When Mary Compton died on Christmas Eve, the South Suburbs lost a keen-eyed photojournalist, a generous writer and an empathetic soul.

Regular readers of the Chronicle will be familiar with her work. From 2017 to 2021 she helped us capture the life and lives of the Homewood-Flossmoor community. See below for a gallery of some of our favorite photos she took over the years.

What I remember most about Mary, in addition to her enthusiasm for every assignment, was her eye. She really saw people, not just as photo subjects but as inspirations in their various struggles, big and small.

She often pitched story ideas to the Chronicle editors, and invariably she wanted to shine a light on someone who was quietly doing good, making some important but overlooked contribution to the community.

Sometimes she not only took the photos but wrote the stories herself. Her last project for the Chronicle was a feature she wrote and photographed about two gay white dads, J.R. and Brandon Willard-Rose, and their adopted Black son, a family that epitomizes the H-F commitment to love and diversity. 

Former Chronicle co-owner and editor Tom Houlihan worked with Mary through much of his 30 years as an editor for the former Star Newspapers based in Chicago Heights and the Chronicle. He has many fond memories their relationship.

“A lot happened in those years for the two of us, both personally and professionally, but Mary remained a constant in a world that sometimes seemed out of control,” he said. “She was always kind, gracious and faced life with an equanimity that was both rare and wonderful. Just about everyone could see that Mary possessed true inner goodness and loved her for that.

“Our home is filled with photos from Mary. In the early 1990s, she had an assignment at a senior citizen gathering in Palos. My mom and dad were present and she took just about the best photo of them I’ve ever seen. It was on our piano for years. 

“In 1998, the Star staged a faux Thanksgiving dinner at our house and Mary took the pictures. She got the family together for a photo — our three sons, our dog Louisa, me and my wife Kat, who would live only two more years. The picture has been on the wall of our family room since we moved to Flossmoor in 2003. 

“Patty and I got married that year and Mary shot the wedding photos. This week, Patty and I tried to remember how much we paid her and figured out that she probably didn’t make any money after developing and printing all the photos. Mary told Patty that it was her wedding present to us.

“The list goes on. Mary shot promotional photos of our son’s 12-piece funk band when they were in high school. They shot it next to a railroad bridge in Chicago Heights. And then, after we started the Chronicle, there came a time when the paper needed a photographer to chronicle — pardon the pun — all the local goings on, both great and small. She always did fine work for us. It was great for me, too, because I got to renew my friendship with Mary. I’m glad I got to spend more time with her and I’ll never forget it. “

Carole Sharwarko, Chronicle reporter and founder of Southland Investigative Reporting Center, also worked with Mary while at the Star, the Daily Southtown and the Chronicle. 

“She was the best kind of colleague — helpful, hardworking, passionate and always encouraging you to grow. She beautifully balanced a photographer’s delicate task of putting subjects at ease while simultaneously capturing their intimate moments,” she said. 

“Mary had a keen news sense, and regularly brought in successful story ideas. She once convinced the warden at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill to allow us to profile the female chaplain, who had been teaching a class of inmates serving life sentences. I had the privilege of writing that feature story, after visiting the prison with Mary to sit in on the class, conduct interviews and take photos. It was an assignment that changed my life and the arc of my career, and it was all because of Mary Compton.”

Tom estimated Mary might have completed in the neighborhood of 10,000 photo assignments over the years. When we look back at the recent history of our community, we can be grateful that Mary was there, capturing the people and the moments that are part of who we are today.

Visitation will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 6850 W. 159th St., Tinley Park. The funeral service will be at noon.

A selection of Mary’s photos published in the Chronicle: