Safety monitor 'loved the kids' at Maine West
Members of the Key Club at Maine West High School supported a variety of projects during the school year, but one of their most recent was a garage sale to raise money to renovate the house on the high school's Des Plaines campus.
The so-called "Homestead House" offers special education students a place to hone their life skills, enabling them to live more independently.
It was a special fundraiser taken on by Key Club members, and by extension, their co-sponsor, Marlene May.
Officially Mrs. May worked as a school safety monitor at Maine West, providing an adult presence in the hallways and throughout the building. However, students and staff members at the school thought of her as much more than that, colleagues said.
Now, they are dealing with her passing. For the first time in 10 years, she will not be there when school opens in the fall. Mrs. May died Saturday. The longtime Chicago resident, most recently of Des Plaines for the last 11 years, was 68.
"She loved the kids, and everything they did," says her colleague, Cathy Purcinski of Des Plaines, a fellow school safety monitor.
Evidence of how much the Maine West community valued Mrs. May's service can be found on its Web site, with its online tribute to her.
"As a school safety monitor, Marlene was part of our front line of defense," says Dave Berendt, assistant principal for students. "She was out with the kids, in the hallways and the various departments, all the time. But because of her pleasant, positive personality, she was very popular and fun to be around for students."
Mrs. May spent almost as many hours volunteering in her leadership role with the Key Club.
"The Key Club was a big part of her life," Purcinski adds. "She absolutely loved doing it, and seeing the kids help other people."
Mrs. May paved the way for club members to visit with seniors at area retirement facilities, including the Oakton Arms and the Des Plaines Senior Center.
Last year, she watched with pride as the Key Club was named a Super Star in the youth group category for its dedication and service to the community. The City of Des Plaines award was presented at the annual volunteer awards dinner.
Mrs. May didn't discover her calling with teens until later in life. For much of her adult life, she had been a homemaker in Chicago's Albany Park, raising her two children, Cindy and Richard.
In the mid-1990s, Mrs. May returned to college, earning her associate degree at Wilbur Wright Community College in Chicago at age 57.
That same year, she and her husband, Richard, moved to Des Plaines, and within a year, Mrs. May found a job at Maine West.
Her son, Richard May of Las Vegas, said the role provided meaning in her life, particularly after losing her husband in 2004.
Besides her son and daughter, Mrs. May is survived by nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Visitation will take begin at 9 a.m. today before an 11 a.m. funeral service at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 200 S. Wille St. in Mount Prospect.