There are special people you meet in your life. Marylou Reeser was one of  mine.
Marylou and I worked together at the Rochelle News-Leader for nearly 20 years. I was in the editorial department and she was in composing. Unlike today, when everything is done on computer, you needed to put the paper together by hand in those days, and that’s what she did.
Although Marylou never wrote a story or sold a single ad for the newspaper, she was the hub of the whole operation. For some reason everything seemed to just evolve around her. She was one of those people every company should have: hard-working, dedicated and extremely loyal. She also cared about the people around her.
Marylou passed away recently. She was 76.

Among other things, Marylou was a proud wife, mother - she cried when her children were married - Catholic -  she cried the day Pope John Paul II was shot - die hard Cubs fan - she cried the day the Cubs clinched the division in 1984 - and a loyal listener of WGN-radio, especially of Bob Collins, a popular radio personality at the time. Marylou was the kind of person that once she was your friend, you stayed her friend.
Besides work, Marylou was also in on a fair amount of little tricks we pulled on each other.
The one I remember most came on her 40th birthday. I had written to Mr. Collins a couple of weeks earlier, telling him all about her and that her birthday was coming up and how she had jokingly said he was the only man she would ever have an affair with. (Which she didn’t mean, of course.)
At the most, I though he might send her a little note or something. When that didn’t happen, I kind of forgot about it.
Come the day of her birthday, we were having cake in the break room when the phone rang and a man asked to talk to Marylou. Since I hadn’t told anyone what I had done, whoever answered the phone - not suspecting anything and not recognizing his voice - put him on hold.
We didn’t know what was going on until one of Marylou’s friends, who was listening to WGN at the time, called on another line to let us know he was waiting for Marylou on the air.
Despite waiting, Mr. Collins and his staff graciously sang happy birthday to her on the air. It was a very nice gesture on their part. I know it embarrassed her, but at least she didn’t cry and I think she enjoyed it. (She also swore she’d get back at me - which she did.).
It is just one of many memories I have of Marylou, who was a kind, decent lady who will be missed by all of us who knew her. I know I’m glad I had the honor of knowing her.