Mary Lou Piazza, 78, of Sycamore, peacefully let go of this life to begin the next on May 22, 2026, after a long and courageous battle with dementia.

Born on June 4, 1947, to the late Bessie and Walter Sak, Mary Lou embraced life with humor and tenacity. She loved traveling to Las Vegas with Dan and her friends, creating ceramics, and hunting for a great bargain. She was famously lucky at the slot machines—always seeming to come out a winner. At home, she was the undisputed master of the "dashboard keyboard," happily playing along to favorites like Genesis, Train, Def Leppard, and AC/DC.

Of all the roles Mary Lou held throughout her life, her greatest honor was being called "LuLu," the loving nickname first given to her by her eldest grandchild. Nothing brought her greater happiness than the love of her family and the time she spent with them.

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Larry.

She leaves behind her loving and devoted husband, Dan; her daughter, Dana (Patrick) Sharkey ; her son, Nick (Tori) Piazza ; and her cherished grandchildren, Jackson, Lauren, Owen, Ashlyn, and Mason P., along with bonus grandchildren Brody, Michael, and Mason R. Her sass, laughter, and loving spirit will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who knew and loved her.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, at www.stjude.org

The family wishes to thank with grateful hearts the compassionate staff at Arden Courts of Geneva and Northwestern Medicine.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 30, from 2:00-4:00 PM at the Butala Funeral Home, 1405 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, IL.

Family and friends are invited to continue celebrating Mary Lou's life at a reception following the service.

To sign the online guest book, please go to www.ButalaFuneralHomes.com