Paying Respects to USO Volunteer Lucille Serafin
I came across a recent Chicago Tribune article honoring the life of a dedicated USO volunteer, 98-year-old Lucille Serafin. She passed away last month after a life of service to her family and armed forces. For years, up until a hip injury last year, Lucille was a constant fixture on Sundays at Midway International Airport where she’d welcome service members and their families at the USO welcome center.
Some of the quotes about Lucille really stuck with me:
“She was our oldest volunteer, the oldest in the state of Illinois, and one of our most energetic,” said Bob Stone, director of the USO Midway Center. “She was a favorite among many of our regular visitors, like reservists. They’d walk in and ask, ‘Where’s Lucille?'”
“She was a character but in the very best way,” said fellow USO volunteer Peggy Wojciechowski. “She was this little old lady with the friendliest personality and more energy than a person half her age. Everybody just loved her.”
A native to the Chicago area, Lucille spent her entire life raising her family and serving the area. After 28 years working in the banking sector, Lucille joined the USO in 2001 as a retiree. “Volunteering at Midway is a great experience, full of a lot of laughs and good conversations with airport passengers and employees,” Serafin said in a 2012 Chicago Department of Aviation news release. “I’m busier now than when I worked many years ago.”
Hearing stories like Lucille’s just warms my heart and inspires me to want to do more. Her dedication to the troops and their families just goes to show what kind of impact one person can have on lives. Imagine what we can do together!
Be sure to read Lucille’s full profile over at the Chicago Tribune link above. To find out how you can volunteer with the USO, click here.
