Second City memorializes suburban comedian and teacher Judy Fabjance
Hearty laughter mixed with tears Wednesday at a memorial service honoring the late comedian and teacher Judy Fabjance at The Second City.
The 41-year-old Mount Prospect native died on Saturday after an eight-year battle with cancer.
Family, friends, students and fellow artists shared fond memories of Fabjance in speeches, songs, video clips and even a comedy sketch - fitting for a woman who taught improv for almost two decades.
At the urging of the service's host, Elizabeth Lentz-Hill, each time a speaker closed his or her remembrance with, "We Love You, Judy," the crowd would respond by shouting "Yay!"
Andrew Alexander, CEO and executive producer of The Second City, said Fabjance's association with his famed company stretched back to 1992, when she was a 16-year-old Prospect High School student taking comedy classes and working as a host for The Second City's former venue in Rolling Meadows.
Alexander and other speakers described Fabjance as a welcoming and encouraging improvisational comedy teacher.
"One of her greatest joys was teaching the beginning A through E programs, saying 'I feel that the world would be a better place if everyone could just take one improv class,'" Alexander said.
Fabjance's dedication to making people laugh amid her own cancer struggles was highlighted by director Angie McMahon, who collaborated with Fabjance and her wife, Kelly Beeman, on two comedy shows, "Are You There, Judy? It's Me, Cancer" and "Tales of a Stage 4 Cancer."
Also paying tribute was Ed Garza, who founded the LGBTQ sketch comedy troupe GayCo with Fabjance and others. Garza introduced a Fabjance-penned coming-out sketch called "Bananas," which was performed by current GayCo ensemble members Kathy Betts, Clay Goodpasture and Jessica Belless.
At Wednesday's memorial service, Alexander announced that a newer second-floor performing studio at The Second City was officially renamed Judy's Beat Lounge in honor of Fabjance.
Andy Eninger, head of writing at The Second City and a GayCo co-founder, saw the gesture as part of a company tradition.
"Judy was definitely a mentor, so now to have a theater named after her, is, one, terrible because she's not with us any more," Eninger said. "But two, it's just this incredible honor."
Memorial donations may be made by visiting gofundme.com/judyfabjance to help with existing medical bills and to create a scholarship for Fabjance's daughter, Daphne. Fabjance's family also suggests donations be made to the nonprofit research organization METAvivor for those living with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.