Joe's 21-month fight against leukemia ended Saturday night. He was surrounded by our sons, his parents, Paul's best friend Andy, and me when he passed peacefully. Last Friday, Joe had moved into hospice care at home, after receiving final transfusions at Carle, so we knew we didn't have much time left with him. Each day this week was a treasured gift.
A ceremony to celebrate Joe's life will take place on Saturday, November 17, at 10:00 a.m. at Faith United Methodist Church on Prospect Ave in Champaign. We hope many of you can join us. Joe has written a final blog entry that we will read at that ceremony and then post on Joe's Blasts.
To carry on Joe's long-time commitment to youth soccer in Champaign-Urbana, we have established the Joe Seeley Scholarship Fund with the Illinois Futbol Club (formerly LISC). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to "Illinois FC" with "Joe Seeley Scholarship Fund" on the memo line of the check, and checks can be mailed to the following address:
Illinois FC
Attn: Joe Seeley Scholarship Fund
2310 N. Willow Rd.
Urbana, IL 61802
We are so grateful to all of you who have faithfully followed Joe's blog during his journey. Your comments about Joe's posts meant a great deal to him, and buoyed him during his toughest times.
We are also grateful to Joe's doctors at the University of Chicago Medical Center and for the care he received recently at Carle.
Lastly, we cannot thank enough everyone who has supported Joe and us during his illness. Your many acts of kindness helped us more than you may realize. ---
Jan Seeley (the shorter half of "Team J")
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