Donna Vickroy – Page 18

Lorraine Kane, 101, loves to play cards with her friends at Smith Crossing senior living complex in Orland Park and says that and the companionship there help keep her brain sharp.

Vickroy: Happy, grateful and embarrassed by the fuss, but local 100-year-olds from Elgin, Orland Park can’t explain their longevity

January 27, 2023 at 7:24 p.m.

It seemed half the population of Elgin helped Alice Eichhorst celebrate her 100th birthday earlier this month. Police officers, the mayor, a county commissioner, even a police dog were on...

Problems and fears associated with memory loss are difficult and isolating for those who suffer from them -- and for their caregivers -- but the situation can be made easier by things Dementia Friendly communities are putting in place to help.

Vickroy: Local communities making effort to become Dementia Friendly as cognitive impairment numbers grow

January 20, 2023 at 3:12 p.m.

Most of us know someone who has dementia. And if we know that person well, we understand the struggles they endure. A reticence to go into stores and restaurants. A...

John "Jay" Surufka turned 100 on Jan. 10. The Rev. Ken Fleck, his longtime friend and fellow gardener, officiated a mass in his honor at the parish where they met, St. George Catholic Church in Tinley Park, and then attended an American Legion party in Surufka's honor.

Vickroy: Centenarian found purpose and friendship amid the tomatoes and pumpkins of a church garden

January 13, 2023 at 11:04 p.m.

For 17 years, the Rev. Ken Fleck and the parishioner John "Jay" Surufka grew a friendship. And a garden. The longtime pastor at St. George Catholic Church in Tinley Park...

The Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, left, gathers with other Christian leaders Friday for a prayer vigil to mark the second year anniversary of the violent insurrection by supporters of then-President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Vickroy: The fear, violence and what-ifs of Jan. 6 still haunt but we must be grateful for what didn’t happen

January 6, 2023 at 7:32 p.m.

"Have you ever experienced a natural disaster or crisis situation?" It was New Year's Eve and we were spending it with our daughter in Naperville. She dealt the first round...

Maybe the Grinch had the right idea when he wanted to do away with Christmas in Who-ville. The thought has probably crossed the mind of anyone who's in charge of pulling the holiday off every year for their family.

Vickroy: Maybe it’s me, but does the work, worry and expense of Christmas equal what we get out out it?

December 28, 2022 at 4:57 p.m.

Christmas is hard. If you're the one in charge of Christmas, you already know this. Of course, it isn't supposed to be that way. And it didn't start out that...

Young school children, when asked what they would do to help someone sad or angry during the holidays, offered some simple suggestions that remind us an innocent gesture is sometimes exactly what's needed.

Vickroy: Christmas cheer from the mouths of babes can’t help but remind you of the reason for the season

December 23, 2022 at 4:43 p.m.

Need a little Christmas? Right this very minute? Or maybe you just need a little encouragement from an expert on positive thinking. A child. In February 2022, two California artists...

Earlier dining times, take-out food expectations and last-minute cancellations have made running a restaurant a lot more difficult after COVID-19, some businesses say.

Vickroy: After ‘nightmare’ dining experience, truths are learned about post-pandemic world for restaurants

December 15, 2022 at 10:53 a.m.

Even before COVID, planning an outing for our neighborhood's big little dining group could be a bit of a challenge. Choosing a date that works for everyone, picking a place...

Vickroy: How the hunt for a fat Frosty became a respite from one man’s bottomless grief

December 9, 2022 at 1:47 p.m.

When a loved one dies, the mission to keep that person alive dies too. The adrenaline rush crashes, the momentum swings from survival mode to nothingness, and the focus shifts...

Vickroy: Chicago’s no ‘hellhole,’ especially during the holidays, and neither is anyone else’s hometown

December 1, 2022 at 11:54 a.m.

Lights on Michigan Avenue. Ice skating in Millennium Park. Merry, Merry Chicago! at the CSO. Looks like the "hellhole," as one gubernatorial candidate described it, has frozen over. And isn't...

A series of 23 calendars, one for every year since 2000, detail Tom Sullivan's daily milage, a number that recently reached the 25,000 milestone.

Mokena’s ‘Walking Man’ reaches 25,000-mile goal on eve of 87th birthday

November 30, 2022 at 5:15 a.m.

Tom Sullivan's journey "around the earth" began with a single step back in 2000, when he made a new year-new century goal to walk a thousand miles. Last month, the...

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