December 21, 2024
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An Extraordinary Life: History buff died from COVID-19

Andrea Magosky co-owned a Victorian museum in her son's memory

By DENISE M

But after eight miscarriages, Andrea and Pat decided to adopt, Serena said. As they navigated the adoption process, a relative called and said her friend knew a woman “whose adoption fell through,” she added. However, interracial adoptions weren't common 43 years ago, Serena said. Yet when Andrea was told the baby was “white and Puerto Rican,” she said, “I don’t care if the baby is zebra-striped.”

But after eight miscarriages, Andrea and Pat decided to adopt, Serena said. As they navigated the adoption process, a relative called and said her friend knew a woman “whose adoption fell through,” she added. However, interracial adoptions weren't common 43 years ago, Serena said. Yet when Andrea was told the baby was “white and Puerto Rican,” she said, “I don’t care if the baby is zebra-striped.”

“My mom was very loving; she was a straight talker; and she told you the truth,” Serena said. “She had a big heart and she always taught me to be nonjudgmental and to make people feel special…she was patient, kind, and she loved being a grandmother. Her grandchildren were her whole universe.”

Serena said Andrea helped Serena explain "the birds and the bees" to Serena's daughter Serenita and that Andrea loved playing Barbies with Serenita. "But all the Barbies had to go to trade school or college," Serena said. "They were not single mothers...she did not care if they were hairdressers. But they were going to do something with their lives."

In addition to her love for family, Andrea loved Joliet history, especially Joliet’s architectural history. Yet education didn’t drive that love. Poverty did. In a 2007 Herald-News story, Andrea said her family was so poor, they didn’t own a car. So she walked from her Hacker Avenue home to her destination, varying her routes so she could see all the big houses on that part of town. Her obituary said Andrea contributed to Joliet’s architectural history by She provided critical research to the National Register of Historic Places campaign for Joliet Township High School's Central campus building, Christ Episcopal Church complex and the East Side Historic District Pictured is a room in the former P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life an Joliet history, which Andrea and Pat once owned.

For several years, Andrea and her husband Pat (deceased) even owned a part of Joliet’s history. Their son Seth (deceased) had purchased the Hiram B. Scutt Mansion, a three-story, red brick, Second Empire/Italianate style structure built in 1882 on a Joliet limestone foundation. A 2010 news release form the Cathedral Area Preservation Association (CAPA) said the house, a Joliet landmark, is also listed on the National Historic Register.

After Seth’s death six months after purchasing the home, Andrea and Pat continued Seth’s vision of transforming the mansion into the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life until they could no longer afford the expense.

The Magoskys closed the mansion in 2013 and auctioned off its contents. That included Civil War pictures (including rare albumin prints) about 500 antique dolls (Andrea was an avid doll collector), Civil War era China and American Brilliant glassware, Civil War era sofas and chairs, bookcases, a 7-foot concert grand piano and a pipe organ.

Andrea’s daughter Serena Magosky said her mother’s love for dolls stemmed from Andrea’a own mother “getting rid” of all of Andrea’s dolls when Andrea was young. Andrea especially loved Madame Alexander dolls, porcelain dolls, and making her own ceramic dolls. “My parents used to make ceramics. We had a kiln in the house,” Serena said. “We used to go on long weekends to the Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin with a pop-up camper and sell ceramics.” Andrea attended Catholic grade schools and was later proud that her own three children attended them, too, Serena said. "I struggled in school but my mother got straight As and she played Mary at all the events for her schools," Serena said. "She had her own Mary costume. And even though she had straight As, she was never like that with me. She was always staying up late typing papers for me. She was always encouraging me."

In a 2015 Herald-News story, Andrea said she was 16 when she began dating Pat. She liked his sense of humor and the fun times she shared. They ice-skated, danced, watched movies and invited her younger brothers to have ice cream with them. “He was always doing things for other people,” Andrea said in the story. So was Andrea, Serena said. As a child, Serena Magosky attended meetings of Joliet Historic Preservation Commission on her mother’s lap. When her children were still young, Andrea, a registered nurse, went to work at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. When Serena was 8, Pat was involved in an accident that had crushed his news, the 2015 Herald-News story said. So his only income came from the rental properties he managed. The one day, while driving to work in a blizzard, Andrea was involved in a car accident that broke her neck, Serena said. When she recovered, Andrea worked as a home health nurse and as a Medicare auditor for Blue Cross Blue Shield. She also volunteered for Joliet Area Community Hospice.

But after Seth died in March 2007, Andrea channeled her energies into restoring his home. Serena said Andrea and Seth shared “a special connection” due to their mutual love of history. “Seth would go out and walk all over different neighborhoods, looking at the houses. He always said he wanted to own a house on Eastern Avenue and when he grew up, he did just that,” Andrea said in 2007 story. “When I worked as a visiting nurse on the south side of Chicago and Seth was off school, he’d ride with me to look at the houses. He became very familiar with that area.” At 13, Seth, then a student at St. Patrick’s Catholic Grade School, delivered his first architectural presentation, an extra credit project for him, Andrea said in that story. He later majored in the History of Architecture at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He wrote a regular column about local historic homes for the Herald News and then wrote a book based on those columns, Andrea also said. Seth was nationally renowned for his expertise on the Civil War era and often portrayed John Wilkes Booth and Marshall Field,” Andrea had said. Andrea even took all her children on architectural field trips. “At the time, a good day for us was throwing the kids in the back seat of the car with lunch meat and stuff and going to look at the old houses,” Andrea said in the story.

Through the years, the Magoskys even hosted various events to support the museum: a Christmas gala, Easter egg hunts, murder mysteries and monthly Victorian teas. Twice, the Will County Ghost Hunters Society conducted paranormal investigations inside the museum. “They had tours and school groups come,” Serena said. “They opened it to the community and they wanted to make sure people got in.” Through the years, Andrea served her church community as a Eucharistic minister. She loved drama and volunteered at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park and Theatre, in Joliet, Serena said. Andrea even took belly dancing lessons in her 30s. "She was such a dynamic woman," Serena said.

A bout with a “bird flu” from pigeon exposure when Andrea was a child weakened her health, Serena said. Andrea also had diabetes, high blood pressure and, later, vertigo, as a result of the car accident. But Andrea wasn’t a complainer. Serena recalled the time her mother “smashed her wrist” at a church festival and was upset when the paramedics arrived. “She did not want to go to the ER,” Serena said. “You could see the bones popping out, but she said, ‘Just give me some pain pills.’ She had a very high tolerance for pain.” Andrea was 73 when she died April 12 from complications of COVID-19. • To feature someone in “An Extraordinary Life,” contact Denise M. Baran-Unland at 815-280-4122 or dunland@shawmedia.com.

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