Patrick Juris

Photo taken by: Marsha Cassidy

Patrick Juris - On behalf of the CCSPD we would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the family, friends and everyone close to Patrick. Patrick was a vibrant and active leader on the UIC campus as well as a vital contributor to outreach and the CCSPD. His life touched many and he will be missed. The following is a tribute to Patrick written by CCSPD member Marsha Cassidy.

"On Sunday, November 13, my husband and I attended a remarkable visitation in Patrick's honor at the Lawn Funeral Home in Orland Park.

The overflow crowd of visitors demonstrated Patrick's loving impact on his family, his community, and our world.  Videos and photo montages provided a touching portrait of Patrick's boyhood and accomplishments.

He was a Cubs fan in a family divided between loyalty to the Cubs and the White Sox, and a number of photographs showed him enjoying baseball at Wrigley Field, even pitching from the mound or standing beside Cub celebrity Ron Santo.  In one video, Patrick looked about seven years old; he was building a complex structure with Legos and said, 'When I grow up I want to be an architect like my father.'  While he was never able to accomplish this goal, we all know he led a meaningful and productive life.  I was especially heartened to hear from many close to him that he had found his calling at UIC and was flourishing on our campus.

Several friends and family members spoke about Patrick at the podium.
One aunt said Patrick was a "champion of life," who never wasted one minute.  Another called us all to action.  She said that Patrick's voice might be silenced, but now it was up to us to 'bring up the volume' in support of disability rights."

Marsha Cassidy

The UIC News ran an article on Patrick, please click the following link to view the text.

http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/uicnews/articledetail.cgi?id=15842

 

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