St. Jude Remembers 'Kindhearted, Selfless' Lucy Prunty, 14

Only 24 days shy of her 15th birthday, a funeral mass at was held for Lucy Prunty, who died of cancer on June 29.

Family and friends—a lot of young, beautiful and vibrant teens—filled the church to honor the life of a girl who made her mark on the earth by being sweet, kind and funny. 

One particularly close friend of Lucy's, 16-year-old Lincoln Way West High School student Rebecca Pilipchuk, shared her thoughts in a hand-written note, penned after the Thursday wake at Kurtz Memorial Chapel on Cedar Road. 

. 

The 8 1/2-by-6-inch notebook paper had pink lines, and the upper right and lower left corners of the page were accented with pink swirls. On the page that was ripped from the notebook Pilipchuk offered a short and simple message to describe her friend. Some the words were scratched out and others were underlined for emphasis. It's likely that a forensic test would reveal some spots of NaCl—the salt found in drops of tears.

She wrote: "Lucy was an amazing person. She was kindhearted. She was selfless even if she was uncomfortable. She had a huge imagination. She always made up the best games when we were little. She was also the funniest person I've ever met. She loved making people laugh. She loved fashion and design. She had an awesome way of making everyone feel better. And she loved and admired her family so much. She was the strongest person I've ever met."

The church music featured solos sung and performed by family friends—Patricia Supple along with Bob and Terry Grossmayer and Tom Labanauskas, music director. Boys and girls dressed as if they were planning to attend a summer dance filled the pews.

Family members, some more stoic than others, gathered close for comfort. Her friend, Ali Streit, a 15-year-old from West, sat in the church with her mother, Renee.  

"She always had a smile on her face, always," Ali Streit said. "She was always laughing (at herself and at awkward situations)."  

Two priests with a special relationship to the family were on the altar. Father Bill Sullivan celebrated the mass while Father Thomas Cronin con-celebrated. From the pulpit, Sullivan shared scriptural insights and prayers that reflected the style of courage and compassion that characterized a young girl who managed effortlessly to acquire hundreds of prayer partners in the past year. 

Parish Pastor Father Don Lewandowski stood at the back of the church before the service. Speaking of the family (parents Cindy and Kevin Prunty and Lucy's older siblings, Patrick, Margaret and Grace) and, of course, Lucy, he said the family was strengthened by its faith.

"Throughout the whole year it was amazing how they kept rebounding," Lewandowski said. "I don't know of anybody that had so many people praying. It was the whole parish." 

Lucy's uncle and aunt, Tim and Susan McCarthy offered a eulogy that evoked both tears and laughter. Apparently Lucy enjoyed playing dress-up when she was a small child, and she liked to tease her dad when she got older. Lucy's cousin, 17-year-old Brian Houlihan, who attends St. Rita High School in Chicago, spoke after the service.

"I loved her," he said. "My entire school prayed for her."

Lincoln-Way West Principal Monica Schmidt was present, too. Her eyes were still a bit red and she held a tissue in her hand, when she noted that "Lucy brought the whole school together." 

Maryanne Studer, Lucy's second-grade teacher at Haines Elementary School, described her as a "beautiful child."

"She was a sweet kid, smart and kind," Studer said. "I can picture her as a little girl. Her blonde hair was parted down the middle; it was cut in a pageboy." 

One day last summer, right before Lucy was diagnosed, Studer said she ran into Lucy and her mom at Mattina Café on Lincoln Highway. Studer had been sitting with her son Kurt when Lucy approached the table and exchanged simple niceties. Afterward, Studer said, her son commented about "how nice it was that Lucy would come up and talk to her second-grade teacher."