Longtime student counselor inspired by own experience

Lynn Edwin Salier counseled thousands of students over his 30-year career at Elk Grove High School, but few of them knew of his own struggles in school.

During his years at Freeport High School, Mr. Salier dropped out, and it was a guidance counselor, as well as his friends, who convinced him to come back.

"I think that's what influenced him to become a counselor," says his daughter Natasha Schnell of Mount Prospect.

Family members now are reflecting on that decision, and how it led to his lifelong quest for learning. Mr. Salier passed away Tuesday after an 18-month battle with inoperable lung cancer. The 46-year Arlington Heights resident, was 75.

Earning his high school diploma led to his college years, which impacted him even more, his wife says. Mr. Salier worked his way through Knox College in Galesburg, while participating with the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and in the Army's ROTC program.

Mr. Salier remained active over the years with Knox College's alumni association, and he helped to recruit prospective students. Last year, he attended his 50-year reunion, and earlier this year, he received the Knox College Service Award, for his long commitment to the institution and its students.

"It changed his life," says his wife, Dawne. "It offered him so many rich experiences, and the friends he made in his fraternity were lifelong friends."

When he graduated in 1956, Mr. Salier served in Korea with the U.S. Army, moving up the officer's ranks to captain.

It was in returning from the service to his home near Freeport that he met a young kindergarten teacher who was playing tennis. The chance meeting led to their long, 46-year marriage.

Both earned their master's degrees from Northern Illinois University, with Mr. Salier earning his in counseling. The pair accepted teaching jobs in the Northwest suburbs, with Mr. Salier starting out as an English teacher at Grove Junior High School in Elk Grove Village.

Within a few years, he moved across the street to accept a position as a counselor.

"He helped students with everything from their schedule conflicts to family issues," his daughter adds.

"He also worked with another counselor to run peer groups and other support groups for students."

When he wasn't in the classroom, Mr. Salier enjoyed outdoor activities, including hiking and skiing. He took up downhill skiing at Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin before earning his certification with the National Ski Patrol.

After that, every Thursday evening he worked on the slopes at a resort in Lake Geneva, helping injured or stranded skiers.

As a couple, Mr. Salier and Dawne enjoyed walking. In fact, they made it a goal to walk every street in Arlington Heights, which they did over the course of two years -- 230 miles of city streets and 20 miles of state highways.

"We saw things that we drove past every day, but by walking we saw them from a very different perspective," Dawne Salier said.

Besides his wife and daughter, Mr. Salier is survived by another daughter, Nicole (Sergei) Okhokonin of New York City, and one granddaughter, Sawyer Schnell.

Visitation for Mr. Salier will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday at Friedrich's Funeral Home, 320 W. Central Road in Mount Prospect. A memorial service will begin at 10 a.m. Monday at Davies Memorial Congregational Church, 134 N. Main St. in Potosi, Wis.