One Amazing Woman

I got some sad news this weekend. My neighbor growing up passed away. Lolita Junk was one of the nicest people I ever met. We moved to Galesburg when I was four, and we had no immediate family there. Over the years, Lolita, her husband Gene, and their 8 kids welcomed us into their home. We felt like part of their family. We watched their youngest sons, Mark and John when they were the stars of the Galesburg High School basketball team, then later at Knox College. We got to know their grandkids very well. Their oldest granddaughter Kristy and I are still friends. We started out as pen pals, and remain so to this very day. (Her blog is on my blog roll.) I was always a little bit jealous of their huge family. But the Junks always had us over around the holidays, in the summer for cookouts. I was so sad when I got the email that Lolita had passed away.

This is an article on Lolita written by our local paper. This is only a glimpse of how much she meant to the community. She was very active in our church, she started a teen court -- giving juvenile offenders a chance to have their records wiped clean if they appeared before a court of their peers, and she was dedicated to her family. She will be missed. We plan on heading back to Galesburg for the funeral. I'm sure it will be an amazing tribute to an amazing woman.