By John Knebels
(OSV News) — When Virginia Halas McCaskey died Feb. 6 at age 102, a nonstop flood of remembrance and gratitude enveloped the sports world and social media.
The Chicago Bears owner since 1983 and a beloved National Football League fixture whose reputation included her unwavering Catholic faith, McCaskey left behind a lifetime of influence, inspiration and good deeds.
McCaskey’s father, George Halas, founded the Chicago Bears in 1919. Virginia, who was born in 1923, inherited the team when her father died Oct. 31, 1983. Her only sibling, younger brother George, died unexpectedly of a heart attack Dec. 16, 1979, the last day of that year’s regular season.
While attending college at Philadelphia’s Drexel University, McCaskey met her future husband, Edward. On Feb. 2, 1943, the two wed at St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church in Bel Air, Maryland. Their 60 years of marriage ended with Edward’s death in 2003.
The couple raised eight sons and three daughters. Their son Timothy died in 2011, and son Michael died nine years later. Upon her death, Virginia McCaskey also left behind 21 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
“While we are sad, we are comforted knowing Virginia Halas McCaskey lived a long, full, faith-filled life and is now with the love of her life on earth,” the family said in a statement. “She guided the Bears for four decades and based every business decision on what was best for Bears players, coaches, staff and fans.”
McCaskey, who during her ownership always held a rosary in one hand while in attendance at a Bears game and reportedly cherished Christmas, Thanksgiving and Nativity sets, was alive for eight of the nine Chicago Bears franchise championships.
The highlight of her career occurred Jan. 26, 1986, when the Bears corralled their only Super Bowl with a convincing 46-10 romp past the New England Patriots at the Superdome in New Orleans. The Bears made one other championship appearance, losing to the Indianapolis Colts, 29-17, in Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4, 2007.
In a statement, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised McCaskey for her “class, dignity, and humanity.”
“Faith, family, and football — in that order — were her north stars and she lived by the simple adage to always ‘do the right thing,'” Goodell continued. “The Bears that her father started meant the world to her and he would be proud of the way she continued the family business with such dedication and passion. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the McCaskey and Halas families and Bears fans around the world.”
Among the philanthropic endeavors supported by McCaskey is the still-thriving Bears Care program that she established in 2005. It is responsible for more than $31.5 million in grants to more than 200 qualifying agencies. According to the Chicago Bears, the program’s mission is to benefit Chicagoans seeking ways to improve their quality of life. On May 11, 2024, McCaskey was joined by numerous Bear players past and present, coaches and administrators attending the 27th Bears Care Gala, which raised funds for breast and ovarian cancer research.
McCaskey’s final image of watching her beloved Chicago Bears turned out to be a perfect ending to an incredible life and career — with an almost magical flair.
On Jan. 5, McCaskey traveled to Green Bay’s Lambeau Field to watch the Bears take on the playoff-bound Packers in the regular-season finale.
Trailing 22-21, Chicago kicker Cairo Santos, who had learned to kick footballs at St. Joseph’s Academy Catholic High School in St. Augustine, Florida, blasted a 51-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Bears past the favored Packers, 24-22.
Adding joy to McCaskey’s celebration, the last-minute win occurred on her birthday.
A funeral Mass for McCaskey was to be celebrated Feb. 12 at St. Emily Catholic Church in Mount Prospect, Illinois, where she had been a longtime parishioner. A request for a statement from the parish by OSV News was directed to the Archdiocese of Chicago, which offered no comment “out of respect” to the McCaskey family.