Island Lake clerk loses battle with cancer
Island Lake officials late Monday were mourning the evening's death of Village Clerk Teresa Ponio.
Mayor Charles Amrich said he spoke to Ponio's husband John before sharing the news of her passing with village officials around 7:30 p.m.
“Teresa kept it private but she had been battling liver cancer for several months,” Amrich said. “Today she succumbed to the illness.”
Ponio was elected clerk in 2013, as part of Amrich's slate of candidates. She took a leave of absence in October after her diagnosis.
“She has been concentrating on beating the disease that took her life for the last four or five months,” Amrich said. “She was dedicated to beating that cancer.”
Police and Fire Commissioner Debra Jenkins said many in the community were devastated Monday night.
“Teresa was just the most lovely woman who everyone adored,” Jenkins said. “She was also a very talented painter and a great gardener.”
Jenkins said Ponio leaves behind her husband, John, and three adult sons.
Amrich said no arrangements had been made as of late Monday but he expects the village will honor Ponio in the near future.