Photo courtesy of Mr. Helvie

Mrs. Willa Mae Innis is survived by her husband of 46 years, Patrick, and her three daughters, Kristin Marie (Jacob) Judd, Karen Michelle (Todd) Levandowski, and Kelly Melissa Innis.

Without many knowing it, one woman at Libertyville High School touched the lives of students and staff with her gentle grace and kindness for the past 20 years. While remaining nameless to most students, she tirelessly helped to put on theater productions as well as coordinate other events in the fine arts department. Sometimes the gentle souls are the ones who must fight the bravest battles, and for Mrs. Willa Mae Innis, her time with us may have ended, but her endearing, beautiful smile and the impact her actions had on others will always live on.

Fine Arts secretary Mrs. Innis passed away from cancer at the age of 69 on Friday, Jan. 8, at JourneyCare Hospice, in Barrington. The estimated 400 people who attended her funeral service on Jan. 16 paid homage to the positivity and compassion that she spread amongst the community.

Innis began working at Libertyville High School around 20 years ago and served as the assistant to the Fine Arts Supervisor Mr. Dustin Helvie in the fine arts department as well as the assistant to district rentals for the past five years. In this position, she spent a lot of time dedicated to coordinating all of the many out-of-school rentals, including Dancenter North, Encore dance, and anything to do with the theater or athletic programs.

When Mr. Helvie began working at LHS in 1999, Innis was there working on requisitions for purchasing and field trips. He worked with her closely for the next 17 years. Innis was a bright light that made his transition into the supervisor position so much easier through her welcoming presence.

“Willa always had a positive outlook on life. You never knew that Willa was having a bad day, you never knew that Willa was sick. She was very, very inspirational to me because she always was so optimistic about everything,” shared Mr. Helvie. “She was just that breath of fresh air when you were having a bad day yourself; you would come into the office and Willa would be there with a smile on her face.”

Innis was a wife and mother of three daughters and loved spending time with her family. She was also a devoted Christian who took simple pleasure in the moments that she got to spend with others. Friends of hers can all pay tribute to her ability to make an impact on others through her thoughtfulness and generosity.

“We always celebrate each other’s birthdays with our office; we just have our own mini celebrations here, and I always remember that Willa made a banana split dessert, and, oh my gosh, it tasted so good, and we would exchange gifts and such and Willa was always able to pick out that one gift that was unique and that she knew I would enjoy,” shared Mr. Helvie.

A group of Education Support Personnel (which Innis was a part of) recently took time out of their day to discuss the wonderful memories that Innis graced them with during her time at LHS. She was a part of their little family and loved coming to work every day.

“She was a quieter person, yet at the same time she saw humor in a lot of things, like quirky things, and she always presented herself as a lovely lady. You would never think for her to say something off color, and she never did; she was just the sweetest person,” shared the Special Services Department secretary at LHS, Mrs. Christina Kneisel.

Q-Z LST Secretary Mrs. Patty Scherrer worked down the hall from Innis for about eight years and shared a very close friendship with her, seeing her on a daily basis. They had weekly lunch dates on Fridays and vowed to never miss that lunch date despite the weather.

“I think the funniest Willa memory for me was that one time, on one of our lunch dates, we swore a tornado was going to come because branches were flying all over the place, and we were like, ‘Nope, we are still going to lunch.’ We had to get our lunch date in,” stated Mrs. Scherrer.

Innis made a shining impact on Libertyville High School and the staff members whose lives she touched will always have a piece of her in their memories.

“She was just a beautiful person,” shared transcript manager at LHS and friend, Mrs. Michelle Jones. “As much as she was going through, she always cared about what was going on with you, that’s just who she was.”