Passed away September 21, 2017, three days short of her 93rd Birthday following a three year battle with dementia. Loving Mother to Mary Ellen (Jim) Schaertl, Jane (Ken Honda) Arellano, Terri (Greg) Ciupak, Michael (Kathy) Prendergast; cherished grandmother to Gregory, Joe (Krys Hernandez), and Aubry Schaertl, Sara (Brian) Boeckmann, Dave (Kristy Beck) Arellano, Andy (Carrie) Ciupak, GySgt John Ciupak USMC, Scott (Maureen) Ciupak, Ryan, Kyle, and Matthew Prendergast; proud Great Grandmother of Aubrey, and Jack Ciupak, Robert Ciupak, Everett Boeckmann, and Charlie Ciupak, all whom she adored. Survived by her sister-in-law Jean (Lippincott) Prendergast, her frequent card playing partner. She will be missed by her many nieces and nephews. Our special thanks to her loving, extraordinary caregiver of the last three and half years, Anna Kedyk. The wonderful care and assistance from the Hospice of the Calumet Area; and especially Pam her compassionate nurse for the last three years. Preceded in death, but now reunited with her loving husband of 67 years, Robert A. Prendergast in 2014. There to greet her in heaven were her parents John and Mary Aubry, brother Arsene (Bud) Aubry, and sisters Virginia Langton, Sr. Laurita Aubry, and Genevieve Nordell. Marcella attended All Saints Grade School and graduated from Hammond High School in 1942. As WWII had begun, she started working immediately for the OPA as a secretary for the Ration Board, dispensing ration stamps to benefit the war effort. After the war, she went to work at Standard Oil Refinery until her marriage. The young couple went for a short time to the east coast, where he studied on the G.I. bill and Marcella was employed at Walter Reed Medical Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Returning to Hammond to raise a family, Marcella was a full-time homemaker of many talents. She was a very accomplished seamstress, and excellent cook. We looked forward to her baking pies, as she made the best mouthwatering crust. She was a talented oil painter, avid gardener, and a fierce, competitive card player, who loved to fish. She loved her family unconditionally. Her mentoring and sought-after advice to her family was always peppered with humor. Donations to the Hospice of the Calumet Area would be appreciated. Visitation will be held on Friday, September 29, 2017 from 4:00-8:00 pm at Kish Funeral Home, 10000 Calumet Ave. Munster, IN and on Saturday from 9:30-10:00 am at the church. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, September 30, 2017 at St. John Bosco Church, 7113 Columbia Ave. Hammond, IN. Interment will be at Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens, Schererville, IN.