Times-Reporter's favorite features of 2011

The following stories are a collection of the Washington Times-Reporter's favorite feature stories of 2011. 

Sisters with special hearts

Editor’s Note: I first heard about the Wilson family when I was going to do a story on the local schools’ participation in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Heart program in March.

Lea Taylor from the AHA told me about the story of Luci and her hard work to keep the memory of her little sister, Stella, alive by raising money for causes that led to Stella’s death in 2009.

I was in awe talking to 7-year-old Luci who went to all ends to raise money for the AHA.

It was amazing to see so much passion and love in someone so young. She was a beautiful little girl with a heart of gold. 

Our future is in great hands with children like Luci Wilson.

Stella Wilson had a special heart, according to her big sister, Luci, 7. 

“We did like to do cartwheels; that was one thing she was silly at,” Luci said with a smile, remembering her baby sister.

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Born March 13, 2006, Stella Wilson was diagnosed with several congenital heart defects — some while still in the womb. 

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At a neighbor’s birthday party in 2009, Stella suddenly collapsed and stopped breathing. She died shortly thereafter.

The autopsy showed that her pacemaker leads — wires which deliver energy to the heart muscle from the device — fractured, which directly related to Stella’s death.

“She was dependent on (the pacemaker),” Cara said. “Her heart was fine, it just depended on the pacemaker and when that didn’t work ...”

The failure of the leads is something fairly common in pacemakers; according to Wilson it is the No. 1 cause of pacemaker failure.

Since her passing, big sister Luci has since picked up the cause to bring every dollar possible to the American Heart Association “for Stella and other children with special hearts.”

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Of the 130 schools that Taylor oversees, Luci Wilson was Taylor’s top individual fundraiser with more than $1,600 raised, while her school, John L. Hensey, raised just under $7,000 total.

“As soon as she got into the car after school that day, she said, ‘Look mom, it’s Jump Rope For Heart for special kids like Stella,’” Wilson said. “She got home and did it ... I give all of the credit to my daughter; she could have just forgotten about it or thrown it in a folder and she didn’t.”

Luci set up her own website where friends and family could donate money as well.

“Luci immediately went downstairs to make her own webpage and she found all of my friends and family and typed out an e-mail,” Wilson said. “I’m sure every family is affected by heart problems sometimes in their lives, but obviously we were introduced to a community of those with heart defects because of Stella.”

Update: Of the 130 schools that Taylor oversees, Luci Wilson was Taylor’s top individual fundraiser with more than $1,600 raised, while the school she attends, John L. Hensey, raised just under $7,000 total. — Brandon Schatsiek

Dax's time to shine

Reporter’s Note: I must admit I was quite terrified to cover the premiere of “The Heart of Christmas,” a film based on the story of Dax Locke. 

As a mother myself, I have a very hard time speaking with anybody who has experienced the loss of a child without immediately putting myself in their shoes. 

I found myself having to build up courage prior to the premiere, knowing I would soon speak to Julie and Austin Locke about the impact their son made during his short time on Earth. 

I knew I had to ask them what it was like to relive the loss of their son once again in approving the script for the film. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to listen to the answer without tearing up. 

But what I found in speaking with the Lockes during the Nov. 30 premiere was they were happy to share their story. Telling their story, Julie said, was not hard. It was a celebration of her son’s life and a means of helping other families stricken by devastating childhood illness. It was a story of love, strength, faith and a community pulling together. 

When it was believed that Dax Locke would not live to see 2009’s Christmas season, Jerry and Lynda Young decorated their Washington home with the Christmas decorations the little boy loved.

Although it was only October, many in Washington, surrounding communities and even across the nation followed suit to show their support for Dax and his family. Dax lived to see his favorite holiday, but died a few days later on Dec. 30, 2009.

Two years later, the community is still honoring Dax and helping to support his family’s mission to raise $1.6 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The Youngs were among the 2,500 people who attended the Nov. 30 premiere of “The Heart of Christmas” at Peoria’s Rave Motion Pictures.

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The one-night premiere was complete with six showings of “The Heart of Christmas,” a red carpet, a performance by Grammy-nominated singer Matthew West and a fundraiser to help Julie and Austin Locke’s mission to support the hospital that never turns a family away regardless of their ability to pay for care. Ticket sales for the premiere raised $21,000 for St. Jude.

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Julie, Austin and their daughter, Madeline, made a cameo appearance in the film during the final scene where Christmas carolers surprise the Lockes outside their home.

“It’s a very surreal experience,” Austin said. “It has been amazing to see everything come together. We’ve had so many people with such big hearts contributing to this. It was a low-budget movie, but these people knew the story and they pitched in. And that’s really the story of Dax; it’s people helping out of the goodness of their hearts.”

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“It just makes me happy to see people raising money and doing things for St. Jude. It’s my passion,” Julie said. “So for me it was more of a celebration for Dax.”

She added the experience has confirmed that “you’re never alone.” — Holly Richrath

Tree of life

Editor’s Note: I had been thinking of a story idea about the Washington Park District’s tree memorial program so I asked Program Director Doug Damery if there was any one I could talk to who had bought and planted a tree in memory of a loved one.

When I first called Wolfgang Lied to ask why he wanted to honor his late wife, Inge, in this manner, I could tell he wasn’t too keen on telling his story. He didn’t think he had a story even worth telling.

He was wrong.

He was a bright, outgoing and charismatic guy, with a still rather harsh German accent. 

We must have sat in his living room for a good half hour before I actually started asking questions directly related to the story I was working on. 

His life story was just so fascinating.

It turned out that I even had more of a story than I thought at first. He talked about how he emigrated from Germany and eventually settled down with the love of his life, Inge.

I could tell that she meant so much to him as did the tree and memorial placed in Washington Park in her memory.

For the past two years it has stood in Washington Park among many others of its kind. 

But this one was different — not by height, color or type, but for the reason it was even standing at all.

Wolfgang Lied loved nothing more in this world than his wife of more than 60 years, Inge.

“She was one of a kind — she really was,” Lied said of his wife who died a little more than three years ago. “She was all I ever wanted.”

To honor his wife, Wolfgang did the best thing he could think of to honor her — he planted a tree in her name.

“Everybody who knew my wife — she was just a great lady,” he said. “I love trees and I wanted to do this for her.”

As part of the Washington Park District’s Living Tree Memorial Program, Lied found the perfect way to honor his wife with a red maple tree, which now stands near the Rotary Shelter in Washington Park.

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He said the tree that sits adjacent to the Rotary Shelter will always have a special place in his heart.

“That tree means a lot — very much,” he said. “I debated whether I wanted to have a stone there, but she was such a great lady I wanted her name so people would know it was there for her. It’s going to be a very pretty tree, and if I had more life I’d probably still be finding places for trees.”

Note: Sadly, Wolfgang died July 16, only a little more than a week after the story was printed. — Brandon Schatsiek

The Emmendorfer family

Editor’s Note: I met the Emmendorfer family in late February for a story on their 7-year-old son Bryce, who was struggling to communicate after being diagnosed with autism. 

This is one of my favorite stories because the Emmendorfers are a family full of loving people struggling to make ends meet and dealing with an autistic child who couldn’t communicate. 

Despite their struggles, they wanted to do every possible thing they could to help their son Bryce; and they were so appreciative of the generous and loving group of friends and family who wanted to help them buy the piece of equipment Bryce needed to talk. 

Bryce, 7, has autism, which severely inhibits his communication skills.

Like a lot of children, Bryce Emmendorfer loves chicken nuggets; the way he asks for them, however, makes him a little different than most.

His parents, Emil and Beverly, said he has probably only said a handful of words after being diagnosed at 3 years old.

He had tubes inserted in his ears at an early age because he wasn’t hearing properly, but after that, doctors told the Emmendorfers that Bryce should start talking within a few months.

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Emil said while living in Michigan they had a speech therapist come to work with Bryce on a monthly basis. She was the first to suggest he might have autism. Emil refused to accept it.

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By April, Bryce had moved to one of Schramm Educational Center’s satellite programs at Rankin School District 98 in Pekin. A company came in giving a demonstration for a speech-generating device asking for volunteers who were nonverbal.

Bryce was lucky enough to be one of the testers of the device, which had Emil excited about the possibilities that could come with it.

“With the audio system they have seen success rates with kids being able to talk eventually because they are picking something, seeing (a picture of) it and then hearing it, so they’ll hopefully start saying their own words,” Emil said. “It’s in him; it’s just trying to put it all together to say something.”

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“I have footage of (Bryce) saying ‘eat’ (after working with the device,” Emil said. “I’m waiting for that day for him to turn around and say, ‘Dad, let’s go do something.’ I know it’s there.”

Update: After this story ran, the Special Needs Assistance Program and the Highview Church of God held a benefit for the family on March 18 and raised more than $4,000 toward the purchase of a communication device for Bryce. — Brandon Schatsiek

Loss of a wife, mother, volunteer firefighter

Reporter’s Note: Speaking to a man two weeks after losing his wife and best friend is a very humbling experience. I was very hesitant to ask Curt Reynolds to tell me about his wife so shortly after her death, but he very graciously accepted my request for an interview. 

I met Curt at Brunks Sports Center, which he co-owns, and listened as he told stories about the first time he met Torrie, their time together as Washington Fire Department volunteers and what he went through as she was slipping away. 

There were times we were both on the verge of tears, but the strength he showed in taking care of Torrie and their two children came through again as he shared with us the woman he loves. 

As a Washington Fire Department volunteer for 15 years, Curt Reynolds said he has seen “a lot of people pass in the back of an ambulance.” 

“I honestly thought that would prepare me for what was coming and it didn’t,” he said. 

His wife, Torrie, died Oct. 21, after fighting progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a fatal viral disease, which occurs in people with severe immune deficiency. 

“I was there when Torrie took her last breath and it’s probably the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do in my life,” Curt said. 

Torrie was a wife, a mother, a friend and a volunteer. Those who knew her best, including her husband and Washington Fire Chief Mike Vaughn used words including caring, loving and devoted to describe her. 

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It was a love of helping others that first brought Curt and Torrie together in 1999. Curt was helping with classes at the Tazewell County Firefighter Association’s annual training at Illinois Central College. 

“I saw Torrie walking into the building with one of my friends,” he said. “I saw her and said, ‘Hey, she’s beautiful and I’m going to ask her out.’”

At the time, Torrie was a member of the Northern Tazewell Fire Protection District. Curt said she refused to leave Northern Tazewell to become a volunteer with Washington until there was a “serious commitment.” 

She joined Curt in Washington only after he proposed. They married in 2001.

They had their daughter Bailey, now 8, and soon after decided to try for a second child.  

“We had our first child, and had to abort our second due to major deformities,” Curt said. “We went in for our first sono with the second one and the heart rate was irregular. The funny thing was because we were EMTs we knew as soon as we heard the heartbeat that something was wrong.”

Because Torrie had lupus, shoguns syndrome and raynaud’s phenomenon, the Reynolds were told to consult their doctor before trying to get pregnant again.

“Torrie was started on high-dose steroids to keep the heart-block from happening, because it’s common,” Curt said. “The steroids basically decimated her immune system. It allowed this PML to come in. It’s a virus in the brain that about 80 percent of the population has.”

Curt said it is uncommon for PML to pose a threat unless the immune system has been compromised. 

“For someone like Torrie,” he said, “there’s absolutely nothing anybody can do, as far as I know.”

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After the couple’s son, Sawyer, was born Oct. 5, 2009, Curt began to notice a change in his wife.

“You could see a change in her gait, her feet started shuffling and stuff, and her whole attitude changed,” he said. “I was taking her to the ER at Saint Francis probably twice a week because of severe pain.” 

On Nov. 3, 2010, Curt took Torrie to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. They spent four months there and one at the Rehab Institute of Chicago. 

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Curt brought his wife home on Feb. 2, in the midst of a snow storm that hit the area hard.    

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Curt said his wife was 100 percent cognitive until the moment she died. 

“I would have to say after my experience and the things I was allowed to do to help my wife, there’s definitely a God,” he said. “And I know Torrie went to heaven because of the way she was. She was a good person.”

Now that Torrie is gone, Curt said he has tried to “get things back on track” for his children. Bailey, he said, was forced to become more of an adult, helping out with her mother and brother while Torrie was sick. 

“She was forced to grow up a little sooner than she needed to, so I’m trying to get her back to wanting to do the kids stuff and that,” he said. 

Although Sawyer is only 2, Curt said he remembers his mother. He points to her picture and says, “Momma.” He also remembers the teddy bear that was constantly by his mother’s side throughout her illness.

“If that bear were to fall, Sawyer would grab that bear and give it back to her,” Curt said. “That bear had to be with mom all the time. Now he points to the bear and says, ‘Momma.’ It’s ‘Momma Bear’ now for all three of us.”

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He added that there is no doubt in his mind that Torrie was his soulmate. 

“She was an outstanding mother,” he said. “She was an outstanding wife. To me, she’s number one.” — Holly Richrath

Bad news just kept coming

Editor’s Note: I first received an email from Tim Day in the beginning of August. He outlined the events that led to his current, handicapped and rather depressing condition — surgery after surgery following falling off his roof in November 2006.

He showed me scar after horrific scar after surgeries had left him, now five years later, with constant excruciating pain, hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills, more surgeries to come, without a job, without any savings and soon to be without a home.

In my short journalism career, I’ve had to cover my fair share of difficult stories, but this one is toward the top and that’s not good company to be in.

As a journalist, I have to constantly be aware of my surroundings and to make sure not to interject my feelings or opinion in a story, but this story was difficult to do exactly that.

I felt horrible for this person that I didn’t know before an email came to me in August. 

I felt like I needed to do some thing — so I did the one thing I knew I could do to help and that was tell his story.

I was honored that Day confided in me and respected me enough to let me into his life and try to do his story justice. 

Tim Day found himself lying on the ground outside of his Washington home; he tried to get up but could barely move.

He knew it wasn’t good when he heard two loud cracks as his feet finally reached stable ground.

“I was going to try and hit and go into the tuck position and then roll out of it, but what I did was I came straight down and heard just cracks,” Day said. 

“My first thought when I couldn’t get up off the ground was, ‘My god, I’m going to be out of work for two months. How are we going to do this?’ I thought, ‘OK, we’ve got enough money in the bank, we can handle this.’”

Now five years and more than seven surgeries later, Tim and his fiancee Stephanie have less than 30 days to move out of their Washington home because they can no longer pay the bills.

Day originally thought he was going to be out of work a few months, but he felt comfortable enough with the $20,000 in savings to get them through the tough times they were going to face.

Because they had just moved into their home, Day said he was in the middle of switching insurance companies when the accident happened, so technically he didn’t have insurance to help with any of the medical costs.

“My main message I can get to people is that ... you need to make sure you have some kind of coverage for insurance because I mean the $20,000 we had in the bank was gone in less than a year after all of the surgeries and medication ...”

“I’m never going to be right again — I won’t ever have my life back,” he said as tears began to roll down his cheeks. “Every day above ground they say is a good day, but...

“...not really,” he added after a long pause trying to regain composure.

Update: Following the publishing of this story on Nov. 2, members of the Washington Rotary Club helped Day move to Springfield so he could be closer to his parents.

Social Security still hasn’t been approved for Day, although as of Dec. 27, Day said “they were expediting (my case) whatever that means in social security time.”

Day has another spine surgery in the next few months then more physical therapy after that.

“Please let the whole Washington community know how grateful I am, and I miss the town so.” — Brandon Schatsiek

Joys and tribulations of foreign adoption

Editor’s Note: I remember first hearing about the Wanlesses financial trouble when it came to adopting another child after receiving an Around Town submission for a fundraiser so they could bring their second Chinese daughter, Savannah, home.

It started out as simple preview story of a fundraiser, but quickly turned into a wonderful  feature story on a family that feels God calling on them to adopt children with cleft lip or cleft palate.

Despite all of the hoops they had to jump through to bring Sierra and Savannah to the U.S. and the thousands of dollars it cost, the Wanlessses never let anything deter them from helping these two young girls in Chinese orphanages.

Their love as a family and passion to help others is commendable and something I will keep in mind as I grow up and hopefully have a family of my own someday.

The kind of love parents have for their own children is often seen as unwavering, no matter the circumstance. Mike and Lisa Wanless of Washington said that bond is much more than just for their three biological boys, but for their soon to be two adopted Chinese girls as well.

The Wanless family, who adopted Sierra in 2006 and will adopt their second, Savannah, this summer, said adoption is just a part of who they are as a family. 

“We both like to save people,” Lisa said. “(Mike) likes to physically help people and I like to emotionally help them.”

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“When you see a child, especially Savannah who is 9 now ... with the deformity (cleft lip and cleft palate) she is even more serious because she’s older, she’s aware and probably picked on,” Lisa said. “It’s just this little soul in this body; she’s beautiful, it’s just that she needs a little repair, that’s all.”

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“Everyone looks at the financial (part of adoption) and all I can say is all of that will be provided; I know that’s spiritual, but ... it will come and it will happen,” Lisa said. “If you have to do extra things it will happen.”

As far as advice for other families looking into adoption, whether it be international or special needs, Lisa said the big thing for her and Mike was to surround themselves with others in the adoption world. She said there are local resource agencies for people to go to when looking for support.

“The big thing is to connect with others because there are going to be times where you feel frustrated or think you can’t do it, but they are going to be the ones to tell you that you can,” Lisa said. 

She also stressed that people should not “worry about if you can love a child who is not biologically yours.”

“Sierra may be Chinese but she’s my daughter,” Lisa said.

Update: Savannah came “home” on June 3 and had surgery on her cleft palate Dec. 21. Lisa said her next surgery is in two months where they will be working on the cleft lip and nose. 

“She is nervous, but excited to see her new complete smile!,” Lisa said. “We want to thank the wonderful people of Washington, who were a big part of her ability to come home and who have welcomed her home into this wonderful community with love and acceptance.” — Brandon Schatsiek

WFD 50th anniversary

Reporter’s Note: I loved learning about the rich history associated with the Washington Fire Department and its Rescue Squad. 

Bob Dubois, a founding member of the squad, invited me into his home and shared many stories and photos of his time on the squad. Dubois remained on the squad for 14 years. His stories could have easily filled an entire newspaper ... or two. 

It started as a group of 10 men watching the weather.

But now, the Washington Fire Department’s Rescue Squad is celebrating quite a milestone — 50 years of service to the community — with an open house at 6 p.m. May 19, at the fire station at 200 N. Wilmor Road.

Bob Dubois, one of the founding members of the squad said having people to warn the community of severe weather was a necessity.

“There had been a lot of severe storms in the area and really nothing was done about it at that time,” Dubois said. “We decided because we had the radios that we could assist in weather watching. And also because the fire department did not have any radio service at all, we could help out with communication.”

Communication, he said, was the main reason the Emergency Squad — as it was originally called — was started March 22, 1961.

“During 1961, we expanded our membership to 25 members,” he said. “We looked for lost children, answered all fire calls, responded to auto accidents, taught weather and safety classes and so forth.”

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In 1962 the squad housed its rescue truck, an old CILCO utility truck with a rusted hole in the floor in front of the passenger seat, in a garage on the square. They received 62 fire and rescue calls that year.

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Today, the department as a whole is made up of 25 volunteers, six full-time paramedics, several part-time paramedics, an assistant chief and Chief Michael Vaughn, who began his career in Washington 29 years ago.

“I started here in 1982 as a volunteer,” he said.

Vaughn left the department in 1986 for a full-time, paid gig with East Peoria’s fire department. He returned to WFD as Fire Chief in 2008.

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The department moved to its current home in 1996. In 1997, it began the paid ambulance service, staffing medics 24 hours, seven days a week. WFD now receives about 1,100 calls a year. 

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Dubois said he is excited to celebrate the Rescue Squad at the open house.

“I’d like to see a lot of the old guys,” he said. “It was not just another job to these guys. Their dedication was absolutely unreal. We had the dedication and we trained constantly. It was really fun working with the guys.” — Holly Richrath