A Treasure of the Heart
Alicia O'Briend-DiSandro, 14, book illustrator and poet, will be remembered in New Lenox as a young lady who knew how to enjoy life and who claimed victory over life's darker side. Articles
"Every day was a victory for her," said her grandmother, Bobbi Fenn, during a six-hour visitation for Alicia on Aug. 13 at the Kurtz Memorial Chapel.
Many members of the community came to remember the teen-ager they all knew as lighthearted, thoughtful and fun-loving. She died peacefully Frieday at her home.
More than 100 friends and family crowded into the funeral home Monday morning as the St. Jude Youth Music Group sang sacred songs.
Alicia, the daughter of Nick and April DiSandro of New Lenox, was a graduate of Alex M. Martino Junior High School. Her eighth-grade graduation on May 31 was one of the proudest moments of her life, she had said.
Alicia loved to dance when she could, which would explain why few people were surprised by the choice of music to close the memorial service: "Mambo No. 5," by Lou Bega.
Alicia found her victories by encouraging other people, said her school friend Jill* Hastings.
"No matter what she was going through, no matter what we were going through, she was always there for you and she always put her problems last. She hated when people got upset over her," Hastings said.
Cancer was one problem Alicia had to deal with. But her father recalled that even after a bad night that kept her out of school, and even after stints in the hospital, when doctors asked her how she was doing, she would always respond: "I'm doing good!"
It was the love of her family, friends, and neighbors and her faith in Jesus that saw her through, she often said. Her cheerful, happy spirit will always be with those she loves, and her soul is with the Lord, said Pastor Dan Boone of College Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais.
Boone, a friend of the family, led the service and praised her family for filling her life with good things. "You made her rich in the things that matter."
"She saw the best in people, and could entirely forgive the worst. She looked on the inside-everyone was worht something to her. She was a princess, a treasure of the heart."
Nick DiSandro praised his wife for her steadfastness in caring for Alicia, and praised sons Sean, 4, and Alan, 13, who were devoted to their sister. Sometimes Alan would sleep on the floor beside her bed, just in case she needed anything. They always made sure to give her a good night kiss, DiSandro said. They knew how to make her laugh.
"There is no better mother in the world than April. She never left Alicia's side," he said, adding expressions of gratitude for the Joliet Hospice workers, including Lynetta Busen, Sister Verna Furiel, spritual care giver, and many other hospice volunteers who came often to assist the family.
As family and friends gathered in the warm sunlight at Maplewood Cemetery for the burial service, strains of "Amazing Grace" drifted across teh gournds. The lament was offered by a kilted piper playing the bagpipes, as loved ones placed dozens of roses on the casket.
"I think most of all Alicia would want me to say, 'Live your life with faith in God,'" said Boone. "'Never let your sadness about life make you give in to death.' She would say, 'Live each day, dance, sing, eat chocolate, pray, write poems, play games, love the people around you, hug, care, believe! Embrace life.'"
Staff writer Louise Brass can be reached at (815) 439-4348 or at louise.brass@copleypress.com.
*Name corrected by webmaster
