeb, Marilyn • Riche, Nancy • Sansonetti, Margaret Anne • Santangelo, Diane Marie • Sarno, Joanne • Sarno, William • Secco, Antoinette • Schutt, Kurt • Sickels, James • Silvio, Paul • Smaldone, Susan • Smid, Nancy • Stabile, Linda • Stachura, Mark • Tamburrino, Mary Louise • Tampone, Philip

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 3, 2026

2. Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial

• Thoma, Valerie Ann • Trotta, John David • Virgilio, Mary • Vitacco, Christine Marie • Wisz, Wayne

Erected by Our Lady of the Angels Parish.

Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Disasters • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical date for this entry is December 1, 1958.

Location. 41° 51.494′ N, 87° 54.57′ W. Marker is in Hillside, Illinois, in Cook County. It can be reached from Wolf Road south of Roosevelt Road (Illinois Route 38), on the right when traveling south. The memorial is in Section 18 of Queen of Heaven Cemetery, near the Shrine of the Innocents. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1400 South Wolf Road, Hillside IL 60162, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker and memorial is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Clerics of St. Viator (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pope Saint Pius X (approx. 0.2 miles away); Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (approx. ¼ mile away); At Peace Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (approx. ¼ mile away); Saint Gertrude the Great (approx. ¼ mile away); Saint Methodius (approx. ¼ mile away); Veterans Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hillside.

More about this marker. The crosses

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 3, 2026

3. Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial

next to the names on the memorial denote which cemetery each person is buried at; the 95 victims were buried at six different cemeteries. The graves of 25 of the victims are in front of this memorial at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

Regarding Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial. The fire on December 1, 1958, at the Our Lady of the Angels school in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago was one of the horrific tragedies in Chicago's history, leaving 92 children and three nuns dead. The fire started in a basement trash can and later spread to the upper floors, where many children and nuns became trapped as access to the only entrance, exit and fire escape were blocked by flames and smoke. Meanwhile, fire trucks were initially sent to the church's rectory rather than its school, and then were delayed by a locked gate between the school's two wings. While some 160 students and teachers were eventually rescued, 87 students died that day, and five more later succumbed to their injuries.

Our Lady of the Angels had actually passed a fire inspection just weeks before this fire, but had been grandfathered from modern fire codes due to the age of building. In 1962, a boy who attended the school confessed to setting the blaze, but the story could not be confirmed and the cause of the fire officially remains unknown. The fire also

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 3, 2026

4. Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial

The graves of 25 of the children who died in the fire are in front of this memorial at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

led to nationwide fire safety reforms for schools.

Also see . . .
1. Angels Too Soon: The Tragedy of the 1958 Our Lady of the Angels School Fire. WTTW-11 Chicago shares the story of the Our Lady of the Angels School fire, which left 92 children and 3 nuns dead.

Excerpt: "Technically, however, the school had been deemed up to code just two months prior to the fire. Since the building was older, according to John Kuenster, author of To Sleep with Angels, it had not yet been required to catch up to the most recent fire safety standards, which had been updated in 1949. The tragedy spurred action in Chicago and in the rest of the country, however. The Chicago City Council required the installation of school fire alarms that were linked directly to the Chicago Fire Department, and thousands of schools around the country enacted more up-to-date fire codes."

(Submitted on June 4, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire, December 1, 1958. A website dedicated to the Our Lady of the Angels School fire includes an in-depth look at the fire and memorials to all of the victims. (Submitted on June 4, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Our Lady of the Angels School Fire victims (memorial on the left) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 3, 2026

5. Our Lady of the Angels School Fire victims (memorial on the left)

Our Lady of the Angels School Fire victims (memorial on the right) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 3, 2026

6. Our Lady of the Angels School Fire victims (memorial on the right)

Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial, left side image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 3, 2026

7. Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial, left side

Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial, right side image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 3, 2026

8. Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Memorial, right side

Gravesite of victim Margaret Sansonetti image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 3, 2026

9. Gravesite of victim Margaret Sansonetti

Peggy Sansonetti was a 5th grader in Room 212. She and 26 other students, along with their teacher, Sister Mary Clare Therese Champagne, BVM, died in the fire.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 4, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on June 4, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.