Morton Grove church sets up memorial for COVID-19 victims
A Morton Grove minister is hoping a local memorial dedicated to lives lost from COVID-19 will also serve as a place for the public to find peace.
The memorial, entitled “We Gather Together,” stands in the north parking lot of St. Luke’s Christian Community Church, located at Shermer Road and Harlem Avenue. While the memorial serves to remember those who have died from COVID-19 both locally and across the country, it also goes beyond that, said Pastor Elizabeth Jones, the memorial’s creator.
“The memorial is there for those who need a place and a space to express their anxiety, their stresses, their losses and especially their grief over any number of things associated with the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jones said.
Calling it a “self-directed” memorial, Jones said members of the public are invited to leave flowers, candles, written prayers or any objects that can be left outdoors.
Plans call for the memorial, which was erected on June 29, to remain up through July 13, Jones said.
The memorial, which is near the Harlem Avenue entrance to the church’s parking lot, consists of a chain link fence with a banner proclaiming it the “We Gather Together Memorial.” Two flower bouquets, a handful of potted flowers and a candle had been left shortly after the memorial was established.
“Having been a chaplain in hospitals and care centers for 10 years, I know people do appreciate having an actual physical place and space to gather and light candles and do whatever is needful and help for them in the grieving process,”
Jones explained.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified 15 residents of Morton Grove who died of COVID-19-related illness since March. They are Sukret Uygun, 71; Gail Harris, 61; Mohamed Rahman, 61; Angel Tigre, 64; Regina Saura, 89; Gerlene Griffith, 69; Shirley Kohnke, 92; Barbara Steyer, 86; William Lister, 76; Khoshibo Shabo, 80; Eranes Cadet, 78; Donald Winnick, 91; Ivan Slavicek, 86; Ann Collins, 84; and Blanca Gonzalez, 93.
Jones did not list the names on the memorial, though visitors are free to add the name of a loved one.
The St. Luke’s memorial is an outgrowth of a fourpart video series, “We Gather Together,” which was developed by Jones with the Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce. The series featured Jones talking about her interviews with local business owners, families, first responders and hospital workers and the impacts on their lives and work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The physical memorial came out of this because so many people were grieving, so many people were having losses,” Jones said.
Mark Matz, executive director of the Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce, was also involved in the creation of the memorial, though he credited Jones for the idea.
“I think it makes sense,” he said. “Our lives were so upturned in a heartbeat back in March. People need a spot to sit down and think about what happened and what they lost — not only people, but what we used to do in our daily lives.”