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winnetkacurrent.com sound off
the winnetka current | April 12, 2018 | 27
Social snapshot
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From winnetkacurrent.com as of April 9
1. Police Reports: Hundreds stolen in Northfield
home burglary
2. Expansion of Winnetka Community House
parking lot gets green light
3. Lacrosse: Sport faces minor, unique changes
with IHSA sanction
4. Girls soccer: Trevians look for another deep
run in 2018
5. Boys volleyball: New Trier reloads behind mix
of veterans, newcomers
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New Trier Township posted on April 5: “If navigating
Federal Government services is a challenge,
then you’ll want to take a listen to episode #7 of
the New Trier Township Podcast with Maribeth
Stein. Information on Medicare, Social Security, VA
benefits and more...”
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“Now that Spring is upon us, it’s time to start
thinking about bicycle safety. Please remember
to review the rules of the road & check the
conditions of your brakes, tires, & helmets. The
goal is to have a safe and enjoyable riding season.
#bikesafety #bikerodeo #warmerweather”
@WinnetkaPolice, The Winnetka Police Department
posted on April 7
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From the Editor
Lessons learned from reading the obits
Jacqueline Glosniak
jacqueline@winnetkacurrent.com
While I don’t have
the source of
this quote (or
even the quote verbatim),
I remember hearing a joke
years ago about a person
who checks the obituary
section of their local paper
every day to make sure
they’re still alive.
“OK, that’s weird,” I remember
saying to myself
after hearing that, thinking
first, how crazy it would
be for someone to actually
do that, and second, how
depressing it was to even
think about death and
want to read the obituaries
in the first place.
Don’t get me wrong, I
meant no disrespect and
did not try to write off the
deceased, but I always
wondered why people
would want to get sad
over reading an obituary,
reading another reminder
that they would no longer
see that person again as
long as they lived.
However, when I began
working here, I was told
that one of the non-sports
related duties Sports
Editor Mike Wojtychiw
would handle would be
compiling the faith briefs
and obituaries for The
Winnetka Current.
“Great,” I said, “one
less thing for me to attack
on my ever-growing to-do
list.”
While Mike began
compiling obituaries,
every Monday, it is my
duty as editor of the paper
to go through the text of
the paper to check for
copy editing errors, so
then I myself began going
through each and every
obituary. To my surprise,
the obits quickly became
one of my favorite parts
of the paper. Now, I even
ask Mike every so often if
I can take on the duty of
pulling and editing obituaries
myself.
Again, do not think I am
taking light of the obituaries
(or the deceased)!
Rather, what I came to
discover was how much
one could learn about the
opposite of dying — living
— from reading what
essentially are abridged
biographies on each person
featured.
Frequently, freelance reporter
Alan P. Henry does
what we call an extended
obituary, doing a longer
write-up for someone
after attending a memorial
service and speaking to
relatives and friends about
what set the community
leader or trailblazer apart.
This week, Alan did
one of these pieces on
Northfield resident Barbara
McBride, who aside
from founding a successful
hair accessory design
company, was someone
who truly cared for others
during her entire life
— attending sit-ins led
by Martin Luther King
Jr. and hosting dinners
for various neighbors,
friends and members of
her church among other
things. In fact, as told to
Alan by her son, Barbara
even wanted to host visitors
during her final days
and make chili for them,
despite being plagued by
the unfortunate nature of
Alzheimer’s disease.
And, in this week’s Life
and Arts section, where
the rest of obituaries are
listed, a longtime Northfield
police officer, an
educator, a gifted athlete,
and a war hero grace the
page, with short stories
peering into what made
their lives unique.
Every week, I thoroughly
enjoy learning about
the many men and women
who’ve blessed Winnetka
and Northfield neighbors
and community institutions
with their wisdom,
strong moral character and
guidance, among other
things, for decades. Reading
each and every one
of them helps me get a
glimpse into the history of
these neighborhoods and
eras of the North Shore
these people lived though,
as well as witness how
each and every person
while unique, has the
power to positively touch
so many people during a
lifetime.
So, moral of the story
is, if you take a closer
look and read the obituaries,
you’d be surprised
how much you can truly
learn about what it means
to live a full, meaningful
life.
The Winnetka
Current
Sound Off Policy
Editorials and columns are the
opinions of the author. Pieces
from 22nd Century Media are
the thoughts of the company as
a whole. The Winnetka Current
encourages readers to write
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The Winnetka Current. Letters
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reflect the thoughts and views
of The Winnetka Current.
Letters can be mailed to: The
Winnetka Current, 60 Revere
Drive Ste. 888, Northbrook, IL
60062. Email to jacqueline@
winnetkacurrent.com.
go figure
1,000
An intriguing number from this week’s edition
The dollar amount
stolen from the
checking account of
a Northfield resident.
Read more Police
Reports on Page 6.
MORTGAGE ALERT!
LOCK-IN MORE BUSINESS. ADVERTISE LOCALLY.
CONTACT THE CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT
708-326-9170 22ndcenturymedia.com