The Katie Traynor Scholarship

I’ve known Cindy and Gary Traynor and their family for 16 years. When we lived in Buffalo Grove, they not only lived down the street, but Cindy was one of those wonderfully patient women who provided childcare in her home. During my high-risk pregnancy, she watched and cared for my daughter so I could travel to my weekly doctor appointments with no worries. Shortly after that time, Cindy and Gary moved to Long Grove. Several years later, we found ourselves moving there as well, and again, right down the street.

Because our kids were different ages, we didn’t really see that much of each other until this last year, when her youngest son Joey and my son were on a multi-age BGRA baseball team. So several times a week, I got to reconnect with Cindy and Gary and catch up on their life and the lives of her older kids Brian and Katie, both Stevenson graduates in 2005 and 2006, respectively. 

During baseball season, I learned that Katie was graduating Purdue University's College of Nursing and had begun working in the neonatal intensive care unit at the Clarian Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Her parents couldn’t have been more proud. Cindy said, “Katie always wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember, and we always knew it would be with babies. She was one of those kids who knew early on what she wanted and nothing was going to stop her!”

Sadly however, Cindy and Gary lived every parent’s nightmare. They were awoken over Labor Day weekend with the that Katie had died in a tragic boating accident. The whole community grieved with the Traynors. Their loss touched so many people; fellow nurses, classmates, teachers, neighbors, family and friends were all torn apart by the untimely death of this hard-working, loving and compassionate young woman.

In hoping to heal and in a small way, turn this tragedy into something worthwhile, Cindy and Gary started a scholarship in Katie’s name. “We miss Katie so much, and feel that she would love to know that we are helping someone else live her dream.”

Katie’s scholarship is through the Community Foundation of Lafayette. It is for an out-of-state Nursing student at Purdue University. Cindy says, “Katie loved Purdue and loved nursing, so it is a perfect fit to carry on two very important pieces of her life.”

You can visit www.cfglaf.org and make a donation online if you’d like to contribute to her scholarship fund. Please state it is for the Katie Traynor Scholarship.

I know Katie’s memory will live on through all the people that knew her. But now, with this scholarship in place, it will be carried on in a more profound way as students fulfill their nursing dreams in her honor.

As always, email me with any news, topics or ideas that you want to read about. Remember, I’d like to be the first to know! I can be reached at laurenbgpatch@aol.com.