Monday, September 24, 2012
When there are no words to say, do you still try to say them?
This year, having three kids in three different Evanston schools was a tougher adjustment than I'd counted on. But last week, I'd just begun to feel that back-to-school equilibrium. I told myself, "As soon as I get through this last curriculum night, we'll fall into a routine and things will run a little smoother." By then, I thought, I'd have all the important dates entered into the family calendar, all the who-needs-to-be-where-and-when questions answered, all the forms signed and returned to teachers and all the random requests for 2"-white binders and index cards checked off the to-do list so I could go back to more writing. Mid-week, I pulled up in front of my house to find a firetruck, three police cars and an ambulance parked out …
Sunday, September 16, 2012
The 21-year-old passed away Sept. 7 due to complications from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. His life was honored and remembered Saturday.
Andrew Korokar, 21, of Evanston passed away Sept. 7 due to complications from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.He was a student at Park School Evanston. Andrew is survived by his father James Krokar and mother Christine Larsen, grandfather Louis Krokar, uncle William Larsen and aunts Paula Brisco and Kathleen Krokar, in addition to his close friend Daniel Campbell. He was preceeded in death by his grandmother Mary Krokar, and grandparents Robert and Jean Larsen. Some excerpts from Andrew's Legacy.com guest book: Dear Chris and Jim, I am so very sad to hear of Andy's passing. The image of his beautiful and ever-present smile will always be in my memory.I know that Andy's smile was the reflection of the love you shared. Andy was one of my …
Saturday, June 9, 2012
A 1500-piece puzzle missing a single piece helps the author make sense of the sudden death of a friend.
It’s not like I wake up looking for profound meaning. Sometimes a game is really just a game. So when the box promises a complete picture in 1500 pieces, that’s what I expect. Open it up, dump the pieces, start with the borders, and keep working until every last piece fits into place. For a compulsive organizer who moonlights as a control freak, this should be my game. I should love doing puzzles. Creating order out of chaos is normally my raison d’etre. I am a mother, after all. In our house, however, everyone but me likes this pastime. I hate it and I’m bad at it. Or, put another way, I’m bad at it and I hate it. Whatever part of the brain facilitates looking at strange shapes and mentally rotating them in order to fit them together is …
Monday, July 18, 2011
The man, 34-year-old Juan L. Sanchez, was found dead Sunday afternoon.
Evanston police said a local man died after being involved in a fight at a party late Saturday night. The man, 34-year-old Juan L. Sanchez, was found dead in his basement in his apartment at 1223 Dodge Avenue at around 2 p.m. Sunday. Sanchez was found lying facedown naked on a bed against the wall, with his head and upper torso propped up on the wall, according to an email about the incident from Evanston Police Chief Richard Eddington. Sanchez's friends said he attended a party Saturday night, where he and another man became intoxicated and got in a fight. Police said no weapons were used in the fight, but witnesses said the other subject kicked and punched Sanchez several times. Police said that party attendees helped Sanchez back to his…
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Justin Owen found dead in Evanston apartment Christmas Day.
Justin Owen, a first-year graduate student in the Medill School of Journalism and former Marine was found dead in his apartment on Christmas Day in what has been ruled a suicide. The Daily Northwestern reported that Owen graduated cum laude from Marquette University's College of Communications before attending Medill. He was deployed to Iraq during his sophomore year and served as a U.S. Marine Corps corporal from 2007 to 2008. Family members told The Daily Northwestern that they believe post-traumatic stress disorder played a role in Owen's suicide. On his Facebook page, Owen listed two interests: Film and literature. Owen's funeral was held on Dec. 30 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee.
Melanie
4:47 pm on Thursday, September 27, 2012
When I was growing up during the 70's on the south side of Chicago, most people knew their neighbors. When someone's loved one passed away, there was an unofficial, volunteer committee that went door to door informing everyone of the family's loss and also took up a collection for them. We would also take food to the family and ask if there was anything that we could do for them. It was customary… more ›