In Loving Memory: Celebration of Life
Anne Lidsky, PhD
Support Group Facilitator
A Message from Anne Lidsky
Welcome to the Celebration of Life Memorial Wall, a special place to honor and remember those who have bravely fought ALS. A "Celebration of Life" is our way of commemorating the love, joy, and impact each person brought into the world. We invite you to share your own memories, stories, or tributes for your loved one here. This wall is not just for reflection, but for the celebration of lives lived fully, even in the face of ALS.
Thank you for being part of our community. Together, we honor and celebrate lives with love, respect, and hope for a future without ALS.
Add a Tribute
Do you have a story or memory to share about your loved one? Please submit your story, photo, or message below to be featured on our memorial wall.
Easton Stevenson
Bereavement Group Coordinator
Bereavement Support Groups
The journey of grief can be challenging, but you don't have to walk it alone. The Les Turner ALS Foundation offers bereavement support groups for families and caregivers who have lost a loved one to ALS.
Our support groups, led by experienced facilitators, provide a safe and compassionate space for sharing experiences, finding comfort, and moving forward together. We meet via Zoom. Visit our schedule to find a session that's right for you.
For more information or to join a group, please contact:
Easton Stevenson, LCSW
Bereavement Group Coordinator
estevenson@lesturnerals.org
Additional Resources
Donate in Memory of a Loved One
Many of our families choose to honor their loved ones' memory through a donation in their name. Your contribution helps fund ALS research, care, and support for families affected by ALS.
In Memory of Our Loved Ones
Tina Anderson
Age: 52
Year Diagnosed: 2019
My sister Tina was the strongest baby sister I have ever known. Full of life, love and joy. She was taken way too young and is missed dearly. Her favorite things were her family, friends and dancing. We pray for her comfort in the arms or our Lord!
(Shared by her sister, Lori)
Ken Avick
Age: 75
Year Diagnosed: 2022
Ken was a wonderful, kind, empathetic, caring man. He was an outstanding husband, father, brother, brother-in-law, son, cousin and friend. He was a great artist who enjoyed painting full time after he retired. He was also curious and very bright.
(Shared by his wife, Ann Avick)
Dina Brennan
Age: 66
Year Diagnosed: 2021
Loving wife, mother and grandmother, This terrible disease struck Dina at the time of her life when she should have been enjoying herself and her grandchildren.
(Shared by her husband, Tom Brennan)
Linda L. Barrett
Age: 68
Year Diagnosed: 2021
Linda enjoyed life to the fullest. Never ever said anything bad about anyone. Her family was her life. When we lost our daughter she was never the same.
(Shared by her husband, John Barrett)
Thomas P. Bracey
Age: 60
Year Diagnosed: 2024
Thomas Bracey loved to play drums and provide audio for our church activities. He loved his family and friends and made my life bliss. He loved to plan family activities, travel and just entertain. He was diagnosed 2/2024. He fought with his faith.
(Shared by his spouse)
Chuck Clement
Age: 61
Year Diagnosed: 2017
Chuck and I were married a few months after his diagnosis. Chuck was a great golfer and taught me how to play. We played in several charity golf tournaments.
Pictured Chuck & I at the Les Turner Gala. We had such a wonderful time!
(Shared by his wife, Jami Arndt)
Art Eggert
Age: 69
Year Diagnosed: 2020
Art was a bigger than life kind of guy! He loved his family and his 7 grandkids. He loved the White Sox and THE Bears. He was known for his dumb dad jokes and puns, best hugger! He loved Vegas, the beach. The Beach Boys and the oldies bands.
(Shared by his wife, Ysabel Eggert)
Louis Dease
Age: 70
Year Diagnosed: 2024
Lou said hello with a smile to everyone he met and waved to every car that passed. He was always eager to help anyone in need. Lou was a very kind person. He is the love of my life.
(Shared by his wife, Barbara Dease)
Phil Dohm
Age: 53
Year Diagnosed: 1984
My dad loved family, friends and baseball--and Lou Gehrig was one of his favorites. We are so grateful to the Les Turner ALS Foundation for hosting Lou Gehrig Day (Cubs fans here 
What a great way to honor all those affected by ALS.
(Shared by his daughter, Susan Thompson)
José A. Fajardo
Age: 61
Year Diagnosed: 2021
José was steadfast in his efforts to lend his voice to goal we all share of reaching the day when ALS becomes a livable disease. His courage and vulnerability in sharing his story will be an enduring part of his legacy.
(Shared by his spouse, Jennifer Barrett Fajardo)
Kathy Friend
Age: 72
Year Diagnosed: 2021
Kathy and I lived together and shared many memories but one I remember was our love of baseball even though she loved the Cubs and I am a die hard Sox fan! It was an on going teasing ribbing of each other. But our love for the game bonded us for life.
(Shared by her sister, Deb Vesecky)
Bill Graham
Age: 67
Year Diagnosed: 2022
My husband Bill was my everything. We were married for 44 years. My soulmate, friend, partner and my rock. He made me laugh, was very active and everyone loved him. Wonderful father, son, uncle, brother and friend. I will forever remember his smile!
(Shared by his wife, Debbie Graham)
Steven Heronemus
Age: 45
Year Diagnosed: 2005
My husband, Steve, spent each day after diagnosis embracing LIFE. Once an avid sailor, the most outstanding of his many accomplishments was pioneering a way for disabled people to sail, navigating Lake Michigan on his own using bite and leg switches.
(Shared by his wife, Suzanne Heronemus)
Jonathan Kipkurui Langat
Age: 40
Year Diagnosed: 2007
My brother will be gone for 16 years in March 2025. He fought MND with limited resources and unwavering strength. A brilliant mathematician, he worked with integrity, never accepting bribes. He passed with only Ksh. 1000 ($7.7) in his pockets.
(Shared by his brother, Phillip Langat)
Aric Lasher
Age: 62
Year Diagnosed: 2019
Aric was the most brilliant, talented, amazing person I have ever met, cut from another cloth. He was my best friend. I loved making him laugh until he begged me to stop. We finished each other's sentences and I will miss and love him forever.
(Shared by his sister, Cheri Lasher)
Pam Margelewski
Age: 71
Year Diagnosed: 2022
My mother had a laugh that could fill an entire room. She was bigger than life itself and loved to be around people. She loved music, theater, her pool, friends, family, and a cold Miller Lite. She never wanted the party to end..."Just One More"
(Shared by her son, Michael)
Archie McMath
Age: 70
Year Diagnosed: 2023
There was never a day in 24 years that he didn’t say, "I love you." He had a big heart and he loved to share it, other than for myself, he gave a little piece of himself to the people he loved each and every day. He was known for his loving hugs.
(Shared by his lifelong partner, Anne Wood)
Sharon Miller
Age: 78
Year Diagnosed: 2022
My mom loved the beach and I can remember a few months before we lost her I took her to the beach and rented a special wheelchair so she could put her toes in the ocean one more time and the smile on her face will forever be in my heart.
(Shared by her daughter, Sheri Miller)
Linda J Moravec
Age: 65
Year Diagnosed: 2019
Linda Moravec was a kind and caring mother and wife. She was an avid reader and loved mysteries. She battled her condition all the way to the end. She will always be missed.
(Shared by her husband, Robert Moravec)
Kim Murtaugh Lavair
Age: 61
Kim was an amazing sister! She was always at any walk I ran. She loved to ski and sail too. She learned tennis from my father and Mother.
(Shared by her brother Wil Murtaugh)
William C Murtaugh Jr.
Age: 64
My father loved skiing and sailing we did both all the time.
(Shared by his father, Will Murtaugh )
Jon Paul Newsome
Age: 72
Year Diagnosed: 2010
Jon was a brilliant, kind and loving husband father and grandfather. He was a successful business person who believed that one’s success was measured by the number of people that you could help in life.
(Shared by his wife, Susan Newsome)
Ed Regester
Age: 76
Year Diagnosed: 2022
Ed loved to meet and talk with people from all walks of life. He was a hard worker and was passionate about helping his friends and family.
(Shared by his daughter, Sarah Regester)
Eddie always had a smile on his face, and would help anyone. He proudly served in the US Navy. Family was very important to Eddie, and I miss him.
(Shared by his cousin Sue Anderson Kent)
Milagros Rivera
Age: 64
Year Diagnosed: 2023
My wife is a loving, caring person. Mother of 5 grandmother 4. She has a calming soul, easy to talk to and always ready to help others. I love her so very much.
(Shared by her spouse, Francis Merced)
Scott Salsbury
Age: 59
Year Diagnosed: 2012
Scott served as an officer in The Salvation Army working with men who struggled with addictions. He loved camping, fishing, the Cubs, and his family. He fully lived each day, even with ALS, until his final one.
(Shared by his spouse, Karen)
Barbara Blue Spruce
Age: 74
Year Diagnosed: 2007
My mom was an incredible sewer & knitter. She made all our clothes when we were young along with Barbie doll clothes, knitted sweaters & Christmas stockings. She had a hard life being a single mom, suffered from mental illness & then dying of ALS.
(Shared by her daughter, Reni Blue Spruce)
Anthony "Tony" Stumpf
Age: 54
Year Diagnosed: 2024
Tony's family and friends admired his strength and resilience during his illness. All who knew Tony will remember his contagious smile and laugh and his memorable story-telling skills. He was the best son, father, grandfather, brother and friend.
(Shared by his daughter, Shayleigh Nelson)
Michael Terronez
Age: 71
Year Diagnosed: 2016
Here lies a man who was a conveyor of information (news paper boy), food purveyor (bus boy),maintenance engineer (janitor), welder and gandy dancer (builder of bridges), carpenter, homebuilder, woodworker and leather tooler, but most of all a teacher
(Shared by his wife, Susan Terronez)
Kenneth Watson
Age: 81
Year Diagnosed: 2024
Kenneth Watson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend, passed away on July 9, 2024, in Oakland, California. He was a man of immense kindness. humor, wit, and intelligence, who had an adventurous and positive spirit.
(Shared by his wife, Paulette Sharp)
Martin Zander, DDS
Age: 70
Year Diagnosed: 2019
Marty was a man of many passions and hobbies from dentistry, learning piano at age 50, to Ham Radio - N9IXD. He had a wicked sense of humor Was raised in NYC's Lower East Side. Graduate of Stuyvesant HS, SUNY Binghamton, Northwestern Dental School.
(Shared by his wife, Jacqueline Kohn)
