Memorial Bench for Former Washingtion, IL Crossing Guard

Warren became the crossing guard at Main and Devonshire for the first eight years after the middle school opened. You may remember the bright orange hunting coat he wore while crossing children to and from school. Or you may have seen him dressed as Santa on the last day before Winter break. Most children never knew his name and only called him "Santa."

He was amazed at the number of children, parents, grandparents, commuters and truck drivers who would wave, say hello, share a funny story, drop off a hot drink in the Winter, send him thank you notes and gifts and pass the corner smiling each day. As miserable as the weather could often be he looked forward to interacting with all of you every day. He was not anxious to step away but we knew his health was diminishing and he would never be able to live with himself if a child was injured on "his watch."

He had been gone from the corner for almost decade at the time of his passing but we would never fail to be stopped in a store with someone approaching and asking, "Weren't you that crossing guard?" or "Weren't you Santa?" He loved it! And that person you knew from the corner was exactly who he was.... all the time.

With the anxiety of the Pandemic, Warren felt people needed to have something to brighten their day so we started planting flowers by the pillars. There had not been plantings there for some time. Warren would often do the trimming while I weeded. And he would transport 5 gallon buckets of water during dry spells to keep things blooming. It became "his" corner.

As some of you know, our family would like to place a memorial bench at the corner near the pillars. The city owns the land and is naturally hesitant to grant permission as it would set a precedent. We believe we could do it in such a manner as to not increase city maintenance and think it would make a nice rest stop for the many walkers, runners, and riders who pass every day.

If you are in support of our taking this to the city council to formally ask permission, please sign the petition at the link below. If you had children during that time or are one of those children now grown up, please share the link with others. Thank you.