Dr. Marie Wilkinson 1909 - 2010
Dr. Marie Wilkinson, 101, of Aurora,
passed away Thursday, August 12, 2010
at Alden of Waterford in Aurora.
She was born May 6, 1909 in New Orleans,
LA. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson; two granddaughters, Donna Wilkinson and Michelle Wilkinson; a great grandson, Christopher Wilkinson; a host of nieces,
nephews, friends and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Maude (Robinson) La Beau; her husband, Charles Wilkinson; son, Donald Wilkinson; grandson, Craig Wilkinson; brother, Edward La Beau, Sr.; paternal grandparents, Robert and Lena Robinson; maternal grandmother, Olympia Glapion; aunt and uncle,Arthur and Hazel Ogden. Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 9:15 AM from THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY to St. Rita of Cascia Church at 10:00 AM. Bishop Thomas Doran will officiate with interment in Lincoln Memorial Park.
The Rosary will be recited Wednesday, August 18,2010 at 3:30 PM followed by visitation from 4:00PM until 8:00 PM, at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, 220 N.Lake St., Aurora. 630-631-5500 or visit our website at www.daleidenmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry 834 North Highland, Aurora,
IL 60506 or The Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center 1144 East Galena Boulevard Aurora, IL 60505.
Note:
AURORA -- In her 101 years, Marie Wilkinson touched
the lives of countless Aurorans. On Wednesday, those countless Aurorans came to Daleiden Mortuary on Lake
Street to give thanks and say goodbye.
Marie died last Thursday after a long life as Aurora's matriarch and soul. She was instrumental in creating numerous charitable organizations, including the food pantry and child development center that bear her name,
but the heart of what she did could be found in each individual's story of inspiration and gratitude.
Here were people of all ages, all colors, all to pay tribute to a woman who, in the words of Betty Horton,
knew no color and helped every one of them.
Here was Eva Rodgers, who has been Marie's neighbor
on View Street for 50 years. Rodgers bonded with her
over politics -- they worked on John F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign -- and she would marvel as Marie kept watch
over the neighborhood. View Street was the safest block
in town, Rodgers said, because everyone respected Marie
so much.
Rodgers said Marie helped shape her outlook on life with her quiet wisdom and her tireless drive to help the less fortunate.
"You were a better person because you knew Marie," she
said.
Here was Kim Young, who grew up under Marie's tutelage
at her child development center in the 1970s. Marie, she said, could handle a room of 50 children by herself. She commanded respect, even from small children, and treated those in her care with love and patience.
Marie's lessons, Young said, helped her raise her own
three children.
Here were Mike Moran and Ann McBride of Breaking Free,
a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those with addictions. Marie helped start Breaking Free, and both acknowledged they would not be there, doing what they do, without her.
And here was Carmen Christner, a living example of
Marie's lifelong dedication to helping those who need
it. When she was a young girl, Christner's parents went
to Marie's home because they couldn't afford clothes.
Marie gave them what they needed, and Christner always remembered that.
And when her own home in Oswego burned down five years
ago, Christner went to Marie's food pantry, looking for help, and once again, Marie was there for her. Christner was so moved, she started volunteering at the pantry.
Christner recounted her story with tears in her eyes.
She said working alongside Marie was like being with a legend.
"She had a mission," Christner said. "I would say mission accomplished."
================================================
While here, as the legend goes, she met Charles
Wilkinson on a blind date. Charles was a mechanic —
he would go on to own several shops, including P.W.
Truck Parts in Aurora, and would teach mechanics at International Telephone and Telegraph Company in
Chicago. He was not Catholic, as Marie was, but he
would soon convert for her.
Three years later, the two of them were married.
They had an arrangement, one they didn't write down,
but held to throughout their marriage — they gave each other space and support. As Marie once said, they would
go about their days, and would come back together at
night and tell each other about them.
For Marie Wilkinson, that meant helping as many people
as she could. Charles and Marie Wilkinson had two
children, Donald and Sheila. Sheila, the younger,
remembers being pulled to different places, and made
to carry bags of food for hungry people. And she said
her mother didn't just drop food off with people, she visited with them, becoming part of their lives.
Advocate and activist
It didn't take long for Marie Wilkinson to gain a reputation as someone you could turn to, whatever
you needed. Wilkinson only had one house in Aurora,
at 648 N. View St., and people would come by, day or
night. For years the Wilkinsons' basement became a
drop-off and pick-up point for food, clothes and other donations. If Marie wasn't home, people would leave
items on her front porch.
By 1961, the donations had outgrown the basement.
So with the help of the Rev. Joseph Rzeszotko of St. Peter's Church, she founded the St. Vincent DePaul
Center on Sard Avenue. It was open Fridays and
Saturdays, run by volunteers, and stocked full of essentials. And always there was Marie, looking for
more ways to help.
She was just getting warmed up.
In the late 1950s, when Aurora and the nation were
in the throes of segregation, Marie Wilkinson was
told she would not be served at one of the city's restaurants. Incensed, she filed a civil complaint
against the restaurant.
This, she has said, sparked her civil rights activism.
In 1963, she convinced then-Mayor Jay Hunter to start
what was initially called the Bi-Racial Commission.
This grew into the Human Relations Commission, an independent board that heard cases of social injustice.
It was Wilkinson's dream that victims of discrimination,
of any kind, could have a place to turn. She believed
in this dream so much, she chaired the commission for
40 years.
Around the same time, Wilkinson, already well known
in civil rights circles, became downright famous for organizing a fund drive for Dr. Martin Luther King's
1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. She helped
raise $12,000 to pay for food, housing and bail
expenses for the march, and according to Aurora
Alderman Sheketa Hart-Burns, she received a thank
you call from Dr. King himself.
Love and legacy
Wilkinson's focus remained in Illinois, however.
In 1968, she led the Human Relations Commission in
opposing a state law that allowed discrimination in
home sales. She complained to Attorney General
William G. Clark, and he declared that law unconstitutional. Out of that legal battle grew
Illinois' first-ever fair housing ordinance.
But most of her efforts were geared towards making
Aurora a better place. In 1970, seeing a definite
need for day care services — at the time, there
was only one day care center in the city — Wilkinson founded the child development center that bears her
name. It's still there, at 1444 E. Galena Boulevard, helping low-income families every day.
There's more, of course. It's not for nothing
Wilkinson has a street, a park, and a charitable
foundation named after her.
For Theodia Gillespie, executive director of the Quad County Urban League, another organization Wilkinson
helped start in Aurora, Marie's legacy is in the
lessons she taught through her life.
"She's someone who has taught us to have great
integrity, love for mankind, and love for the
community in which we live," she said.
=================================================
"Marie Wilkinson shared with me her Christ-like love
for all people and her dedication to feed, clothe and shelter those in need."
-- Jewel Kennebrew, co-founder, Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center
• "There was no one so consistently on target, always bringing you back to the real world, always reminding
you what you should be doing, than this wonderful,
modest woman, Marie Wilkinson."
-- Alderman Bob O'Connor
• "Marie used the term 'we' like no one else. The
'we' she used included the entire world, if they
listened. Those who caught her vision and what she
was trying to do, we became the 'we' she was talking about."
-- Fred Rodgers, former head of Aurora's Youth
Services Department
• "Marie had an innate sense of justice and a
passion to fight injustice. But she fought hate with
love, which is very difficult to do. She was, no doubt,
the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
-- Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez
• "She had a smile on her face and love in her heart,
but a strong will and a determination to do what's
right."
-- Aurora Alderman Mike Saville
• "The fruit of so many trees of love Marie planted
is just now starting to ripen. Her legacy of love
will last at least another 101 years."
-- Kane County Board member Gerry Jones
• "Marie was amazing at causing people to give others
one more chance."
-- Mae Smith, member, Aurora Human Relations
Commission
• "Marie Wilkinson did not wait for someone to give
her a place to stand. She found her place, demanded
she stand there and kept on standing."
-- Mike Nila, retired Aurora police officer
• "We all have been passed on a baton that we can run
with, and we can help save this nation, this world."
-- Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns
• "Marie Wilkinson, may God wrap you up in His loving embrace as He takes you home."
-- Theodia Gillespie, executive director, Quad County
Urban League
∼Dr. Marie Wilkinson 1909 - 2010 Dr. Marie Wilkinson, 101, of Aurora, passed away Thursday, August 12, 2010 at Alden of Waterford in Aurora. She was born May 6, 1909 in New Orleans, LA. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson; two granddaughters, Donna Wilkinson and Michelle Wilkinson; a great grandson, Christopher Wilkinson; a host of nieces, nephews, friends and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Maude (Robinson) La Beau; her husband, Charles Wilkinson; son, Donald Wilkinson; grandson, Craig Wilkinson; brother, Edward La Beau, Sr.; paternal grandparents, Robert and Lena Robinson; maternal grandmother, Olympia Glapion; aunt and uncle, Arthur and Hazel Ogden. Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 9:15 AM from THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY to St. Rita of Cascia Church at 10:00 AM. Bishop Thomas Doran will officiate with interment in Lincoln Memorial Park. The Rosary will be recited Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 3:30 PM followed by visitation from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM, at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, 220 N. Lake St., Aurora. 630-631-5500 or visit our website at www.daleidenmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry 834 North Highland, Aurora, IL 60506 or The Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center 1144 East Galena Boulevard Aurora, IL 60505.
Note:
Farewell Sweet Marie!
AURORA -- As the line of cars started winding its way out of Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Christopher Wilkinson took a moment just to be with his great-grandmother.
He knelt silently by the side of her grave, the hot Thursday morning sun beating down upon him, and looked at the casket that had just been lowered. His face was full of emotion, and remained so as he stood up and moved to the headstone that bore the names of Marie Wilkinson and her husband, Charles, who died in 1995. He knelt again, kissing his hand and placing it on the stone.
For the remainder of Marie Wilkinson's funeral service, and for the entirety of the nearly four-hour celebration of her life that followed, Christopher had to share his great-grandmother with the city she loved and called home. But for those moments, it was just the two of them.
As expected, the funeral of Marie Wilkinson was a citywide affair. More than 200 came out to St. Rita of Cascia Catholic Church on Old Indian Trail (a church which, like many things in Aurora, Marie Wilkinson helped found), and more than 30 of them gave personal testimony at the banquet that followed, telling their stories of how Marie impacted their lives.
Throughout her 101 years, Marie did little else. She was born in New Orleans, but moved to Aurora at 20 and immediately claimed the city as her home. Everyone at St. Rita's on Thursday knew Marie in a different way, but each carried tremendous respect for the humble woman from View Street. Here was a woman whose guiding vision can be found in dozens of charitable organizations around the city. Here was a woman who fought tirelessly for the rights of all people, whatever their color.
Marie's daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson, has spent the last week talking with people who knew her mother, and listening to stories she's never heard before.
"I heard a lot I didn't know," she said Thursday. "Things like Mom paying for a funeral, or Mom sending someone's kids to college."
For her charitable works, Marie was given the Lumen Christi Award, the Catholic Church's highest honor for missionary work, and she was ordained a Dame in the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory. As a sign of her importance to the church, her funeral was presided over by Bishop Thomas Doran of the Rockford Diocese and attended by Bishop Emeritus Arthur O'Neill.
Doran took the opportunity at the end of the service to praise Marie for her great works, and her humility. Marie, a devoted Catholic all her life, was always one to give God the glory for anything she did, Doran said, and lived that love every day.
"Sometimes we want to do such outstanding things ... such brilliant efforts, that we miss the everyday, simple things," Doran said. "If we do them every day, we bring about on Earth the heavenly city. That is what she did, and that is what we honor in her and through her."
Marie actually planned her own funeral in 2000, according to her daughter. She selected the songs, including "Ave Maria" and anthem "We Shall Overcome," and the Bible verses that were read, including Matthew 25:21-46, which for many sums up her life. It reads, in part, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Her family can certainly attest that Marie spent her life working for the least of these. Her grandchildren, Donna and Michelle Wilkinson, talked at the reception about childhood trips to visit Marie, and about watching her work. Michelle said one summer, when she was 8, Marie's doorbell rang late at night. It was a father and a young girl who needed food.
"Grandma asked me to give the little girl the doll I'd been playing with all summer," Michelle said. "When I gave it to her, I saw the impact it had on that child."
Don Bendis said a four-hour conversation with Marie and her husband Charles in 1984 convinced him to do more for the needy. A member of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Naperville, Bendis began collecting donations there for Marie's food pantry, particularly at Christmas. The first year, he said, he delivered 65 turkeys.
He did that for 17 years -- and his last collection brought in 1,435 turkeys.
Even the more iconic stories of Marie's life were given personal resonance at Thursday's reception. Marie is famous for ensuring fair housing and bringing food and clothing to migrant workers living in railroad cars on the East Side. Many of those workers were Hispanic, and Marie's efforts ensured those families could have bright futures in Aurora.
Representatives of the Nila and Perez families, two of the many Marie helped, spoke on Thursday. Dee Nila Basile, who works for the city of Aurora, read a letter written by retired Aurora police officer Mike Nila. And Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez called her "the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
The recurring theme Thursday was the city's responsibility to now carry on Marie's legacy. Again and again, speakers talked about batons and torches being passed, about the need for Marie's vision to continue. The organizations she started are still going strong -- the Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center will celebrate its 40th anniversary next month, and the city's Human Relations Commission, which Marie began and chaired for four decades, was recently revived.
But in the words of Fred Rodgers, former head of the city's youth department and Marie's longtime friend, the people of Aurora have "a responsibility to ensure, as she passes into new light, that the legacy she left behind is in good shape."
That includes, according to her great-grandson, following in Marie's example, and doing as much good as you can while you're here.
"What she did is no more than any of us could do," Christopher said. "I'm not taking anything away from her legacy, but we can all do what she did, if we follow her example."
Though Thursday was a sad day, a day to bid farewell to a woman who gave everything to the city she loved, it was also a celebration.
As Marie's casket was rolled out of St. Rita's, an impromptu New Orleans-style jazz band (made up of students from East and West Aurora schools and local churches) broke into a joyous outdoor version of "When the Saints Go Marching In," and people danced in the parking lot, waving white handkerchiefs. And near the end of the reception, Sheila's high school friend, Jo Ann Toll, led friends and family in a rousing version of one of Marie's favorites, "This Little Light of Mine."
=================================================
More than 30 people took the microphone, and for more than two hours, they talked about the woman Aurora called mother and they all called friend:
• "Marie Wilkinson shared with me her Christ-like love for all people and her dedication to feed, clothe and shelter those in need."
-- Jewel Kennebrew, co-founder, Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center
• "There was no one so consistently on target, always bringing you back to the real world, always reminding you what you should be doing, than this wonderful, modest woman, Marie Wilkinson."
-- Alderman Bob O'Connor
• "Marie used the term 'we' like no one else. The 'we' she used included the entire world, if they listened. Those who caught her vision and what she was trying to do, we became the 'we' she was talking about."
-- Fred Rodgers, former head of Aurora's Youth Services Department
• "Marie had an innate sense of justice and a passion to fight injustice. But she fought hate with love, which is very difficult to do. She was, no doubt, the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
-- Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez
• "She had a smile on her face and love in her heart, but a strong will and a determination to do what's right."
-- Aurora Alderman Mike Saville
• "The fruit of so many trees of love Marie planted is just now starting to ripen. Her legacy of love will last at least another 101 years."
-- Kane County Board member Gerry Jones
• "Marie was amazing at causing people to give others one more chance."
-- Mae Smith, member, Aurora Human Relations Commission
• "Marie Wilkinson did not wait for someone to give her a place to stand. She found her place, demanded she stand there and kept on standing."
-- Mike Nila, retired Aurora police officer
• "We all have been passed on a baton that we can run with, and we can help save this nation, this world."
-- Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns
• "Marie Wilkinson, may God wrap you up in His loving embrace as He takes you home."
-- Theodia Gillespie, executive director, Quad County Urban League
===============================================
AURORA -- In her 101 years, Marie Wilkinson touched the lives of countless Aurorans. On Wednesday, those countless Aurorans came to Daleiden Mortuary on Lake Street to give thanks and say goodbye.
Marie died last Thursday after a long life as Aurora's matriarch and soul. She was instrumental in creating numerous charitable organizations, including the food pantry and child development center that bear her name, but the heart of what she did could be found in each individual's story of inspiration and gratitude.
Here were people of all ages, all colors, all to pay tribute to a woman who, in the words of Betty Horton, knew no color and helped every one of them.
Here was Eva Rodgers, who has been Marie's neighbor on View Street for 50 years. Rodgers bonded with her over politics -- they worked on John F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign -- and she would marvel as Marie kept watch over the neighborhood. View Street was the safest block in town, Rodgers said, because everyone respected Marie so much.
Rodgers said Marie helped shape her outlook on life with her quiet wisdom and her tireless drive to help the less fortunate.
"You were a better person because you knew Marie," she said.
Here was Kim Young, who grew up under Marie's tutelage at her child development center in the 1970s. Marie, she said, could handle a room of 50 children by herself. She commanded respect, even from small children, and treated those in her care with love and patience.
Marie's lessons, Young said, helped her raise her own three children.
Here were Mike Moran and Ann McBride of Breaking Free, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those with addictions. Marie helped start Breaking Free, and both acknowledged they would not be there, doing what they do, without her.
And here was Carmen Christner, a living example of Marie's lifelong dedication to helping those who need it. When she was a young girl, Christner's parents went to Marie's home because they couldn't afford clothes. Marie gave them what they needed, and Christner always remembered that.
And when her own home in Oswego burned down five years ago, Christner went to Marie's food pantry, looking for help, and once again, Marie was there for her. Christner was so moved, she started volunteering at the pantry.
Christner recounted her story with tears in her eyes. She said working alongside Marie was like being with a legend.
"She had a mission," Christner said. "I would say mission accomplished."
Dr. Marie Wilkinson, 101, of Aurora,
passed away Thursday, August 12, 2010
at Alden of Waterford in Aurora.
She was born May 6, 1909 in New Orleans,
LA. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson; two granddaughters, Donna Wilkinson and Michelle Wilkinson; a great grandson, Christopher Wilkinson; a host of nieces,
nephews, friends and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Maude (Robinson) La Beau; her husband, Charles Wilkinson; son, Donald Wilkinson; grandson, Craig Wilkinson; brother, Edward La Beau, Sr.; paternal grandparents, Robert and Lena Robinson; maternal grandmother, Olympia Glapion; aunt and uncle,Arthur and Hazel Ogden. Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 9:15 AM from THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY to St. Rita of Cascia Church at 10:00 AM. Bishop Thomas Doran will officiate with interment in Lincoln Memorial Park.
The Rosary will be recited Wednesday, August 18,2010 at 3:30 PM followed by visitation from 4:00PM until 8:00 PM, at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, 220 N.Lake St., Aurora. 630-631-5500 or visit our website at www.daleidenmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry 834 North Highland, Aurora,
IL 60506 or The Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center 1144 East Galena Boulevard Aurora, IL 60505.
Note:
AURORA -- In her 101 years, Marie Wilkinson touched
the lives of countless Aurorans. On Wednesday, those countless Aurorans came to Daleiden Mortuary on Lake
Street to give thanks and say goodbye.
Marie died last Thursday after a long life as Aurora's matriarch and soul. She was instrumental in creating numerous charitable organizations, including the food pantry and child development center that bear her name,
but the heart of what she did could be found in each individual's story of inspiration and gratitude.
Here were people of all ages, all colors, all to pay tribute to a woman who, in the words of Betty Horton,
knew no color and helped every one of them.
Here was Eva Rodgers, who has been Marie's neighbor
on View Street for 50 years. Rodgers bonded with her
over politics -- they worked on John F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign -- and she would marvel as Marie kept watch
over the neighborhood. View Street was the safest block
in town, Rodgers said, because everyone respected Marie
so much.
Rodgers said Marie helped shape her outlook on life with her quiet wisdom and her tireless drive to help the less fortunate.
"You were a better person because you knew Marie," she
said.
Here was Kim Young, who grew up under Marie's tutelage
at her child development center in the 1970s. Marie, she said, could handle a room of 50 children by herself. She commanded respect, even from small children, and treated those in her care with love and patience.
Marie's lessons, Young said, helped her raise her own
three children.
Here were Mike Moran and Ann McBride of Breaking Free,
a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those with addictions. Marie helped start Breaking Free, and both acknowledged they would not be there, doing what they do, without her.
And here was Carmen Christner, a living example of
Marie's lifelong dedication to helping those who need
it. When she was a young girl, Christner's parents went
to Marie's home because they couldn't afford clothes.
Marie gave them what they needed, and Christner always remembered that.
And when her own home in Oswego burned down five years
ago, Christner went to Marie's food pantry, looking for help, and once again, Marie was there for her. Christner was so moved, she started volunteering at the pantry.
Christner recounted her story with tears in her eyes.
She said working alongside Marie was like being with a legend.
"She had a mission," Christner said. "I would say mission accomplished."
================================================
While here, as the legend goes, she met Charles
Wilkinson on a blind date. Charles was a mechanic —
he would go on to own several shops, including P.W.
Truck Parts in Aurora, and would teach mechanics at International Telephone and Telegraph Company in
Chicago. He was not Catholic, as Marie was, but he
would soon convert for her.
Three years later, the two of them were married.
They had an arrangement, one they didn't write down,
but held to throughout their marriage — they gave each other space and support. As Marie once said, they would
go about their days, and would come back together at
night and tell each other about them.
For Marie Wilkinson, that meant helping as many people
as she could. Charles and Marie Wilkinson had two
children, Donald and Sheila. Sheila, the younger,
remembers being pulled to different places, and made
to carry bags of food for hungry people. And she said
her mother didn't just drop food off with people, she visited with them, becoming part of their lives.
Advocate and activist
It didn't take long for Marie Wilkinson to gain a reputation as someone you could turn to, whatever
you needed. Wilkinson only had one house in Aurora,
at 648 N. View St., and people would come by, day or
night. For years the Wilkinsons' basement became a
drop-off and pick-up point for food, clothes and other donations. If Marie wasn't home, people would leave
items on her front porch.
By 1961, the donations had outgrown the basement.
So with the help of the Rev. Joseph Rzeszotko of St. Peter's Church, she founded the St. Vincent DePaul
Center on Sard Avenue. It was open Fridays and
Saturdays, run by volunteers, and stocked full of essentials. And always there was Marie, looking for
more ways to help.
She was just getting warmed up.
In the late 1950s, when Aurora and the nation were
in the throes of segregation, Marie Wilkinson was
told she would not be served at one of the city's restaurants. Incensed, she filed a civil complaint
against the restaurant.
This, she has said, sparked her civil rights activism.
In 1963, she convinced then-Mayor Jay Hunter to start
what was initially called the Bi-Racial Commission.
This grew into the Human Relations Commission, an independent board that heard cases of social injustice.
It was Wilkinson's dream that victims of discrimination,
of any kind, could have a place to turn. She believed
in this dream so much, she chaired the commission for
40 years.
Around the same time, Wilkinson, already well known
in civil rights circles, became downright famous for organizing a fund drive for Dr. Martin Luther King's
1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. She helped
raise $12,000 to pay for food, housing and bail
expenses for the march, and according to Aurora
Alderman Sheketa Hart-Burns, she received a thank
you call from Dr. King himself.
Love and legacy
Wilkinson's focus remained in Illinois, however.
In 1968, she led the Human Relations Commission in
opposing a state law that allowed discrimination in
home sales. She complained to Attorney General
William G. Clark, and he declared that law unconstitutional. Out of that legal battle grew
Illinois' first-ever fair housing ordinance.
But most of her efforts were geared towards making
Aurora a better place. In 1970, seeing a definite
need for day care services — at the time, there
was only one day care center in the city — Wilkinson founded the child development center that bears her
name. It's still there, at 1444 E. Galena Boulevard, helping low-income families every day.
There's more, of course. It's not for nothing
Wilkinson has a street, a park, and a charitable
foundation named after her.
For Theodia Gillespie, executive director of the Quad County Urban League, another organization Wilkinson
helped start in Aurora, Marie's legacy is in the
lessons she taught through her life.
"She's someone who has taught us to have great
integrity, love for mankind, and love for the
community in which we live," she said.
=================================================
"Marie Wilkinson shared with me her Christ-like love
for all people and her dedication to feed, clothe and shelter those in need."
-- Jewel Kennebrew, co-founder, Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center
• "There was no one so consistently on target, always bringing you back to the real world, always reminding
you what you should be doing, than this wonderful,
modest woman, Marie Wilkinson."
-- Alderman Bob O'Connor
• "Marie used the term 'we' like no one else. The
'we' she used included the entire world, if they
listened. Those who caught her vision and what she
was trying to do, we became the 'we' she was talking about."
-- Fred Rodgers, former head of Aurora's Youth
Services Department
• "Marie had an innate sense of justice and a
passion to fight injustice. But she fought hate with
love, which is very difficult to do. She was, no doubt,
the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
-- Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez
• "She had a smile on her face and love in her heart,
but a strong will and a determination to do what's
right."
-- Aurora Alderman Mike Saville
• "The fruit of so many trees of love Marie planted
is just now starting to ripen. Her legacy of love
will last at least another 101 years."
-- Kane County Board member Gerry Jones
• "Marie was amazing at causing people to give others
one more chance."
-- Mae Smith, member, Aurora Human Relations
Commission
• "Marie Wilkinson did not wait for someone to give
her a place to stand. She found her place, demanded
she stand there and kept on standing."
-- Mike Nila, retired Aurora police officer
• "We all have been passed on a baton that we can run
with, and we can help save this nation, this world."
-- Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns
• "Marie Wilkinson, may God wrap you up in His loving embrace as He takes you home."
-- Theodia Gillespie, executive director, Quad County
Urban League
∼Dr. Marie Wilkinson 1909 - 2010 Dr. Marie Wilkinson, 101, of Aurora, passed away Thursday, August 12, 2010 at Alden of Waterford in Aurora. She was born May 6, 1909 in New Orleans, LA. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson; two granddaughters, Donna Wilkinson and Michelle Wilkinson; a great grandson, Christopher Wilkinson; a host of nieces, nephews, friends and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Maude (Robinson) La Beau; her husband, Charles Wilkinson; son, Donald Wilkinson; grandson, Craig Wilkinson; brother, Edward La Beau, Sr.; paternal grandparents, Robert and Lena Robinson; maternal grandmother, Olympia Glapion; aunt and uncle, Arthur and Hazel Ogden. Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 9:15 AM from THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY to St. Rita of Cascia Church at 10:00 AM. Bishop Thomas Doran will officiate with interment in Lincoln Memorial Park. The Rosary will be recited Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 3:30 PM followed by visitation from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM, at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, 220 N. Lake St., Aurora. 630-631-5500 or visit our website at www.daleidenmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry 834 North Highland, Aurora, IL 60506 or The Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center 1144 East Galena Boulevard Aurora, IL 60505.
Note:
Farewell Sweet Marie!
AURORA -- As the line of cars started winding its way out of Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Christopher Wilkinson took a moment just to be with his great-grandmother.
He knelt silently by the side of her grave, the hot Thursday morning sun beating down upon him, and looked at the casket that had just been lowered. His face was full of emotion, and remained so as he stood up and moved to the headstone that bore the names of Marie Wilkinson and her husband, Charles, who died in 1995. He knelt again, kissing his hand and placing it on the stone.
For the remainder of Marie Wilkinson's funeral service, and for the entirety of the nearly four-hour celebration of her life that followed, Christopher had to share his great-grandmother with the city she loved and called home. But for those moments, it was just the two of them.
As expected, the funeral of Marie Wilkinson was a citywide affair. More than 200 came out to St. Rita of Cascia Catholic Church on Old Indian Trail (a church which, like many things in Aurora, Marie Wilkinson helped found), and more than 30 of them gave personal testimony at the banquet that followed, telling their stories of how Marie impacted their lives.
Throughout her 101 years, Marie did little else. She was born in New Orleans, but moved to Aurora at 20 and immediately claimed the city as her home. Everyone at St. Rita's on Thursday knew Marie in a different way, but each carried tremendous respect for the humble woman from View Street. Here was a woman whose guiding vision can be found in dozens of charitable organizations around the city. Here was a woman who fought tirelessly for the rights of all people, whatever their color.
Marie's daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson, has spent the last week talking with people who knew her mother, and listening to stories she's never heard before.
"I heard a lot I didn't know," she said Thursday. "Things like Mom paying for a funeral, or Mom sending someone's kids to college."
For her charitable works, Marie was given the Lumen Christi Award, the Catholic Church's highest honor for missionary work, and she was ordained a Dame in the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory. As a sign of her importance to the church, her funeral was presided over by Bishop Thomas Doran of the Rockford Diocese and attended by Bishop Emeritus Arthur O'Neill.
Doran took the opportunity at the end of the service to praise Marie for her great works, and her humility. Marie, a devoted Catholic all her life, was always one to give God the glory for anything she did, Doran said, and lived that love every day.
"Sometimes we want to do such outstanding things ... such brilliant efforts, that we miss the everyday, simple things," Doran said. "If we do them every day, we bring about on Earth the heavenly city. That is what she did, and that is what we honor in her and through her."
Marie actually planned her own funeral in 2000, according to her daughter. She selected the songs, including "Ave Maria" and anthem "We Shall Overcome," and the Bible verses that were read, including Matthew 25:21-46, which for many sums up her life. It reads, in part, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Her family can certainly attest that Marie spent her life working for the least of these. Her grandchildren, Donna and Michelle Wilkinson, talked at the reception about childhood trips to visit Marie, and about watching her work. Michelle said one summer, when she was 8, Marie's doorbell rang late at night. It was a father and a young girl who needed food.
"Grandma asked me to give the little girl the doll I'd been playing with all summer," Michelle said. "When I gave it to her, I saw the impact it had on that child."
Don Bendis said a four-hour conversation with Marie and her husband Charles in 1984 convinced him to do more for the needy. A member of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Naperville, Bendis began collecting donations there for Marie's food pantry, particularly at Christmas. The first year, he said, he delivered 65 turkeys.
He did that for 17 years -- and his last collection brought in 1,435 turkeys.
Even the more iconic stories of Marie's life were given personal resonance at Thursday's reception. Marie is famous for ensuring fair housing and bringing food and clothing to migrant workers living in railroad cars on the East Side. Many of those workers were Hispanic, and Marie's efforts ensured those families could have bright futures in Aurora.
Representatives of the Nila and Perez families, two of the many Marie helped, spoke on Thursday. Dee Nila Basile, who works for the city of Aurora, read a letter written by retired Aurora police officer Mike Nila. And Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez called her "the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
The recurring theme Thursday was the city's responsibility to now carry on Marie's legacy. Again and again, speakers talked about batons and torches being passed, about the need for Marie's vision to continue. The organizations she started are still going strong -- the Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center will celebrate its 40th anniversary next month, and the city's Human Relations Commission, which Marie began and chaired for four decades, was recently revived.
But in the words of Fred Rodgers, former head of the city's youth department and Marie's longtime friend, the people of Aurora have "a responsibility to ensure, as she passes into new light, that the legacy she left behind is in good shape."
That includes, according to her great-grandson, following in Marie's example, and doing as much good as you can while you're here.
"What she did is no more than any of us could do," Christopher said. "I'm not taking anything away from her legacy, but we can all do what she did, if we follow her example."
Though Thursday was a sad day, a day to bid farewell to a woman who gave everything to the city she loved, it was also a celebration.
As Marie's casket was rolled out of St. Rita's, an impromptu New Orleans-style jazz band (made up of students from East and West Aurora schools and local churches) broke into a joyous outdoor version of "When the Saints Go Marching In," and people danced in the parking lot, waving white handkerchiefs. And near the end of the reception, Sheila's high school friend, Jo Ann Toll, led friends and family in a rousing version of one of Marie's favorites, "This Little Light of Mine."
=================================================
More than 30 people took the microphone, and for more than two hours, they talked about the woman Aurora called mother and they all called friend:
• "Marie Wilkinson shared with me her Christ-like love for all people and her dedication to feed, clothe and shelter those in need."
-- Jewel Kennebrew, co-founder, Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center
• "There was no one so consistently on target, always bringing you back to the real world, always reminding you what you should be doing, than this wonderful, modest woman, Marie Wilkinson."
-- Alderman Bob O'Connor
• "Marie used the term 'we' like no one else. The 'we' she used included the entire world, if they listened. Those who caught her vision and what she was trying to do, we became the 'we' she was talking about."
-- Fred Rodgers, former head of Aurora's Youth Services Department
• "Marie had an innate sense of justice and a passion to fight injustice. But she fought hate with love, which is very difficult to do. She was, no doubt, the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
-- Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez
• "She had a smile on her face and love in her heart, but a strong will and a determination to do what's right."
-- Aurora Alderman Mike Saville
• "The fruit of so many trees of love Marie planted is just now starting to ripen. Her legacy of love will last at least another 101 years."
-- Kane County Board member Gerry Jones
• "Marie was amazing at causing people to give others one more chance."
-- Mae Smith, member, Aurora Human Relations Commission
• "Marie Wilkinson did not wait for someone to give her a place to stand. She found her place, demanded she stand there and kept on standing."
-- Mike Nila, retired Aurora police officer
• "We all have been passed on a baton that we can run with, and we can help save this nation, this world."
-- Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns
• "Marie Wilkinson, may God wrap you up in His loving embrace as He takes you home."
-- Theodia Gillespie, executive director, Quad County Urban League
===============================================
AURORA -- In her 101 years, Marie Wilkinson touched the lives of countless Aurorans. On Wednesday, those countless Aurorans came to Daleiden Mortuary on Lake Street to give thanks and say goodbye.
Marie died last Thursday after a long life as Aurora's matriarch and soul. She was instrumental in creating numerous charitable organizations, including the food pantry and child development center that bear her name, but the heart of what she did could be found in each individual's story of inspiration and gratitude.
Here were people of all ages, all colors, all to pay tribute to a woman who, in the words of Betty Horton, knew no color and helped every one of them.
Here was Eva Rodgers, who has been Marie's neighbor on View Street for 50 years. Rodgers bonded with her over politics -- they worked on John F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign -- and she would marvel as Marie kept watch over the neighborhood. View Street was the safest block in town, Rodgers said, because everyone respected Marie so much.
Rodgers said Marie helped shape her outlook on life with her quiet wisdom and her tireless drive to help the less fortunate.
"You were a better person because you knew Marie," she said.
Here was Kim Young, who grew up under Marie's tutelage at her child development center in the 1970s. Marie, she said, could handle a room of 50 children by herself. She commanded respect, even from small children, and treated those in her care with love and patience.
Marie's lessons, Young said, helped her raise her own three children.
Here were Mike Moran and Ann McBride of Breaking Free, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those with addictions. Marie helped start Breaking Free, and both acknowledged they would not be there, doing what they do, without her.
And here was Carmen Christner, a living example of Marie's lifelong dedication to helping those who need it. When she was a young girl, Christner's parents went to Marie's home because they couldn't afford clothes. Marie gave them what they needed, and Christner always remembered that.
And when her own home in Oswego burned down five years ago, Christner went to Marie's food pantry, looking for help, and once again, Marie was there for her. Christner was so moved, she started volunteering at the pantry.
Christner recounted her story with tears in her eyes. She said working alongside Marie was like being with a legend.
"She had a mission," Christner said. "I would say mission accomplished."
Dr. Marie Wilkinson 1909 - 2010
Dr. Marie Wilkinson, 101, of Aurora,
passed away Thursday, August 12, 2010
at Alden of Waterford in Aurora.
She was born May 6, 1909 in New Orleans,
LA. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson; two granddaughters, Donna Wilkinson and Michelle Wilkinson; a great grandson, Christopher Wilkinson; a host of nieces,
nephews, friends and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Maude (Robinson) La Beau; her husband, Charles Wilkinson; son, Donald Wilkinson; grandson, Craig Wilkinson; brother, Edward La Beau, Sr.; paternal grandparents, Robert and Lena Robinson; maternal grandmother, Olympia Glapion; aunt and uncle,Arthur and Hazel Ogden. Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 9:15 AM from THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY to St. Rita of Cascia Church at 10:00 AM. Bishop Thomas Doran will officiate with interment in Lincoln Memorial Park.
The Rosary will be recited Wednesday, August 18,2010 at 3:30 PM followed by visitation from 4:00PM until 8:00 PM, at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, 220 N.Lake St., Aurora. 630-631-5500 or visit our website at www.daleidenmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry 834 North Highland, Aurora,
IL 60506 or The Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center 1144 East Galena Boulevard Aurora, IL 60505.
Note:
AURORA -- In her 101 years, Marie Wilkinson touched
the lives of countless Aurorans. On Wednesday, those countless Aurorans came to Daleiden Mortuary on Lake
Street to give thanks and say goodbye.
Marie died last Thursday after a long life as Aurora's matriarch and soul. She was instrumental in creating numerous charitable organizations, including the food pantry and child development center that bear her name,
but the heart of what she did could be found in each individual's story of inspiration and gratitude.
Here were people of all ages, all colors, all to pay tribute to a woman who, in the words of Betty Horton,
knew no color and helped every one of them.
Here was Eva Rodgers, who has been Marie's neighbor
on View Street for 50 years. Rodgers bonded with her
over politics -- they worked on John F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign -- and she would marvel as Marie kept watch
over the neighborhood. View Street was the safest block
in town, Rodgers said, because everyone respected Marie
so much.
Rodgers said Marie helped shape her outlook on life with her quiet wisdom and her tireless drive to help the less fortunate.
"You were a better person because you knew Marie," she
said.
Here was Kim Young, who grew up under Marie's tutelage
at her child development center in the 1970s. Marie, she said, could handle a room of 50 children by herself. She commanded respect, even from small children, and treated those in her care with love and patience.
Marie's lessons, Young said, helped her raise her own
three children.
Here were Mike Moran and Ann McBride of Breaking Free,
a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those with addictions. Marie helped start Breaking Free, and both acknowledged they would not be there, doing what they do, without her.
And here was Carmen Christner, a living example of
Marie's lifelong dedication to helping those who need
it. When she was a young girl, Christner's parents went
to Marie's home because they couldn't afford clothes.
Marie gave them what they needed, and Christner always remembered that.
And when her own home in Oswego burned down five years
ago, Christner went to Marie's food pantry, looking for help, and once again, Marie was there for her. Christner was so moved, she started volunteering at the pantry.
Christner recounted her story with tears in her eyes.
She said working alongside Marie was like being with a legend.
"She had a mission," Christner said. "I would say mission accomplished."
================================================
While here, as the legend goes, she met Charles
Wilkinson on a blind date. Charles was a mechanic —
he would go on to own several shops, including P.W.
Truck Parts in Aurora, and would teach mechanics at International Telephone and Telegraph Company in
Chicago. He was not Catholic, as Marie was, but he
would soon convert for her.
Three years later, the two of them were married.
They had an arrangement, one they didn't write down,
but held to throughout their marriage — they gave each other space and support. As Marie once said, they would
go about their days, and would come back together at
night and tell each other about them.
For Marie Wilkinson, that meant helping as many people
as she could. Charles and Marie Wilkinson had two
children, Donald and Sheila. Sheila, the younger,
remembers being pulled to different places, and made
to carry bags of food for hungry people. And she said
her mother didn't just drop food off with people, she visited with them, becoming part of their lives.
Advocate and activist
It didn't take long for Marie Wilkinson to gain a reputation as someone you could turn to, whatever
you needed. Wilkinson only had one house in Aurora,
at 648 N. View St., and people would come by, day or
night. For years the Wilkinsons' basement became a
drop-off and pick-up point for food, clothes and other donations. If Marie wasn't home, people would leave
items on her front porch.
By 1961, the donations had outgrown the basement.
So with the help of the Rev. Joseph Rzeszotko of St. Peter's Church, she founded the St. Vincent DePaul
Center on Sard Avenue. It was open Fridays and
Saturdays, run by volunteers, and stocked full of essentials. And always there was Marie, looking for
more ways to help.
She was just getting warmed up.
In the late 1950s, when Aurora and the nation were
in the throes of segregation, Marie Wilkinson was
told she would not be served at one of the city's restaurants. Incensed, she filed a civil complaint
against the restaurant.
This, she has said, sparked her civil rights activism.
In 1963, she convinced then-Mayor Jay Hunter to start
what was initially called the Bi-Racial Commission.
This grew into the Human Relations Commission, an independent board that heard cases of social injustice.
It was Wilkinson's dream that victims of discrimination,
of any kind, could have a place to turn. She believed
in this dream so much, she chaired the commission for
40 years.
Around the same time, Wilkinson, already well known
in civil rights circles, became downright famous for organizing a fund drive for Dr. Martin Luther King's
1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. She helped
raise $12,000 to pay for food, housing and bail
expenses for the march, and according to Aurora
Alderman Sheketa Hart-Burns, she received a thank
you call from Dr. King himself.
Love and legacy
Wilkinson's focus remained in Illinois, however.
In 1968, she led the Human Relations Commission in
opposing a state law that allowed discrimination in
home sales. She complained to Attorney General
William G. Clark, and he declared that law unconstitutional. Out of that legal battle grew
Illinois' first-ever fair housing ordinance.
But most of her efforts were geared towards making
Aurora a better place. In 1970, seeing a definite
need for day care services — at the time, there
was only one day care center in the city — Wilkinson founded the child development center that bears her
name. It's still there, at 1444 E. Galena Boulevard, helping low-income families every day.
There's more, of course. It's not for nothing
Wilkinson has a street, a park, and a charitable
foundation named after her.
For Theodia Gillespie, executive director of the Quad County Urban League, another organization Wilkinson
helped start in Aurora, Marie's legacy is in the
lessons she taught through her life.
"She's someone who has taught us to have great
integrity, love for mankind, and love for the
community in which we live," she said.
=================================================
"Marie Wilkinson shared with me her Christ-like love
for all people and her dedication to feed, clothe and shelter those in need."
-- Jewel Kennebrew, co-founder, Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center
• "There was no one so consistently on target, always bringing you back to the real world, always reminding
you what you should be doing, than this wonderful,
modest woman, Marie Wilkinson."
-- Alderman Bob O'Connor
• "Marie used the term 'we' like no one else. The
'we' she used included the entire world, if they
listened. Those who caught her vision and what she
was trying to do, we became the 'we' she was talking about."
-- Fred Rodgers, former head of Aurora's Youth
Services Department
• "Marie had an innate sense of justice and a
passion to fight injustice. But she fought hate with
love, which is very difficult to do. She was, no doubt,
the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
-- Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez
• "She had a smile on her face and love in her heart,
but a strong will and a determination to do what's
right."
-- Aurora Alderman Mike Saville
• "The fruit of so many trees of love Marie planted
is just now starting to ripen. Her legacy of love
will last at least another 101 years."
-- Kane County Board member Gerry Jones
• "Marie was amazing at causing people to give others
one more chance."
-- Mae Smith, member, Aurora Human Relations
Commission
• "Marie Wilkinson did not wait for someone to give
her a place to stand. She found her place, demanded
she stand there and kept on standing."
-- Mike Nila, retired Aurora police officer
• "We all have been passed on a baton that we can run
with, and we can help save this nation, this world."
-- Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns
• "Marie Wilkinson, may God wrap you up in His loving embrace as He takes you home."
-- Theodia Gillespie, executive director, Quad County
Urban League
∼Dr. Marie Wilkinson 1909 - 2010 Dr. Marie Wilkinson, 101, of Aurora, passed away Thursday, August 12, 2010 at Alden of Waterford in Aurora. She was born May 6, 1909 in New Orleans, LA. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson; two granddaughters, Donna Wilkinson and Michelle Wilkinson; a great grandson, Christopher Wilkinson; a host of nieces, nephews, friends and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Maude (Robinson) La Beau; her husband, Charles Wilkinson; son, Donald Wilkinson; grandson, Craig Wilkinson; brother, Edward La Beau, Sr.; paternal grandparents, Robert and Lena Robinson; maternal grandmother, Olympia Glapion; aunt and uncle, Arthur and Hazel Ogden. Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 9:15 AM from THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY to St. Rita of Cascia Church at 10:00 AM. Bishop Thomas Doran will officiate with interment in Lincoln Memorial Park. The Rosary will be recited Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 3:30 PM followed by visitation from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM, at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, 220 N. Lake St., Aurora. 630-631-5500 or visit our website at www.daleidenmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry 834 North Highland, Aurora, IL 60506 or The Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center 1144 East Galena Boulevard Aurora, IL 60505.
Note:
Farewell Sweet Marie!
AURORA -- As the line of cars started winding its way out of Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Christopher Wilkinson took a moment just to be with his great-grandmother.
He knelt silently by the side of her grave, the hot Thursday morning sun beating down upon him, and looked at the casket that had just been lowered. His face was full of emotion, and remained so as he stood up and moved to the headstone that bore the names of Marie Wilkinson and her husband, Charles, who died in 1995. He knelt again, kissing his hand and placing it on the stone.
For the remainder of Marie Wilkinson's funeral service, and for the entirety of the nearly four-hour celebration of her life that followed, Christopher had to share his great-grandmother with the city she loved and called home. But for those moments, it was just the two of them.
As expected, the funeral of Marie Wilkinson was a citywide affair. More than 200 came out to St. Rita of Cascia Catholic Church on Old Indian Trail (a church which, like many things in Aurora, Marie Wilkinson helped found), and more than 30 of them gave personal testimony at the banquet that followed, telling their stories of how Marie impacted their lives.
Throughout her 101 years, Marie did little else. She was born in New Orleans, but moved to Aurora at 20 and immediately claimed the city as her home. Everyone at St. Rita's on Thursday knew Marie in a different way, but each carried tremendous respect for the humble woman from View Street. Here was a woman whose guiding vision can be found in dozens of charitable organizations around the city. Here was a woman who fought tirelessly for the rights of all people, whatever their color.
Marie's daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson, has spent the last week talking with people who knew her mother, and listening to stories she's never heard before.
"I heard a lot I didn't know," she said Thursday. "Things like Mom paying for a funeral, or Mom sending someone's kids to college."
For her charitable works, Marie was given the Lumen Christi Award, the Catholic Church's highest honor for missionary work, and she was ordained a Dame in the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory. As a sign of her importance to the church, her funeral was presided over by Bishop Thomas Doran of the Rockford Diocese and attended by Bishop Emeritus Arthur O'Neill.
Doran took the opportunity at the end of the service to praise Marie for her great works, and her humility. Marie, a devoted Catholic all her life, was always one to give God the glory for anything she did, Doran said, and lived that love every day.
"Sometimes we want to do such outstanding things ... such brilliant efforts, that we miss the everyday, simple things," Doran said. "If we do them every day, we bring about on Earth the heavenly city. That is what she did, and that is what we honor in her and through her."
Marie actually planned her own funeral in 2000, according to her daughter. She selected the songs, including "Ave Maria" and anthem "We Shall Overcome," and the Bible verses that were read, including Matthew 25:21-46, which for many sums up her life. It reads, in part, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Her family can certainly attest that Marie spent her life working for the least of these. Her grandchildren, Donna and Michelle Wilkinson, talked at the reception about childhood trips to visit Marie, and about watching her work. Michelle said one summer, when she was 8, Marie's doorbell rang late at night. It was a father and a young girl who needed food.
"Grandma asked me to give the little girl the doll I'd been playing with all summer," Michelle said. "When I gave it to her, I saw the impact it had on that child."
Don Bendis said a four-hour conversation with Marie and her husband Charles in 1984 convinced him to do more for the needy. A member of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Naperville, Bendis began collecting donations there for Marie's food pantry, particularly at Christmas. The first year, he said, he delivered 65 turkeys.
He did that for 17 years -- and his last collection brought in 1,435 turkeys.
Even the more iconic stories of Marie's life were given personal resonance at Thursday's reception. Marie is famous for ensuring fair housing and bringing food and clothing to migrant workers living in railroad cars on the East Side. Many of those workers were Hispanic, and Marie's efforts ensured those families could have bright futures in Aurora.
Representatives of the Nila and Perez families, two of the many Marie helped, spoke on Thursday. Dee Nila Basile, who works for the city of Aurora, read a letter written by retired Aurora police officer Mike Nila. And Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez called her "the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
The recurring theme Thursday was the city's responsibility to now carry on Marie's legacy. Again and again, speakers talked about batons and torches being passed, about the need for Marie's vision to continue. The organizations she started are still going strong -- the Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center will celebrate its 40th anniversary next month, and the city's Human Relations Commission, which Marie began and chaired for four decades, was recently revived.
But in the words of Fred Rodgers, former head of the city's youth department and Marie's longtime friend, the people of Aurora have "a responsibility to ensure, as she passes into new light, that the legacy she left behind is in good shape."
That includes, according to her great-grandson, following in Marie's example, and doing as much good as you can while you're here.
"What she did is no more than any of us could do," Christopher said. "I'm not taking anything away from her legacy, but we can all do what she did, if we follow her example."
Though Thursday was a sad day, a day to bid farewell to a woman who gave everything to the city she loved, it was also a celebration.
As Marie's casket was rolled out of St. Rita's, an impromptu New Orleans-style jazz band (made up of students from East and West Aurora schools and local churches) broke into a joyous outdoor version of "When the Saints Go Marching In," and people danced in the parking lot, waving white handkerchiefs. And near the end of the reception, Sheila's high school friend, Jo Ann Toll, led friends and family in a rousing version of one of Marie's favorites, "This Little Light of Mine."
=================================================
More than 30 people took the microphone, and for more than two hours, they talked about the woman Aurora called mother and they all called friend:
• "Marie Wilkinson shared with me her Christ-like love for all people and her dedication to feed, clothe and shelter those in need."
-- Jewel Kennebrew, co-founder, Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center
• "There was no one so consistently on target, always bringing you back to the real world, always reminding you what you should be doing, than this wonderful, modest woman, Marie Wilkinson."
-- Alderman Bob O'Connor
• "Marie used the term 'we' like no one else. The 'we' she used included the entire world, if they listened. Those who caught her vision and what she was trying to do, we became the 'we' she was talking about."
-- Fred Rodgers, former head of Aurora's Youth Services Department
• "Marie had an innate sense of justice and a passion to fight injustice. But she fought hate with love, which is very difficult to do. She was, no doubt, the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
-- Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez
• "She had a smile on her face and love in her heart, but a strong will and a determination to do what's right."
-- Aurora Alderman Mike Saville
• "The fruit of so many trees of love Marie planted is just now starting to ripen. Her legacy of love will last at least another 101 years."
-- Kane County Board member Gerry Jones
• "Marie was amazing at causing people to give others one more chance."
-- Mae Smith, member, Aurora Human Relations Commission
• "Marie Wilkinson did not wait for someone to give her a place to stand. She found her place, demanded she stand there and kept on standing."
-- Mike Nila, retired Aurora police officer
• "We all have been passed on a baton that we can run with, and we can help save this nation, this world."
-- Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns
• "Marie Wilkinson, may God wrap you up in His loving embrace as He takes you home."
-- Theodia Gillespie, executive director, Quad County Urban League
===============================================
AURORA -- In her 101 years, Marie Wilkinson touched the lives of countless Aurorans. On Wednesday, those countless Aurorans came to Daleiden Mortuary on Lake Street to give thanks and say goodbye.
Marie died last Thursday after a long life as Aurora's matriarch and soul. She was instrumental in creating numerous charitable organizations, including the food pantry and child development center that bear her name, but the heart of what she did could be found in each individual's story of inspiration and gratitude.
Here were people of all ages, all colors, all to pay tribute to a woman who, in the words of Betty Horton, knew no color and helped every one of them.
Here was Eva Rodgers, who has been Marie's neighbor on View Street for 50 years. Rodgers bonded with her over politics -- they worked on John F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign -- and she would marvel as Marie kept watch over the neighborhood. View Street was the safest block in town, Rodgers said, because everyone respected Marie so much.
Rodgers said Marie helped shape her outlook on life with her quiet wisdom and her tireless drive to help the less fortunate.
"You were a better person because you knew Marie," she said.
Here was Kim Young, who grew up under Marie's tutelage at her child development center in the 1970s. Marie, she said, could handle a room of 50 children by herself. She commanded respect, even from small children, and treated those in her care with love and patience.
Marie's lessons, Young said, helped her raise her own three children.
Here were Mike Moran and Ann McBride of Breaking Free, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those with addictions. Marie helped start Breaking Free, and both acknowledged they would not be there, doing what they do, without her.
And here was Carmen Christner, a living example of Marie's lifelong dedication to helping those who need it. When she was a young girl, Christner's parents went to Marie's home because they couldn't afford clothes. Marie gave them what they needed, and Christner always remembered that.
And when her own home in Oswego burned down five years ago, Christner went to Marie's food pantry, looking for help, and once again, Marie was there for her. Christner was so moved, she started volunteering at the pantry.
Christner recounted her story with tears in her eyes. She said working alongside Marie was like being with a legend.
"She had a mission," Christner said. "I would say mission accomplished."
Dr. Marie Wilkinson, 101, of Aurora,
passed away Thursday, August 12, 2010
at Alden of Waterford in Aurora.
She was born May 6, 1909 in New Orleans,
LA. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson; two granddaughters, Donna Wilkinson and Michelle Wilkinson; a great grandson, Christopher Wilkinson; a host of nieces,
nephews, friends and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Maude (Robinson) La Beau; her husband, Charles Wilkinson; son, Donald Wilkinson; grandson, Craig Wilkinson; brother, Edward La Beau, Sr.; paternal grandparents, Robert and Lena Robinson; maternal grandmother, Olympia Glapion; aunt and uncle,Arthur and Hazel Ogden. Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 9:15 AM from THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY to St. Rita of Cascia Church at 10:00 AM. Bishop Thomas Doran will officiate with interment in Lincoln Memorial Park.
The Rosary will be recited Wednesday, August 18,2010 at 3:30 PM followed by visitation from 4:00PM until 8:00 PM, at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, 220 N.Lake St., Aurora. 630-631-5500 or visit our website at www.daleidenmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry 834 North Highland, Aurora,
IL 60506 or The Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center 1144 East Galena Boulevard Aurora, IL 60505.
Note:
AURORA -- In her 101 years, Marie Wilkinson touched
the lives of countless Aurorans. On Wednesday, those countless Aurorans came to Daleiden Mortuary on Lake
Street to give thanks and say goodbye.
Marie died last Thursday after a long life as Aurora's matriarch and soul. She was instrumental in creating numerous charitable organizations, including the food pantry and child development center that bear her name,
but the heart of what she did could be found in each individual's story of inspiration and gratitude.
Here were people of all ages, all colors, all to pay tribute to a woman who, in the words of Betty Horton,
knew no color and helped every one of them.
Here was Eva Rodgers, who has been Marie's neighbor
on View Street for 50 years. Rodgers bonded with her
over politics -- they worked on John F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign -- and she would marvel as Marie kept watch
over the neighborhood. View Street was the safest block
in town, Rodgers said, because everyone respected Marie
so much.
Rodgers said Marie helped shape her outlook on life with her quiet wisdom and her tireless drive to help the less fortunate.
"You were a better person because you knew Marie," she
said.
Here was Kim Young, who grew up under Marie's tutelage
at her child development center in the 1970s. Marie, she said, could handle a room of 50 children by herself. She commanded respect, even from small children, and treated those in her care with love and patience.
Marie's lessons, Young said, helped her raise her own
three children.
Here were Mike Moran and Ann McBride of Breaking Free,
a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those with addictions. Marie helped start Breaking Free, and both acknowledged they would not be there, doing what they do, without her.
And here was Carmen Christner, a living example of
Marie's lifelong dedication to helping those who need
it. When she was a young girl, Christner's parents went
to Marie's home because they couldn't afford clothes.
Marie gave them what they needed, and Christner always remembered that.
And when her own home in Oswego burned down five years
ago, Christner went to Marie's food pantry, looking for help, and once again, Marie was there for her. Christner was so moved, she started volunteering at the pantry.
Christner recounted her story with tears in her eyes.
She said working alongside Marie was like being with a legend.
"She had a mission," Christner said. "I would say mission accomplished."
================================================
While here, as the legend goes, she met Charles
Wilkinson on a blind date. Charles was a mechanic —
he would go on to own several shops, including P.W.
Truck Parts in Aurora, and would teach mechanics at International Telephone and Telegraph Company in
Chicago. He was not Catholic, as Marie was, but he
would soon convert for her.
Three years later, the two of them were married.
They had an arrangement, one they didn't write down,
but held to throughout their marriage — they gave each other space and support. As Marie once said, they would
go about their days, and would come back together at
night and tell each other about them.
For Marie Wilkinson, that meant helping as many people
as she could. Charles and Marie Wilkinson had two
children, Donald and Sheila. Sheila, the younger,
remembers being pulled to different places, and made
to carry bags of food for hungry people. And she said
her mother didn't just drop food off with people, she visited with them, becoming part of their lives.
Advocate and activist
It didn't take long for Marie Wilkinson to gain a reputation as someone you could turn to, whatever
you needed. Wilkinson only had one house in Aurora,
at 648 N. View St., and people would come by, day or
night. For years the Wilkinsons' basement became a
drop-off and pick-up point for food, clothes and other donations. If Marie wasn't home, people would leave
items on her front porch.
By 1961, the donations had outgrown the basement.
So with the help of the Rev. Joseph Rzeszotko of St. Peter's Church, she founded the St. Vincent DePaul
Center on Sard Avenue. It was open Fridays and
Saturdays, run by volunteers, and stocked full of essentials. And always there was Marie, looking for
more ways to help.
She was just getting warmed up.
In the late 1950s, when Aurora and the nation were
in the throes of segregation, Marie Wilkinson was
told she would not be served at one of the city's restaurants. Incensed, she filed a civil complaint
against the restaurant.
This, she has said, sparked her civil rights activism.
In 1963, she convinced then-Mayor Jay Hunter to start
what was initially called the Bi-Racial Commission.
This grew into the Human Relations Commission, an independent board that heard cases of social injustice.
It was Wilkinson's dream that victims of discrimination,
of any kind, could have a place to turn. She believed
in this dream so much, she chaired the commission for
40 years.
Around the same time, Wilkinson, already well known
in civil rights circles, became downright famous for organizing a fund drive for Dr. Martin Luther King's
1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. She helped
raise $12,000 to pay for food, housing and bail
expenses for the march, and according to Aurora
Alderman Sheketa Hart-Burns, she received a thank
you call from Dr. King himself.
Love and legacy
Wilkinson's focus remained in Illinois, however.
In 1968, she led the Human Relations Commission in
opposing a state law that allowed discrimination in
home sales. She complained to Attorney General
William G. Clark, and he declared that law unconstitutional. Out of that legal battle grew
Illinois' first-ever fair housing ordinance.
But most of her efforts were geared towards making
Aurora a better place. In 1970, seeing a definite
need for day care services — at the time, there
was only one day care center in the city — Wilkinson founded the child development center that bears her
name. It's still there, at 1444 E. Galena Boulevard, helping low-income families every day.
There's more, of course. It's not for nothing
Wilkinson has a street, a park, and a charitable
foundation named after her.
For Theodia Gillespie, executive director of the Quad County Urban League, another organization Wilkinson
helped start in Aurora, Marie's legacy is in the
lessons she taught through her life.
"She's someone who has taught us to have great
integrity, love for mankind, and love for the
community in which we live," she said.
=================================================
"Marie Wilkinson shared with me her Christ-like love
for all people and her dedication to feed, clothe and shelter those in need."
-- Jewel Kennebrew, co-founder, Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center
• "There was no one so consistently on target, always bringing you back to the real world, always reminding
you what you should be doing, than this wonderful,
modest woman, Marie Wilkinson."
-- Alderman Bob O'Connor
• "Marie used the term 'we' like no one else. The
'we' she used included the entire world, if they
listened. Those who caught her vision and what she
was trying to do, we became the 'we' she was talking about."
-- Fred Rodgers, former head of Aurora's Youth
Services Department
• "Marie had an innate sense of justice and a
passion to fight injustice. But she fought hate with
love, which is very difficult to do. She was, no doubt,
the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
-- Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez
• "She had a smile on her face and love in her heart,
but a strong will and a determination to do what's
right."
-- Aurora Alderman Mike Saville
• "The fruit of so many trees of love Marie planted
is just now starting to ripen. Her legacy of love
will last at least another 101 years."
-- Kane County Board member Gerry Jones
• "Marie was amazing at causing people to give others
one more chance."
-- Mae Smith, member, Aurora Human Relations
Commission
• "Marie Wilkinson did not wait for someone to give
her a place to stand. She found her place, demanded
she stand there and kept on standing."
-- Mike Nila, retired Aurora police officer
• "We all have been passed on a baton that we can run
with, and we can help save this nation, this world."
-- Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns
• "Marie Wilkinson, may God wrap you up in His loving embrace as He takes you home."
-- Theodia Gillespie, executive director, Quad County
Urban League
∼Dr. Marie Wilkinson 1909 - 2010 Dr. Marie Wilkinson, 101, of Aurora, passed away Thursday, August 12, 2010 at Alden of Waterford in Aurora. She was born May 6, 1909 in New Orleans, LA. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson; two granddaughters, Donna Wilkinson and Michelle Wilkinson; a great grandson, Christopher Wilkinson; a host of nieces, nephews, friends and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Maude (Robinson) La Beau; her husband, Charles Wilkinson; son, Donald Wilkinson; grandson, Craig Wilkinson; brother, Edward La Beau, Sr.; paternal grandparents, Robert and Lena Robinson; maternal grandmother, Olympia Glapion; aunt and uncle, Arthur and Hazel Ogden. Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 9:15 AM from THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY to St. Rita of Cascia Church at 10:00 AM. Bishop Thomas Doran will officiate with interment in Lincoln Memorial Park. The Rosary will be recited Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 3:30 PM followed by visitation from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM, at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, 220 N. Lake St., Aurora. 630-631-5500 or visit our website at www.daleidenmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry 834 North Highland, Aurora, IL 60506 or The Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center 1144 East Galena Boulevard Aurora, IL 60505.
Note:
Farewell Sweet Marie!
AURORA -- As the line of cars started winding its way out of Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Christopher Wilkinson took a moment just to be with his great-grandmother.
He knelt silently by the side of her grave, the hot Thursday morning sun beating down upon him, and looked at the casket that had just been lowered. His face was full of emotion, and remained so as he stood up and moved to the headstone that bore the names of Marie Wilkinson and her husband, Charles, who died in 1995. He knelt again, kissing his hand and placing it on the stone.
For the remainder of Marie Wilkinson's funeral service, and for the entirety of the nearly four-hour celebration of her life that followed, Christopher had to share his great-grandmother with the city she loved and called home. But for those moments, it was just the two of them.
As expected, the funeral of Marie Wilkinson was a citywide affair. More than 200 came out to St. Rita of Cascia Catholic Church on Old Indian Trail (a church which, like many things in Aurora, Marie Wilkinson helped found), and more than 30 of them gave personal testimony at the banquet that followed, telling their stories of how Marie impacted their lives.
Throughout her 101 years, Marie did little else. She was born in New Orleans, but moved to Aurora at 20 and immediately claimed the city as her home. Everyone at St. Rita's on Thursday knew Marie in a different way, but each carried tremendous respect for the humble woman from View Street. Here was a woman whose guiding vision can be found in dozens of charitable organizations around the city. Here was a woman who fought tirelessly for the rights of all people, whatever their color.
Marie's daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson, has spent the last week talking with people who knew her mother, and listening to stories she's never heard before.
"I heard a lot I didn't know," she said Thursday. "Things like Mom paying for a funeral, or Mom sending someone's kids to college."
For her charitable works, Marie was given the Lumen Christi Award, the Catholic Church's highest honor for missionary work, and she was ordained a Dame in the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory. As a sign of her importance to the church, her funeral was presided over by Bishop Thomas Doran of the Rockford Diocese and attended by Bishop Emeritus Arthur O'Neill.
Doran took the opportunity at the end of the service to praise Marie for her great works, and her humility. Marie, a devoted Catholic all her life, was always one to give God the glory for anything she did, Doran said, and lived that love every day.
"Sometimes we want to do such outstanding things ... such brilliant efforts, that we miss the everyday, simple things," Doran said. "If we do them every day, we bring about on Earth the heavenly city. That is what she did, and that is what we honor in her and through her."
Marie actually planned her own funeral in 2000, according to her daughter. She selected the songs, including "Ave Maria" and anthem "We Shall Overcome," and the Bible verses that were read, including Matthew 25:21-46, which for many sums up her life. It reads, in part, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Her family can certainly attest that Marie spent her life working for the least of these. Her grandchildren, Donna and Michelle Wilkinson, talked at the reception about childhood trips to visit Marie, and about watching her work. Michelle said one summer, when she was 8, Marie's doorbell rang late at night. It was a father and a young girl who needed food.
"Grandma asked me to give the little girl the doll I'd been playing with all summer," Michelle said. "When I gave it to her, I saw the impact it had on that child."
Don Bendis said a four-hour conversation with Marie and her husband Charles in 1984 convinced him to do more for the needy. A member of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Naperville, Bendis began collecting donations there for Marie's food pantry, particularly at Christmas. The first year, he said, he delivered 65 turkeys.
He did that for 17 years -- and his last collection brought in 1,435 turkeys.
Even the more iconic stories of Marie's life were given personal resonance at Thursday's reception. Marie is famous for ensuring fair housing and bringing food and clothing to migrant workers living in railroad cars on the East Side. Many of those workers were Hispanic, and Marie's efforts ensured those families could have bright futures in Aurora.
Representatives of the Nila and Perez families, two of the many Marie helped, spoke on Thursday. Dee Nila Basile, who works for the city of Aurora, read a letter written by retired Aurora police officer Mike Nila. And Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez called her "the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
The recurring theme Thursday was the city's responsibility to now carry on Marie's legacy. Again and again, speakers talked about batons and torches being passed, about the need for Marie's vision to continue. The organizations she started are still going strong -- the Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center will celebrate its 40th anniversary next month, and the city's Human Relations Commission, which Marie began and chaired for four decades, was recently revived.
But in the words of Fred Rodgers, former head of the city's youth department and Marie's longtime friend, the people of Aurora have "a responsibility to ensure, as she passes into new light, that the legacy she left behind is in good shape."
That includes, according to her great-grandson, following in Marie's example, and doing as much good as you can while you're here.
"What she did is no more than any of us could do," Christopher said. "I'm not taking anything away from her legacy, but we can all do what she did, if we follow her example."
Though Thursday was a sad day, a day to bid farewell to a woman who gave everything to the city she loved, it was also a celebration.
As Marie's casket was rolled out of St. Rita's, an impromptu New Orleans-style jazz band (made up of students from East and West Aurora schools and local churches) broke into a joyous outdoor version of "When the Saints Go Marching In," and people danced in the parking lot, waving white handkerchiefs. And near the end of the reception, Sheila's high school friend, Jo Ann Toll, led friends and family in a rousing version of one of Marie's favorites, "This Little Light of Mine."
=================================================
More than 30 people took the microphone, and for more than two hours, they talked about the woman Aurora called mother and they all called friend:
• "Marie Wilkinson shared with me her Christ-like love for all people and her dedication to feed, clothe and shelter those in need."
-- Jewel Kennebrew, co-founder, Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center
• "There was no one so consistently on target, always bringing you back to the real world, always reminding you what you should be doing, than this wonderful, modest woman, Marie Wilkinson."
-- Alderman Bob O'Connor
• "Marie used the term 'we' like no one else. The 'we' she used included the entire world, if they listened. Those who caught her vision and what she was trying to do, we became the 'we' she was talking about."
-- Fred Rodgers, former head of Aurora's Youth Services Department
• "Marie had an innate sense of justice and a passion to fight injustice. But she fought hate with love, which is very difficult to do. She was, no doubt, the strongest person to ever come out of this area."
-- Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez
• "She had a smile on her face and love in her heart, but a strong will and a determination to do what's right."
-- Aurora Alderman Mike Saville
• "The fruit of so many trees of love Marie planted is just now starting to ripen. Her legacy of love will last at least another 101 years."
-- Kane County Board member Gerry Jones
• "Marie was amazing at causing people to give others one more chance."
-- Mae Smith, member, Aurora Human Relations Commission
• "Marie Wilkinson did not wait for someone to give her a place to stand. She found her place, demanded she stand there and kept on standing."
-- Mike Nila, retired Aurora police officer
• "We all have been passed on a baton that we can run with, and we can help save this nation, this world."
-- Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns
• "Marie Wilkinson, may God wrap you up in His loving embrace as He takes you home."
-- Theodia Gillespie, executive director, Quad County Urban League
===============================================
AURORA -- In her 101 years, Marie Wilkinson touched the lives of countless Aurorans. On Wednesday, those countless Aurorans came to Daleiden Mortuary on Lake Street to give thanks and say goodbye.
Marie died last Thursday after a long life as Aurora's matriarch and soul. She was instrumental in creating numerous charitable organizations, including the food pantry and child development center that bear her name, but the heart of what she did could be found in each individual's story of inspiration and gratitude.
Here were people of all ages, all colors, all to pay tribute to a woman who, in the words of Betty Horton, knew no color and helped every one of them.
Here was Eva Rodgers, who has been Marie's neighbor on View Street for 50 years. Rodgers bonded with her over politics -- they worked on John F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign -- and she would marvel as Marie kept watch over the neighborhood. View Street was the safest block in town, Rodgers said, because everyone respected Marie so much.
Rodgers said Marie helped shape her outlook on life with her quiet wisdom and her tireless drive to help the less fortunate.
"You were a better person because you knew Marie," she said.
Here was Kim Young, who grew up under Marie's tutelage at her child development center in the 1970s. Marie, she said, could handle a room of 50 children by herself. She commanded respect, even from small children, and treated those in her care with love and patience.
Marie's lessons, Young said, helped her raise her own three children.
Here were Mike Moran and Ann McBride of Breaking Free, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those with addictions. Marie helped start Breaking Free, and both acknowledged they would not be there, doing what they do, without her.
And here was Carmen Christner, a living example of Marie's lifelong dedication to helping those who need it. When she was a young girl, Christner's parents went to Marie's home because they couldn't afford clothes. Marie gave them what they needed, and Christner always remembered that.
And when her own home in Oswego burned down five years ago, Christner went to Marie's food pantry, looking for help, and once again, Marie was there for her. Christner was so moved, she started volunteering at the pantry.
Christner recounted her story with tears in her eyes. She said working alongside Marie was like being with a legend.
"She had a mission," Christner said. "I would say mission accomplished."
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